UPDATED September 12, 2001 - This bill is currently "stuck" in the House Committee on International Relations. Added to the bottom of this page are the committee's
members' Web site addresses.
If you happen to believe that the US government should be allowed to commit murder for whatever reason overseas, please don't waste
your time reading further...
At first glance, House Resolution 19 looks innocent enough...
SUMMARY: House Resolution 19
To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various Executive orders.
Sponsor: Rep Barr, Bob
Latest Major Action: 1/3/2001 Referred to House International Relations Committee
Then you read the TITLE given to the bill, and you get the feeling that there's more to this than you thought...
SHORT TITLE(S) AS INTRODUCED:
Terrorist Elimination Act of 2001
OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:
To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various Executive orders.
Here's the entire bill...
Terrorist Elimination Act of 2001 (Introduced in the House)
HR 19 IH
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 19
To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various Executive orders.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2001
Mr. BARR of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various Executive orders.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Terrorist Elimination Act of 2001'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) past Presidents have issued Executive orders which severely limit the use of the military when dealing with potential threats against the United States of America;
(2) these Executive orders limit the swift, sure, and precise action needed by the United States to protect our national security;
(3) present strategy allows the military forces to bomb large targets hoping to eliminate a terrorist leader, but prevents our country from designing a limited action which would specifically accomplish that purpose;
(4) on several occasions the military has been ordered to use a military strike hoping, in most cases unsuccessfully, to remove a terrorist leader who has committed crimes against the United State;
(5) as the threat from terrorism grows, America must continue to investigate effective ways to combat the menace posed by those who would murder American citizens simply to make a political point; and
(6) actions by the United States Government to remove such persons is a remedy which should be used sparingly and considered only after all other reasonable options have failed or are not available; however, this is an option our country must maintain for cases in which international threats cannot be eliminated by other means.
SEC. 3. NULLIFICATION OF EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF VARIOUS EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
The following provisions of Executive orders shall have no further force or effect:
(1) Section 5(g) of Executive Order 11905.
(2) Section 2-305 of Executive Order 12036.
(3) Section 2.11 of Executive Order 12333.
Let's see what those three Executive Orders cited immediately above are:
Section 5(g) of Executive Order 11905 was signed by President Gerald Ford on 2/18/76, and specifically
prohibited "political" assassinations.
Section 2-305 of Executive Order 12036 was signed 1/24/78 by President Jimmy Carter, which renewed the ban on political
assassinations.
And Section 2.11 of Executive Order 12333 was signed by President Ronald Reagan on 12/4/81. And it renewed the
ban on assassinations, or conspiracy to commit assassinations.
So...YES - you are reading this bill correctly:
By rescinding the orders of past Presidents that prohibited the U.S.
from carrying out assassinations abroad,
Representative Barr wants to allow federal employees to
attempt or perform the assassination of foreigners
in their home countries.
And he wonders why he cannot find anyone to co-sponsor this resolution.
Want to send Bob a note?
Bob Barr represents Georgia's 7th District.You may send him email
at barr.ga@mail.house.gov. His DC coordinator is
Catherine Gilbrish, and her telephone number is 202-225-2931. Their DC fax number is 202-225-2944.