ATS pressure group?

Just been looking around on the net about pressure groups and it got me thinking, has anymore thought about making ATS an official pressure group?? just wondering thats all. ATS does expose a lot of information and could be classified as a pressure group, but have any of the staff thought about becoming an official one?

What exactly is a pressure group??

Deep

Originally posted by ZeroDeep
What exactly is a pressure group??

Deep

I was thinking that EXACT same thing. I have NO idea what the hell your talking about.

There are a number of previous topics related to activism where I remember it being stated that this is not a purpose for ATS.

A group that puts pressure on the government to change its view or policies. For example, groups like greenpeace puts pressure on governments to disarm nuclear weapons

Like the Alien 51 kooks

Hm, that is an interesting question, I would like to know who on ATS is involved in one.

Deep

Originally posted by infinite
A group that puts pressure on the government to change its view or policies. For example, groups like greenpeace puts pressure on governments to disarm nuclear weapons

yeah and maybe we'll get a boat and have it sunk too...

no thanks, we inform, we'll leave the activism to someone else.

Isn't our approach to knowledge and learning... combined with our efforts at search engine optimization and increases in popularity... something more than a simple pressure group? Thousands of people discover our opinions every day. I think we're already a fine pressure group of knowledge.

I think ATS is more about discussing ideas than making changes. Yeah it would be cool, but could we all agree on something to say? It is a good idea though. Maybe ATS could sponsor a pressure group about something most people agree with. Like legalizing killing people. Thats one nobody would disagree with. Would they!?!

I think if ATS was around with the intent of pressuring the Gov, not many people would join. I may not like some of the things my country does, but I also don't want to be labled for it. I'd end up on some secret list somewhere in the FBI/CIA/NSA and some day they could come back at me if my rights were taken away and say...see...you disagree therefore you are a terrorist or something like that. Let the actavists do that...lol Not for me, at least this way I can speak out about things I see wrong or right and not worry about being labled something by the Gov. Although...they probiobly have files on us all already...ACK!!

*disappears in the shadows*

I don't think there is a single issue that everyone here could agree on. We have too much diversity (which in my opinion, is a beautiful thing).

Originally posted by infinite
A group that puts pressure on the government to change its view or policies. For example, groups like greenpeace puts pressure on governments to disarm nuclear weapons

What happens when, because of the Patriot Act, all of the people here at ATS are labeled terrorists and the man busts down our collective doors, arrests us, and then theres no more ATS?

Originally posted by Faisca

Originally posted by infinite
A group that puts pressure on the government to change its view or policies. For example, groups like greenpeace puts pressure on governments to disarm nuclear weapons

What happens when, because of the Patriot Act, all of the people here at ATS are labeled terrorists and the man busts down our collective doors, arrests us, and then theres no more ATS?

OH COME ON..............NOT ANOTHER FOOL AFRAID OF THE PATRIOT ACT!

Section 215 of the Patriot Act, one of the law's most controversial. It allows investigators to obtain records and other "tangible things" in the course of a terrorism investigation. This, the ACLU informs us, means that "the FBI could spy on a person because they don't like the books she reads, or because they don't like the Web sites she visits. They could spy on her because she wrote a letter to the editor that criticized government policy."

There's just one problem with that scenario: It isn't true.

To begin with, the FBI cannot request any documents or records without first getting judicial permission. That permission must come in the form of an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court � a federal court specializing in counterterrorism and international intelligence that was created by Congress during the Carter administration. No judge on that court is going to authorize government agents to spy on a citizen merely because of his reading or Web-surfing habits. Why not? Because the law forbids it. Which law? Why, the Patriot Act.

Well apparently I am another fool afraid of the Patriot Act, but not for the reason you gave. Not because they'll be able to see what we're looking at or talking about, but beacause the original poster said we should be a "pressure group." He gave the definition of a pressure group, and I responded accordingly.

Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Pub. L. No. 107-52) expanded the definition of terrorism to cover �domestic,� as opposed to international, terrorism. A person engages in domestic terrorism if they do an act �dangerous to human life� that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping

Source: www.aclu.org...

I'm just saying that under the definition of terrorism in the Patriot Act any group that tries to coerce the government or civilian population can be labeled a terrorist. Yes, it says "dangerous to human life" but all the government needs to do is come up with some reason for why a group is dangerous to human life and poof, they're a terrorist organization.

The definition of domestic terrorism is broad enough to encompass the activities of several prominent activist campaigns and organizations. Greenpeace, Operation Rescue, Vieques Island and WTO protesters and the Environmental Liberation Front have all recently engaged in activities that could subject them to being investigated as engaging in domestic terrorism.

Source: www.aclu.org...

I meant it in kind of a half joking, half serious manner.

But yes, in the end, I don't like the Patriot Act.

The thing is that there are so many varied views here that we really don't have one opinion on anything.