U.S. Congressman Virgil Goode (I-5th) is sending a clear message to both Americans and international terrorists concerning the Sept. 11 attacks.
Goode is sponsoring the Terrorist Elimination Act, days after co-sponsoring the recently passed bill allowing a declaration of war against terrorists and their sponsors.
As stated in Goode's newsletter to constituents, the bill would nullify a 30-year-old executive order "forbidding any employee of the United States government from being involved in any assassination or attempted assassination."
The newsletter goes on to explain that, "The bill says that 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."
The bill specifically is intended to target terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Goode said that the Terrorist Elimination Act of 2001 would allow the United States to assassinate a terrorist such as bin Laden.
"I think that if we don't act swiftly and with precision, then we won't have any liberties to defend," he said. Although Goode made it clear he supported the act and its focus on bin Laden, his newsletter concludes by saying, "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."
Kenneth Thompson, a former Miller Center director and resident scholar in the foreign affairs department, cited the multiple failed assassination attempts on Fidel Castro in the 1960s as a means of showing the proposed act's flaws.
"It is a dismal history, because it never worked out," Thompson said. He believes that, instead of assassinating bin Laden, it would be more logical for America to force him out of Afghanistan and bring him to justice in an international court.
Several political analysts agree with Thompson and do not predict that Goode's recently proposed Terrorist Elimination Act of 2001 will find much support in Congress, because of the long-standing policy against such government actions.
On Tuesday, Goode, with the support of the bill's several co-sponsors in the House, passed a joint resolution giving President George W. Bush authority to declare war on "any entity that committed the acts of international terrorism against the United States on September 11, 2001."
That joint resolution passed in the House on Tuesday, 420-1, with the only dissenting vote coming from California Rep. Barbara Lee. The resolution also passed in the Senate.
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | 12 hours agoThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
