My thanks to Representative Never Again and Speaker Kent for their speed in bringing this to the floor. The passage of this bill is of vital importance to our national security, and I am certain that the House will pass it with all due haste.
Some background, for those who have not been closely following events in the world abroad: The so-called "Conservagreen Brigade" is a terrorist organization in all but name currently operating within the Central European nation of Paflagonia. It appears that this group was formed in response to the removal of former President Andreas von Bongbong and the installation of a new government under Field Marshall Adolf von Kummerspeck earlier this month. On August 10, the group abducted two Atlasians vacationing in Paflagonia - Mike Retroman and "Ace" Spear - and threatened to execute them if our government and the government of Paflagonia failed to meet their demands. The combined efforts of the Department of State and the Paflagonian authorities succeeded in rescuing Mr. Spear, but were too late to save the life of Mr. Retroman.
In short, the actions of the Conservagreen Brigade are a textbook example of terrorism. To allow these actions to go unpunished - particularly after the death of Mr. Retroman - would seriously compromise our credibility and our ability to protect our citizens traveling abroad.
Is this conservagreen group domestic or international?
The Conservagreen Brigade is an exclusively Paflagonian organization. From the intelligence we have, it appears that the group was organized to contest the legitimacy of the current Paflagonian government; it is therefore highly unlikely that the group would have any appeal outside of that country's borders.
What does it mean for the Sec of State to designate a person as a terrorist? I'm concerned about not infringing on a person's rights without due process.
This power would apply only to persons "affiliated with the Conservagreen Brigade," which means that the Secretary of State would need to have definitive evidence that the person or group in question was indeed a terrorist before designating them as such. I'm envisioning a scenario wherein an individual (or a group of individuals) is collaborating with the Conservagreens - selling them arms, carrying out attacks, etc. - without being a member of the group per se. Again, the designee would need to have demonstrable ties to the Conservagreen Brigade in order for the determination of the SoS to have legal standing.
If it would make this House more comfortable, I would consent to an amendment specifying that the powers laid out in Section 3.2 apply only to foreign nationals.
