‘Avengers’ Actor Mark Ruffalo Placed on Terrorist Watch List
June 28th, 2013
Civil liberties activists have continuously warned the public that unchecked power is likely to be abused. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the US government passed a series of unconstitutional anti-terrorism measures which have effectively decimated the Bill of Rights. Many voters supplicated to this out of blind trust in government, presuming that Uncle Sam would never abuse or misuse these powers.
Fast forward more than a decade to the present, and all these “temporary” measures are still in place and escalating, and, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Avengers star Mark Ruffalo has found his way onto a terrorist watch list for his role in promoting the environmentally-conscious film GasLand. This is how far human rights have deteriorated in America in just a few short years.
The Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security Placed Ruffalo on the List
GasLand is a film which raises questions about safety issues pertaining to the drilling of natural gas through a procedure called “fracking.” While the Independent Petroleum Association of America and Forbes Magazine point out that the film has some inaccuracies, supporters of the film certainly have an undeniable, obvious right to express their views.
However, the Department of Homeland Security views certain types of political activists at tantamount to terrorists. While DHS has certainly been known to target Tea Partiers, constitutionalists, and supporters of third party presidential candidates for extra scrutiny, environmental activists were also listed as potential terrorists in the Homeland Security handbooks.
Mark Ruffalo Finds His Situation Humorous
Mark Ruffalo is a well-paid movie star known to millions. Entertainers typically keep lawyers on retainer. As a result, he finds it comical that he was placed on the terrorist advisory list for promoting a film that obviously expresses a political point of view. It’s fairly unlikely that he will be detained or anything along those lines, as he is well-known, and there would be palpable outrage.
However, it’s important to consider how things are different for less noteworthy people who mistakenly wind up on these growing lists. There are individuals who can’t fly on airplanes, despite never being tried in a court of law for any crime, because they’re stuck on the “no fly” list. Most people don’t have lawyers on retainer to deal with these issues for them. There are millions of Americans who have been subjected to this kind of undue scrutiny, and many of them are listed indefinitely.
Common sense dictates that Mark Ruffalo is not a terrorist. Employees at the Department of Homeland Security clearly do not have the necessary wisdom to be able to make these kinds of blind, unwarranted assessments. In fact, no one does, and that’s exactly why the Constitution forbids human rights abuses of this kind.
It’s high time we put these lists in a paper shredder. If someone’s suspected of terrorism, that individual shouldn’t be sitting on a watch list. Serious terrorists deserve to be brought up on charges, and a warrant is required in order to get evidence that would stick. The reality, though, is that there are precious few terror threats facing America, and, if there are any, they’re probably not going to be easy to find on a list which includes millions of innocent people.
Find out where you can see Silver Circle by checking our theater and special screening schedule on our -->event page -->.
