Battlefield America: US Citizens Face Indefinite Military Detention in Senate Defense Bill

[The Northerner]

Run time: 08:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=couq2HkAdDU   Posted on YouTube: November 29, 2011 By YouTube Member: democracynow Views on YouTube: 89   Posted on DU: November 29, 2011 By DU Member: The Northerner Views on DU: 1787

 
www.democracynow.org - The Senate is set to vote this week on a Pentagon spending bill that could usher in a radical expansion of indefinite detention under the U.S. government. A provision in the National Defense Authorization Act would authorize the military to jail anyone it considers a terrorism suspect -- anywhere in the world -- without charge or trial. The measure would effectively extend the definition of what is considered the military's "battlefield" to anywhere in the world, even within the United States. Its authors, Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have been campaigning for its passage in a bipartisan effort. But the White House has issued a veto threat, with backing from top officials including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and FBI Director Robert Mueller. "This would be the first time since the McCarthy era that the United States Congress has tried to do this," says our guest, Daphne Eviatar of Human Rights First, which has gathered signatures from 26 retired military leaders urging the Senate to vote against the measure, as well as against a separate provision that would repeal the executive order banning torture. "In this case, we've seen the administration very eagerly hold people without trial for 10-plus years in military detention, so there's no reason to believe they would not continue to do that here. So we're talking about indefinite military detention of U.S. citizens, of lawful U.S. residents, as well as of people abroad."

[krucial]

1. Military detention

America is fast ly descending into a totalitarian tyrannical undemocratic
fascist state,all under the guise of their bogus war on terrorism.
Sadly many Americans buy this farce, and would gladly give up all their privacy rights and freedoms with the promise that it is to preserve their rights,freedom and privacy.

Quote from Benjamin Franklin
People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither ...Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security.

[truedelphi]

2. All of us are becoming the man in front of Chinese tank in

Tiananmen Square

Except it ain't a tank - it is the entire Gawdamn American military, with its riot cops and drones, and its microwaves and audio blaster wave equipment.

To say nothing of the pepper spray, rubber bullets, and batons.

And John Lennon ain't around to sing about it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV-tk8CrqCQ

[davidthegnome]

3. Usually in cases like this

there's a great deal of money involved - profit motivation. I just can't for the life of me figure out what it is here. Perhaps it's to give license to cover up the truth whenever they deem it necessary. If this does pass, it sure as hell won't just be terrorists or even suspected terrorists who spend some time in military detention. I don't like it - and I'll never vote for anyone who supports it.

[99th_Monkey]

5. Will you support Obama, if he signs it? He said he would veto, but then he's said lots of stuff ~nt

[lib2DaBone]

4. And it was DEM.. that brought this up ) along with John McCain)

..What is wrong with Sen Carl Levin? He wants to jail Americans with no trial? :mad:

[Lars77]

6. ...and what about the rest of the world?

I think its fascinating that even in progressive media, the angle is that the US Military can now do that "on US soil", because US soil is part of the entire world.

The entire world will be that battlefield folks, which means people elsewhere too who don´t even have a vote in your fucking system.

You have no idea how mad this makes me. I can´t believe Americans are still wondering why people in the rest of the world are more and more skeptical of your government´s actions. The arrogance this signals is monumental.

[The Northerner]

7. I think it's mentioned, in the clip, that foreigners can also be subjected to the same treatment

[Lars77]

9. Yes it is, but most of the outrage seems to be about "American soil",

like "American soil" is somehow a holy land that has a different status than the soil of any other sovereign nation.

People seem to miss the fact that the US already has a plethora of intelligence and law enforcement agencies who already can "wage war" on American soil. The really big thing here is that the US military now seems to think it can just legally define then entire worls as a battlefield in which it can operate. This is problematic in so many ways, and that should be the angle of the story in my opinion.

[mmonk]

8. Recommended.