Matthew Rothschild: McCain says American Citizens Can Be Sent to Guantanamo

[marmar]

from the Progressive:



McCain says American Citizens Can Be Sent to Guantanamo
By Matthew Rothschild, November 29, 2011


U.S. citizens beware: A bill being debated on the Senate floor this week is likely to pass, and if it becomes law, you could be sent to Guantanamo Bay.

The bill is the National Defense Authorization Act, S. 1867. Section 1031 of the bill gives the President and the Armed Forces enormous power to detain people they believe were involved in the attacks of Sept. 11 or supported Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or “associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.”

That section empowers the President to detain such persons indefinitely without trial or to try them before a military court or to transfer them “to the custody or control of the person's country of origin, any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity.”

Sen. Mark Udall introduced an amendment to modify this section, and his amendment was voted down on Tuesday. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/mccain_says_american_citizens_can_be_sent_to_guantanamo.html

[Drale]

1. Well is Johnny boy going to volunteer to be the first to go? /nt

[limpyhobbler]

2. I'm really glad than John McCain never got to be president.

Obama has "threatened" to veto this, but let's hold him to it.

George W. definitely would have signed it.

I'm really glad than John McCain never got to be president.

[marmar]

3. Agreed.....and welcome to DU !!!

:hi:

[Newest Reality]

4. That's not far from,

"you UNEXIST!" in the Orwellian sense.

Basically, this bill stands in stark and ominous contrast to what is left of our notion of Constitutional rights and the due process guaranteed concerning suspicion of a crime. While the implied intent is towards intent of violent actions, we can easily extrapolate a wide spectrum of potential applications from political views and decent to eventual use in regards to ethnicity.

As Sen. Franken noted, why is this necessary? The "anti-terror" system seems to be functioning, (though it is certainly overstepping in many respects) and there is no current crises to call for this gross over reach and interference with our inalienable rights. Well, we can speculate on the utility of this bill in regards to the economic and socio-political crises at hand and consider the potential, underlying implications for misuse as the door is opened to a broader Fascist-like response to protest and demand for changes.

While we languish in the economic problems that affect so many, it seems that this bill, and its potential success by agreement of "our" politicians sends us a bright red, glowing warning message about the impending failure of our system in regards to our individual and collective well-being. If we are now being told that we are in the "battlefield", here at home, then what is our place in the battle and will we have to pick a side to be on? Our fates and futures might come to rest upon a decision of that nature in the near future if this bill is not stopped or vetoed.

The threats loom everywhere now. You don't have to be a paranoid to see the writing on the wall any longer.

[PDJane]

5. Any country that builds an extrajudicial legal system

Eventually uses that system against its own people.

Why bring this bill up now?

I suspect that the answer has to do with occupy wall street and the revolution of the peasants, but I may be needlessly cynical.

[Uncle Joe]

7. I agree with the exception

that your cynicism is needless.

I believe that if people aren't cynical at this point in time, they simply haven't been paying attention.

[pacalo]

6. Who ARE these people?!