OK, So get ready to be pissed off. I cannot overstate the seriousness of this matter.
THE SENATE HAS JUST PASSED A BILL THAT DECLARES THE U.S. A "BATTLEFIELD", AND AUTHORIZES THE INDEFINITE IMPRISONMENT OF ANYONE SUSPECTED OF "TERRORISM", WITHOUT TRIAL AND WITHOUT CHARGES. For those of you who need a refresher on what's written in the Constitution...well, this is exactly the opposite of what's written. American citizens are supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty", and they must be 1) told what they're being arrested for and 2) convicted in a court of law based on EVIDENCE before they can be sent to jail. If the Senate has its way, that protection will go the way of the Dodo bird, all in the name of "defending us against terrorists"
. What I want to know is, who the hell is going to protect us from our own fucktard government? Congressman somehow think there above the law, How about arresting the warmonger's that lead us into a decad long war, well at the same time costing the tax payers trillions of US dollars and the live's of ten's of thousands if not hundreds of thousand of innocent people both Solder and Civilian's....
Not surprisingly, the mainstream media has done a fabulous job reporting more extensively on Kim Kardashian's divorce than on this absolutely vital, potentially life-altering national issue. I've had to scour the internet for information on the bill, since paradoxically, only small local outlets seem to be concerned about it.
Allow me to present some sources.
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This article is by the co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous law institute:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/u-s-senate-authorizes-military-to-detain-u-s-citizens
Excerpt: "On December 1, the United States Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA/S. 1867) which includes a provision that would approve the indefinite military detention of anyone, including U.S. citizens, “under the law of war without trial.” Section 1031 of the Act reads in part as follows:“Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force…includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons…Detention under the law of war without trial.” This language was drafted in secret by Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan).
On November 29, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) said on the floor of the Senate: “1031, the statement of authority to detain, does apply to American citizens and it designates the world as the battlefield, including the homeland.”
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Now that the United States Senate has authorized the subjection of U.S. citizens to prolonged military detention (internment) under the law of war without trial, it appears that a dark force indeed is in control of the U.S. government. On Dec. 1, the following exchange occurred on the Senate floor:
Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) “My question would be, under the provisions, would it possible that an American citizens, then, could be declared an enemy combatant and sent to Guantanamo Bay and detained indefinitely?”
Senator John McCain: “I think that as long as that individual, no matter who they are, if they pose a threat to the security to the United States of America should not be allowed to continue that threat.” In other words, “yes.”"
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Here's an article from OregonLive:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/occupy_portland_protesters_mar.html
Excerpt: "More than 30 Occupy Portland protesters gathered at Salmon Street Springs Fountain late this morning for a rally and march in protest of the National Defense Authorization Act. Protesters took issue with the $662 billion defense spending bill, singling out language in the U.S. Senate version that says U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism can be detained indefinitely.
"The thing that concerns me is reflections on McCarthyism, where anybody suspected of being a Communist was detained and abused, essentially," said march organizer Terris Harned, 32. "Our main concern and our main goal is to raise awareness. This bill has very much flown under the radar, and we don't think people have been made aware enough about it."
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The U.S. House of Representatives must vote on its version of the bill and then Congress will reconcile the two versions before sending it to President Barack Obama to sign. Obama has said he will veto the bill. "
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Here's one from Reason.com:
http://reason.com/archives/2011/12/07/obamas-indefinite-detention-powers
Excerpt: Defenders of the bill's detention provisions say they merely codify powers granted by the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that Congress approved after the September 11 terrorist attacks. But unlike the AUMF, Section 1031 of the National Defense Authorization Act explicitly "affirms" the legality of military detention "without trial." Furthermore, it says such treatment is permitted not only for "a person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks" or who "harbored those responsible" (language that echoes the AUMF) but also for anyone who joins or supports Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or "associated forces"—a much wider net.
Section 1032 of the bill creates a presumption in favor of military detention for a member of Al Qaeda or an allied organization who "participated in the course of planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners." But it says "the requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
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In short, the bill asserts the president's power to snatch anyone from anywhere, including a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and confine him in a military prison without charge until the end of a perpetual, worldwide war against an amorphous enemy. Senators from both parties who were alarmed at that prospect tried to remove the detention provisions, but the most they could achieve was an amendment saying the bill does not "limit or expand" the president's powers under the AUMF or "affect existing law or authorities" regarding detention of people "captured or arrested in the United States."
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I just wanted to bring your attention not only to this bill, but to the issue of "homeland militarization" in general. It is of grave importance that we all know about and talk about what's been going on in our government since 9/11, because frankly, it's scary as hell. Our leaders seem dedicated to eroding what's left of our freedoms, and most Americans sit back and twiddle their thumbs, dumbly thinking "well, we're the good guys!"
If we're the good guys, why are we starting to do things that are the hallmark of oppressive military regimes? I look at shit like this, and I see the early days of Soviet Russia, Fascist Italy, and Communist China. It may sound like an exaggeration now, but I can assure you that if these sorts of measures continue to be taken, and the public is prevented from having an informed dialogue about them, then we are headed down a dark road indeed.
Even if the bill were to be "honorably implemented" now (i.e. they only capture and detain REAL terrorists), what's to stop it being used against ideological enemies of the state (i.e. protestors or reformers) in 20 years? It's not hard to imagine a country where people who have "problematic political opinions" are "removed", since this has happened over and over and over again throughout history.
Even if that doesn't happen, what's preventing the enforcers of this military overkill from making a mistake? People get added to the no-fly list by accident all the time, for reasons as mundane as sharing the same name as someone else. What if your buddy Joe Schmoe was locked up indefinitely because another guy named Joe Schmoe was posting bomb blueprints on the internet? He'd never be entitled to a trial, to his one phone call, or even to knowing what he did. He'd just disappear, and that'd be that.
I highly encourage you to look up your senators and see if they voted yes on this bill, and if they did, DO NOT VOTE FOR THEM ON ELECTION DAY. Send an email to them (haha not that they even read mail from their constituents, or care if they did read them), and spread this news around facebook, twitter, youtube, wherever......
Serious business, guys. We may not have much power, but we do have a little thanks to the internet.
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