Why aren't we hearing about H.R. 1955, the bill "to prevent homegrown terrorism," overwhelmingly passed by the House on October 23rd?

I just learned about H.R. 1955 last night from my blogging buddy, Chris Borland, and am so alarmed about it that it’s now at the top of my concerns, although I will continue making calls to Congress in support of H.R. 799, the impeach Cheney resolution.

I need to get a handle on it. A link to the text of the bill is here. The details regarding the stunning 404 to 6 vote here.

The best post I’ve seen so far on it is here.

Right off the top:

1. Section 899 F of the bill, the protection of civil liberties, appears extremely weak to me, and the "auditing mechanism" by the DHS isn't an independent audit.

2. It also appears to open the door to identifying "thoughtcrime" in order to take preemptive action against those considered likely to commit a crime in the future.

I admit I don’t know much about it, but I plan to learn more. Please post a comment if you are aware of ramifications of this bill.

Update: Keep your eye on Scott Horton’s blog for Harper’s, No Comment. I expect to see a post on this soon.

(photo: Informed Dissent, also worth checking re H.R. 1955)