Inherent Powers, Ignoble History Make New Idea Anything But Innocuous

?For at least 18 months this 'Homegrown-Terrorism and Extremist Belief Commission' will be required to hold congressional hearings around the country, to uncover Americans with 'political, religious or social' concerns who commissioners think might be 'extreme' and/or potentially violent, whether any of these Americans has committed a crime or not. Virtually any politically, socially or religiously active person or group could be targeted by the commission to find out who is, and who is not, one of the 'hidden enemy' among us....Members of suspect political, religious and social groups, or Americans who might even know people the commission suspects--which certainly will include non-mainstream political parties, certain public advocacy groups, some churches and many mosques--can expect the 'commissioners' will want to know?'are you now, or have you ever been?associated with extremists, violent radicals or homegrown terrorists?' For those who do remember history, this should sound uncomfortably familiar. These are the kinds of questions Americans were compelled to answer when testifying before another 'legislative commission' during the anti-communist McCarthy-era witch-hunts.? Yep, and now they can waterboard you to get the names.