Topic: Indefinite detention for U.S. citizens? Senators love it
boredinaz06's photo
Mon 11/28/11 10:22 AM
While nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. The Senate will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in the United States itself.

Senators need to hear from you, on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial.

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. Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised his concerns about the NDAA detention provisions during last night’s Republican debate. The power is so broad 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 worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which will be on the Senate floor on Monday. The bill was drafted in secret by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and passed in a closed-door committee meeting, without even a single hearing.

I know it sounds incredible. New powers to use the military worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat troops out of Afghanistan too? And American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?

The answer on why now is nothing more than election season politics. The White House, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General have all said that the indefinite detention provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act are harmful and counterproductive. The White House has even threatened a veto. But Senate politics has propelled this bad legislation to the Senate floor.

But there is a way to stop this dangerous legislation. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is offering the Udall Amendment that will delete the harmful provisions and replace them with a requirement for an orderly Congressional review of detention power. The Udall Amendment will make sure that the bill matches up with American values.

In support of this harmful bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) explained that the bill will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.” Another supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is needed because “America is part of the battlefield.”

The solution is the Udall Amendment; a way for the Senate to say no to indefinite detention without charge or trial anywhere in the world where any president decides to use the military. Instead of simply going along with a bill that was drafted in secret and is being jammed through the Senate, the Udall Amendment deletes the provisions and sets up an orderly review of detention power. It tries to take the politics out and put American values back in.

In response to proponents of the indefinite detention legislation who contend that the bill “applies to American citizens and designates the world as the battlefield,” and that the “heart of the issue is whether or not the United States is part of the battlefield,” Sen. Udall disagrees, and says that we can win this fight without worldwide war and worldwide indefinite detention.

The senators pushing the indefinite detention proposal have made their goals very clear that they want an okay for a worldwide military battlefield, that even extends to your hometown. That is an extreme position that will forever change our country.

Now is the time to stop this bad idea. Please urge your senators to vote YES on the Udall Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being/

Sojourning_Soul's photo
Mon 11/28/11 11:18 AM

This is how we got the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the Patriot Act, how corporations were given "personhood", and so on, and so forth!

Washington is out of control and militarizing local law enforcement to suppress a civil revolution!

Fema Camps are already funded and operational (thanks to another such Bill), and we already see the escalation of the police state.

Watch for it....Martial Law is coming! King Barry knows he can't WIN another election!

For a brief explanation for those who don't know.....

Martial law is when the government and military take control of the civilian population by force in the time of an emergency when the civil authorities are unable to function.

This falls under the Presidential Powers Act.... and if we "declare war" on Iran, or anybody..... no elections during time of war!

Under this measure..... King Barry won't need a war to make it happen.... just oppose him.... or Congress

InvictusV's photo
Mon 11/28/11 11:38 AM
They can authorize the assassination of American citizens, so why should this come as a surprise?



no photo
Mon 11/28/11 06:07 PM
We are doomed.ohwell sad

no photo
Mon 11/28/11 06:08 PM
It's looking like Hitler's Germany more every day.

boredinaz06's photo
Wed 11/30/11 04:25 PM
Here is the latest:

Habeas Corpus: the right to trial — in other words, the right to fair treatment by government. This constitutionally-protected right is in danger of being nullified through a new Department of Defense bill.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 – S 1867 — crafted in secret by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) would declare the entire United States of America as a military battlefield, where individuals — American citizens and non-citizens alike — are subject to arrest and indefinite detention by the President without the right to step into a courtroom.

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano said recently on his show Freedom Watch, “While you were shopping and dining over Thanksgiving, and maybe watching some football games, Big Government Republicans and Democrats were busy shredding the last vestiges of the Constitution … they’re talking about inserting the Army into domestic law enforcement.” Napolitano then quoted Republican Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) as saying “The homeland is part of the battlefield and people can be held without trial whether an American citizen or not.”

Have these legislators read the Constitution?

The United States Constitution says in the second clause of Section 9 of Article I:

“The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”

Earlier this year the House voted on a similar bill: HR 1540,where only 6 Republicans — Amash, Campbell, Chaffetz, Duncan (TN), McClintock, and Paul — voted it down.

Representative Justin Amash (R-MI) wrote today on his facebook page that S. 1867 is “one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime.” Moreover, Amash maintains that the the bill capitalizes on misleading semantics; regarding section 1032 , he says “‘The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.’ This language appears carefully crafted to mislead the public. Note that it does not preclude U.S. citizens from being detained indefinitely, without charge or trial, it simply makes such detention discretionary.”

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has opposed this piece of legislation as it stands and has proposed amendments — amendments 1062 and 1064– to strike-down verbiage that provides government power against US citizens.

Senator Paul warned on the Senate floor earlier today: “Should we err today and remove some of the most important checks on state power in the name of fighting terrorism, well then the terrorists have won … detaining American citizens without a court trial is not American.”

Update 11/30: The Senate rejected Rand Paul’s amendment 1064 to modify S. 1867 on November 29; Mark Udall’s amendment 1107 was also rejected. Amendment 1064 received 30 ayes and 67 nays; the only GOP support came from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME]. Amendment 1107 received 37 ayes and 61 nays, where on two Republicans voted in favor — Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Sen. Rand Paul.

Dragoness's photo
Wed 11/30/11 04:42 PM
Our congress has lost it's mind.

I already wrote the whitehouse and my representatives about it.

boredinaz06's photo
Wed 11/30/11 05:06 PM
This is absolutely shameful and as far as I'm concerned illegal and y'all can be rest assured these idiots will get reelected.

LunaLady's photo
Wed 11/30/11 06:00 PM
Our freedoms are disappearing daily in America...we have little left to be proud of. I will probably be on their detenion list for my ongoing bold involvement in the "occupy" movement. More need to join me. This MUST be stopped. Please contact the white house & have Obama veto this...NOW. Thank you!

no photo
Wed 11/30/11 06:13 PM
not to mention illegal search & seizure

proopnents of this legislation should be prepared to answer charges of treason for violating the Bill of Rights

willing2's photo
Wed 11/30/11 06:14 PM
Edited by willing2 on Wed 11/30/11 06:29 PM

Our freedoms are disappearing daily in America...we have little left to be proud of. I will probably be on their detenion list for my ongoing bold involvement in the "occupy" movement. More need to join me. This MUST be stopped. Please contact the white house & have Obama veto this...NOW. Thank you!

Asking Libs to call "Dem" oBoreme and his majority Dem house?

rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl

They want everything oBlowme deems necessary.

I can hear them now gasping with disbelief.scared

Here is the list of all 61 senators who betrayed you and me. Their names are as follows:

Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
... ... Boozman (R-AR)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Moran (R-KS)
Nelson (D-NE)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R

TJN's photo
Thu 12/01/11 10:45 AM
If your an illegal in this country and get pulled over you can't be asked to provide proof of citizenship. If you are a law abiding citizen and are deemed a terrorist for whatever reason you can be detained indefinately. What is this country coming to when someone here illegally has more rights than a legal citizen.

Sojourning_Soul's photo
Thu 12/01/11 11:08 AM
Press 1 for English, press 2 for deportation.....

Press 1 for Congress, press 2 for term limits....

Press 1 for Obama, press 2 for Osama....

US Navy SEALS removed one Muslim threat to America . It's up to the voters to remove the other!

drinker :banana: drinker