The Senate will be voting on Tuesday on a defense bill that would drastically expand the Defense Department’s ability to indefinitely detain terrorism suspects, shifting that responsibility from traditional domestic law enforcement to the military.
“The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The power is so broad,” they claim, “that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself.”
The primary authors of the provision, Democrat Carl Levin and Republican John McCain, wrote in the Washington Post that the reactions against the law are overblown. They argued that the provision allows presidents “through a waiver, to hold these al-Qaeda detainees in civilian custody if it determines that would best serve national security.”
But giving political and military leaders the choice of giving full rights to the accused or not is a poor selling point. Senator Mark Udall, who opposes the provision and wrote a response in the Washington Post, said “the provisions would require the military to dedicate a significant number of personnel to capturing and holding terrorism suspects — in some cases indefinitely — even those apprehended on U.S. soil.”
For now, Levin and McCain would appear to be in the minority, and the Obama administration has vowed to veto the bill if it passes. Aiming to appear strong on national security in an election season, they couched their objection in terms of hindering their ability to fight terrorism, as opposed to the provision being an affront to basic human rights.
To contact your Senator to oppose the bill, go to this form at the ACLU.
Gee, does the U.S. think it owns the world? Who gave it this right? Certainly not the other 94% of the world's people!
America is infected with a quickly spreading insanity! It's too big for its cowboy boots! It needs to be taught a lesson!
http://www.dangerouscreation.com
David, the first part of your rhetorical question is quite obvious. Yes. Yes, they do!
We already think we can grab anyone we like and throw them into a hole and torture them to death. This is a bi-partisan Nuremberg enabling act to allow a President to do the same to US citizens. It goes even beyond unconstitutional. It violates the concept of basic inalienable rights and habeus corpus. Levin and McCain should be impeached for even considering this.
Impeached? This is the most obvious attack on the Consititution "from within" yet – they should be arrested and tried for treason. These are the very people many of us, certainly those in Congress, swore to defend the Constitution against.
David lets be more specific! The Federal Government of the United States is a rogue Government at this time in American history and has for sometime been violating the Constitution that was adopted by the founding Fathers of the American revolution and all three branches are guilty! It is the duty of every patriot of liberty to stand up and defend by whatever means the freedom that has been paid for by the martyrs of the Republic! I pray that there are enough statesman and women to defeat such a treasonous bill! Those who would even propose such a Law should be prosecuted for violation of the bill of Rights, Ron Paul for president so that we may avoid blood shed! God Bless America and the Republic for which it stands, Life liberty and the pursuit of Happiness! Amen
I am thoroughly impressed with the extent to which American politicians feel that the world is their domain as they bestride it like a demented colossus, demanding the “right” to kidnap any citizen of any sovereign country on the unproven allegation or suspicion of a tyrant or some other unaccountable minion in aid of this mega maniacal empire gone mad. When does this madness end?
While we crow about the repressive, dictatorial regimes in the various stans or backwater vestiges of the world, we are but one piece of legislation away from assuming that role ourselves. The Republican crazies and the current President, Obama and his government are but Bush… reincarnated. I fear for the Republic.
If the USA Congress passes this legislation, each and every Congress member that voted in favor needs to be arrested for treason. Of course those arrests will never happen — just look at how well the judiciaries of successive political regimes have utterly failed to uphold the Constitution. We The People might consider either recalling these Congress members, or not re-electing them. I'm uncertain that even these measures might succeed, considering the power of corporate money, corporate media, pending internet censorship, and those nearly ubiquitous electronic voting machines.
Full scale Rebellion involving millions is right around the corner !
The most dangerous part of this is the expansion of military power within the United States. Posse Comitatus was passed in 1878 to assure that at least the military would not be used to advance the police state.
It's all over, folks.
Absolutely correct. Posse Comitatus, what memory remains of it, was being given an end run for decades as the Pentagon gifted weapons to police and sherriff departments. Their slow militarization was the first step. This evil law is but the final nail as they now seek to put a thin coat of legalese on their creation.
Levin and McCain are out of their freaking minds. Are there ANY rational adults left in the old congressional room?
While I credit John McCain for his service in the Vietnam War – he was a lousy Navy pilot; was a womanizer; was next to last in his Academy class; was blamed for starting the fire aboard the USS Forrestal – is an insane nut case!
It does work well with the North American command that Bush set up so the Pentagon has a command structure for taking over the country in case of an "emergency"
No! Anyone could be a "terrorist" suspect. I lived in China for five years. Soldiers were everywhere all the time. We don't want to be like China.
This is the kind of power Stalin had…oh, what a slippery slope!
A "Crossing the Rubicon" and "Reichstag fire" moment if there ever was one.
America has been a disguised corporate/financial/militarist Empire for quite some time now, but this act by the actors of the Empire is the "Fonzi jumps the shark" ending for the series, "Happy Days in anything approaching a democratic Republic".
And when the Empire turns inward on the homeland then the painful truth of Hannah Arendt's prescient warning about all Empires starts to really sink-in, with the arrival of the tow-truck with the wire rope noose on your own block.
"Empire abroad entails tyranny at home."
Best luck and love to Occupy Empire.
Liberty, democracy, justice, and equality
over
violent/Vichy
empire,
Alan MacDonald
Anyone wearing the uniform of the United States armed forces who even DREAMS of trying to arrest an American citizen, on American soil has overstepped their authority, is guilty of treason and deserves to be shot on sight.
In the same vein as this letter, I challenge every member of the U.S. armed forces, of which I was once a member, to ask themselves these same questions and ponder these same facts.