DeSantis signs his pet anti-terrorism bill; should Donald Trump be worried?
News and informed commentary for Americans from a Florida perspective
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law draconian legislation that gives him the power, through his “chief of domestic security,” to designate groups or individuals as “domestic terrorists.”
The law would apply to any group that “is intended to intimidate, injure, or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of government through destruction of property, assassination, murder, kidnapping, or aircraft piracy.”
Civil liberties organizations are justifiably aghast, but there could be a silver lining, which I’ll get to in a moment.
The bill, as signed, is overly broad and it most likely will be challenged in court. DeSantis acknowledges this but says he believes he’ll ultimately win on appeal. Of course, he does.
We’ll see.
The Florida Phoenix has done an admirable job of outlining all the legislation’s ins and out and why it is so terrifying. You can read more here.
I’ve published extensively about DeSantis and his crusade to stamp out civil rights organizations not to his liking, his primary target being CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
But opponents of the legislation worry it could be applied overbroadly to other groups, too.
As a CAIR representative said after DeSantis signed the bill:
“We have already been unjustly targeted — most notably when Governor DeSantis falsely labelled CAIR as terrorists without lawful authority or evidence. This is not just about CAIR. This expanded and deeply flawed framework can attack any organization that dares to dissent. As Floridians, together, we’ll watch how this unprecedented law is enforced, and whether it is used or abused.”
“Does the governor and his Cabinet have the ability to designate NOW (the National Organization for Women) or Planned Parenthood as a domestic terrorist organization?” asked Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Democrat from Weston.
Those concerns are clearly legitimate.
However, there may be a bright side to all this.
Given the legislation’s broad authority, it appears to me that the “terrorist” designation could also apply to any Florida resident who:
Runs roughshod over international law;
Tosses bombs at unindicted foreigners in Caribbean fishing boats;
Kidnaps foreign heads of state;
Unlawfully turns a blind eye to the murder of Americans in city streets;
Has a history of associating with known Florida child molesters;
Imprisons thousands of men, women and children without proper legal due process;
And who prosecutes military attacks from a Florida base (for instance, Tampa’s MacDill) while threatening war crimes against civilian populations.
So, Gov. DeSantis, a suggestion:
There’s somebody with a legal residence in Palm Beach County you should ask your chief of domestic security to investigate.
He lives at a mansion known as Mar-a-Lago.
You can easily find it. It will be the one with all the boxes labeled “Top Secret” sitting by the curb waiting for trash pickup.
Just saying.
Related:
DeSantis signs bill allowing state officials to issue domestic ‘terrorist’ designations
Controversial bill that would allow surveillance of Florida citizens moves ahead in Legislature
Florida Muslims come to state Capitol despite ‘terrorist’ designation by DeSantis
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state.
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Why is he so determined to get more power when thankfully he leaves office in January? Our next democratic governor could find him to be a terrorist.
Thank you for the excellent reporting. I guess what's on my mind with the anti-terrorism bill is the fact that a majority of the legislators voted for it. I have little doubt that DeSantis instigated it but to see the majority of the people that we elected to protect us vote for it makes me more than sad.