Florida Democratic congresswoman Stephanie Murphy proposed legislation to prevent anyone who participated in the January protests and riot on Capitol Hill from being eligible for a security clearance. She would further impose a similar ban on anyone who participated in any “stop the steal” rally or anyone who knowingly engaged with Q-anon.
Basically, her legislation would ban an entire group of people from employment simply because they used their Constitutional right to assemble. Those convicted of participating in the violence on January 6th would be ineligible for a security clearance, hence Federal employment. This bill would effectively criminalize every person who showed up for the rally and remained out in the streets protesting.
From The Daily Beast;
The legislation, titled the Security Clearance Improvement Act of 2021, requires applicants looking to obtain or renew their federal security clearances to disclose if they participated in the Jan. 6 rally in Washington—or another “Stop the Steal” event—or if they “knowingly engaged in activities conducted by an organization or movement that spreads conspiracy theories and false information about the U.S. government.
This proposed legislation is nothing less than a ginormous raft of thought crimes that Americans could be punished for without ever having broken the law.
To repeat myself, protesting is still legal and constitutionally protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution!