Part of bill Presented by Reid - sounds awful

From Mary at Priciple Voices

The following clause in Sen. Reid's bill (attached below, and also sent in
separate email) is the most disturbing, imho:

"(5) ensure that local officials charged with protecting the public are not
corrupted because of financial, family, or membership ties to a polygamist
organization."

This is very broad reaching and could give permission to the task force to
enforce the following:

1) denial of work contracts that are in any way connected to government
(building contracts, security, aerospace, etc.)
2) denial of public office or government jobs
3) denial of right to participate in political process as delegates or to become
involved in campaigns or make donations to public officials.
4) threat to government employees who are in any way sympathetic to polygamists

The wording of this paragraph leaves the application somewhat unclear and open
to the Department of Justice Task Force to establish and enforce under its own
steam.

Clearly all polygamous communities are being targeted in the bill (with the FLDS
the primary focus, but is clearly not the only focus). Much testimony was given
to justify investigation of income sources, and the need to investigate and
track businesses that are interstate, or international.

Bret Tolman testified that a "task force" may be "too blunt" an instrument to
use at this time, that a task force effectually already existed without a formal
acknowledgement of it, and that when dealing with polygamous communities it was
better to use more secretive tactics. Specifically, he testified that more
"subtle", more "covert" methods should be used to cultivate "informants" and
"infiltrate" polygamous groups/communities. The words in quotes are his words.
He said that already they were seeing a "withdrawal" of cooperation from people
from the polygamous groups for fear that polygamy itself would be prosecuted.

I believe this is something about which everyone should be concerned, and that
cannot be ignored.

Mary