US Senate advances tough new detainee rules

[ProSense]

Source: AFP

The US Senate on Wednesday easily advanced an annual spending bill that includes tough new rules requiring military detention of terrorism suspects, which have drawn a White House veto threat.

Lawmakers voted 88-12 to push the $662 billion legislation over a procedural hurdle and seemed on track to approve the measure by week's end after debates on amendments, including some aimed at diluting the detainee provisions.

The vote came a day after senators beat back an attempt to strip the detainee rules -- despite warnings from the FBI, the Pentagon, and the US Director of National Intelligence that they risk crippling counter-terrorism efforts.

The controversial measures affirm Obama's right to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely, including US citizens, and calls for Al-Qaeda fighters who plot or carry out attacks on US targets to be held in military, not civilian, custody.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/us-senate-advances-tough-detainee-rules-172932065.html

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Edited to add Senate roll call

[teddy51]

1. Isn't that just fucking wonderful? So anyone of us can be detained and held

with no court case.

[RKP5637]

9. Germany 1930's. Too many people think that can't happen in this country. It can. All that's

needed is the right political will, the right propaganda and the right PTB. More and more citizens are the enemy of the state by default anymore. Civil rights are trampled on more and more.

And too many Americans are sheep, breed as sheep. And often when they do rise and take cause, they go off on some tangent like the tea party, for example, coned by monied manipulators to do their bidding. Most Americans IMO are politically pretty lame.

[Newest Reality]

2. The provisions in this bill

are unacceptable and unnecessary. That is, unless the goal is to further erode our Constitutional rights as citizens.

This should not be considered as a move that affects only someone else. We are watching attempts to firmly entrench a Police State that will imbue us with the fear of being removed from society without due process and stripped of any rights we now hold dear.

This is just as frightening as "terrorism", (and maybe more so in the long-term implications) and ushers in a potential for a full shopping list of atrocities. This bill is a stepping-stone to something ominous and critical for every citizen. A dark tide is washing up on our shores in the midst of other crises that deserve more attention.

[Purveyor]

3. +1 n/t

[teddy51]

4. Can yea say Nazi Germany all over again, only in North America this time. n/t

[RKP5637]

10. Very well said! And what irks me is many Americans are so damn clueless. I mentioned

my concerns about this, for example, to several people here today (not DU) and all I got was a shrug of the shoulders, like so what, what are you concerned about. I fear crap like this more than any terrorism.

I've seen a strong trend line since 9/11 and exactly like you said, "This bill is a stepping-stone to something ominous and critical for every citizen." IMO 9/11 has been used over and over by some to enable dark and evil agendas. I think we are definitely headed toward being a Police State if this trend continues. What is really troubling is when many Americans think this does not concern them.

[Tx4obama]

5. The pending Feinstein amendments will fix the bill's text regarding the detainment issue

Feinstein amendment #1125 (limiting military custody of detainees to those captured abroad)
Feinstein amendment #1126 (prohibiting military authority to indefinitely detain US citizens)
http://democrats.senate.gov/2011/11/30/amendments-to-s-1867-the-department-of-defense-authorization-act/


Edited to add
I figured yesterday when the Udall amendment was voted down that there was an alternative amendment in the works - looks like that is the case :)

[teddy51]

6. Lets hope these amendments are voted on and pass. n/t

[msongs]

7. Senator Inouye should be ashamed of himself for voting no on the Udall amendment ->

here he is decades ago commenting on internment of Japanese Americans, claiming "never again"....


https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/190396

[Tx4obama]

8. Why should he be ashamed? Perhaps he preferred the Feinstein amendment over the Udall one

Seems like lots of folks are jumping to conclusions without knowing any facts.

[Moosepoop]

11. What? On DU?? Couldn't happen.

;)

[Swede Atlanta]

12. This is just a smoke screen......

I have no doubt that the war on terror is just a pretext to stripping citizens of our Constitutional rights. The real objective is to ensure that any attempts by the people to wrestle control of our country from the hands of the 1% will be characterized as domestic terrorism. People will be herded into concentration camps and held indefinitely. The powerful will never, ever give up control and privilege without a fight to the death.

[krabigirl]

13. This is horrible. WTF. Ugh to the people who voted for this, fascists.

[Ter]

14. The 12 courageous Senators that voted no:

NAYs ---12
Burr (R-NC)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Lee (R-UT)
Merkley (D-OR)
Paul (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Rubio (R-FL)
Wyden (D-OR)

Only two Democrats. An utter disgrace. :(

[Tx4obama]

15. Why the hell are you calling republicans courageous for voting against cloture?

Now that there is cloture the bill can be DEBATED in an open forum and more amendments will be voted on.

Unbelievable that we are always bitching about the republicans that won't vote for cloture in order to bring bills to the floor for debate and now someone is praising them! LOL

[Ter]

17. I think there's a misunderstanding

I must have quoted the wrong bill, sorry.

[karynnj]

16. That was on the entire defense department budget!

A must pass bill.