The House on Friday passed a defense bill that adds $8 billion for the military next year and approves indefinite detention for terror suspects, even if they are American citizens captured on U.S. soil.
Before voting on the overall bill, the House rejected an amendment by Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash), and Justin Amash (R-Mich) that would have barred indefinite detention and rolled back the mandatory military custody ratified in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The vote was 238-182.
“The frightening thing here is that the government is claiming the power under the Afghanistan authorization for use of military force as a justification for entering American homes to grab people, indefinitely detain them and not give them a charge or trial,” Amash said during House debate.
The $642 billion defense bill, passed in a 299-120 vote, completely abandons the deficit-cutting agreement that President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans backed last summer. Essentially, Congress mandated action on cutting spending by force of law, and then ignored their own legislative mandates. A more illustrative example of lawlessness is hard to find.
Instead of doing the budget cutting that hawks have objected to for months, the House voted to increase defense spending by $8 billion next fiscal year.
The bill calls for a superfluous missile defense system on the East Coast that the military officially opposes and will prevent the reduction of the arsenal of nuclear weapons required by law under a 2010 treaty with Russia. It also keeps ships and aircraft that the Pentagon wanted to retire, allocates more money for advanced weapons, and gives a pay raise to military personnel.
What else is to be expected? The U.S government is just a large criminal gang, who's violent dictates we're all forced to live under. We have power when in mass. But since the majority of people don't care, nothing will change.
Man — A social creature craving mutual gratification
Society is a closed-loop control system, with every issue controlled by the majority providing feedback which turns up the gain, with those in the minority causing negative feedback that limits progress.
Our military for example, it having the full support of the 51% most wealthy, most naive is it to say that the people, the government, the military, the corporate rich or Israel is in control, as all five are in perfect harmony and equally in control.
but man also seeks to maximise individual freedom to protect him/herself from the power of others. That's the conundrum.
Amash (R), and Smith (D) are good. Their amendment lost by 56 votes…that is 13.33%. Ron paul has gotten 10% of the popular vote, if only we fight just a little harder. I am not pro Al-Queda. When do we realize its a monster getting out of control.
A raise in spending? Get ready for WW3 because they sure as hell are.
Eight billion dollars more (!) for the bloated, wasteful American military? Indefinite detention for 'terror suspects" who are American citizens? A colossal disgrace.
Keep nullification and secession in mind. . . .
Clueless morons, whores of the mic, traitors to this country and the people who gave them their cushy jobs to begin with. Only judges like K. Forrest can save us now from these bastards.
It's shameful to be called an American..
The recipe for the new police state is to continue to scare the s— out an uninformed American public that a new terrorist plot is brewing. Following which the state can detain w/o formal charges, indictment or trial…indefinetely. Or, when politically expedient there is always assassination, again w/o any legal basis or accountability. With a brief look to history it seems that we are mirroring another dark place in time…the USSR.
Excuse me!? When did USSR attack so many countries, kill thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, and cause the migration of millions from their homes? Man has got to be fair. Fact is there’s nothing you can compare the US with.
We don't always get what we want,
But we are damn sure going to get what we deserve!
Stop the madness
Can anyone help me with the name of the law that was passed to mandate spending cuts that was mentioned in the above article and blatantly ignored?? Even though I wish I could target my Congressman publicly for supporting indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, (sigh), I probably would have more success in my Neocon district to focus on how we are not cutting spending and going further into debt.
Yepeeeeeeeeeee…and the best part is that we are all suspects now.
Everyone get in touch with the Texas School Book Gang Board and tell them its past time to put "They Thought They Were Free" (Milton Mayer) and "It Can 't Happen Here" (Sinclair Lewis) on the school curiculum.
"The $642 billion defense bill, passed in a 299-120 vote, completely abandons the deficit-cutting agreement that President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans backed last summer. Essentially, Congress mandated action on cutting spending by force of law, and then ignored their own legislative mandates. A more illustrative example of lawlessness is hard to find"
What do you want to bet though that when it comes time to cut Social Security and Medicare they will plead that they have to because "the deficit-cutting agreement mandates it", and that many voters will just lap it up.
We're toast!
Under present circumstances the Mafia always wins, unless some Elliot Ness pops up somewhere.
The least every one of us can, and it can’t be simpler, is to look at the list of those who voted for it, and NOT TO VOTE FOR THEM in the upcoming election on June 25. And tell your friends too.