The logic below reminds me of a routine feature of federal law. We all believe you are considered innocent until proven guilty, but if you *testify* you are innocent and are later convicted, they add perjury to the conviction. After all, you were lying when you testified your were innocent (even if you were wrongly convicted). Hey, it’s just “an extra tool for law enforcement.” mjh
Groups Oppose Ohio Patriot Act Reported by Eve Mueller
The Ohio Patriot Act will become law on Friday, and with it comes a lawsuit against it.
One part of the act affects everything from new government employees to about 60 licensed professions to businesses with big government contracts.
From this day forward, people will be required to sign the DMA, Declaration of Material Assistance. You can’t be a “member” of, “provide material support” to, or have “hired” a terrorist if you want to do business in this state [Ohio].
All new government employees, like firefighters, have to answer the questions. So do people who want or are renewing 60 different licenses.
They include everyone from pesticide dealers, meat plant owners, pilots, trash collectors and even fireworks wholesalers.
Does the Ohio Office of Homeland Security really expect anyone to check the yes box on any of those terrorist questions? Won’t someone just lie?
They say, “That’s our first thought, but it’s an extra tool for law enforcement, so if later on you hired an employee, did business with the state, determined you have [been] guilty of false application [and were] charged with [an] offense, it’s a felony.
The America Civil Liberties Union of Ohio dislikes the Ohio Patriot Act so much that the group has filed a lawsuit against it.
Ohio Citizen Action doesn’t like it either, saying, We’ve always thought it’s silly to sign something that says, Im not a terrorist. If you are a terrorist, you’re likely to do whatever it is you planned on doing, and you’re also getting into civil liberties issues.
Like it or not, it’s the latest effort to find connections to terrorist groups on the US Department of State list.
The new DMA form must also be completed by companies that get government contracts worth more than $100,000.