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Americans face Guantánamo detention after Obama climbdown
The Guardian (UK) ^ | December 15th, 2011 | Chris McGreal

Posted on 12/15/2011 6:06:59 AM PST by AnAmericanAbroad

Barack Obama has abandoned a commitment to veto a new security law that allows the military to indefinitely detain without trial American terrorism suspects arrested on US soil who could then be shipped to Guantánamo Bay.

Human rights groups accused the president of deserting his principles and disregarding the long-established principle that the military is not used in domestic policing. The legislation has also been strongly criticised by libertarians on the right angered at the stripping of individual rights for the duration of "a war that appears to have no end".

The law, contained in the defence authorisation bill that funds the US military, effectively extends the battlefield in the "war on terror" to the US and applies the established principle that combatants in any war are subject to military detention.

The legislation's supporters in Congress say it simply codifies existing practice, such as the indefinite detention of alleged terrorists at Guantánamo Bay. But the law's critics describe it as a draconian piece of legislation that extends the reach of detention without trial to include US citizens arrested in their own country.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 1031; civilliberties; constitution; detaineebill; detention; gitmo; levin; mccain; nwo; possecomitatus; wot
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I don't like citing The Guardian, but nonetheless, this is also the headline story on Drudge Report.

So much for the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Posse Comitatus, etc.

I presume this will be challenged before the Supreme Court......at least, I hope it will be.

1 posted on 12/15/2011 6:07:02 AM PST by AnAmericanAbroad
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Obama vetoing this bill would have been the only thing he did right thus far. Oh well. Farewell due process. We hardly knew ye.


2 posted on 12/15/2011 6:10:40 AM PST by GnL
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To: AnAmericanAbroad
The rule of law and any remaining shreds of respect for a constitutionally limited government died with this administration.


3 posted on 12/15/2011 6:10:59 AM PST by listenhillary (Look your representatives in the eye and ask if they intend to pay off the debt. They will look away)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Even Allen West supports this bill, sadly :(


4 posted on 12/15/2011 6:12:27 AM PST by TheStickman
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Congress is ok with it, hmm? Is it time to rebel or do we have to start wearing desaparecido ribbons first?


5 posted on 12/15/2011 6:12:28 AM PST by Lady Lucky
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Why is voting for a bill that takes away your rights to a fair trial, WHY THE HELL IS THAT NOT TREASON??????


6 posted on 12/15/2011 6:13:26 AM PST by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

It’s gonna get mighty crowded in Gitmo.


7 posted on 12/15/2011 6:15:00 AM PST by moovova (Report my sarcastic, fear-mongering, hate-filled lies to www.AttackWatch.com by clicking HERE.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad
The legislation's supporters in Congress say it simply codifies existing practice...

Well, in that case, how can we plebs object. The law is whatever Congress deems it to be. We have no inalienable rights.

8 posted on 12/15/2011 6:15:01 AM PST by 6SJ7 (Meh.)
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George Orwell


9 posted on 12/15/2011 6:15:59 AM PST by Doofer (I'm not at all impressed with the current field of narcissists.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

What is to keep this from being used as a political tool? While I understand wanting to lock up terrorists, who labels a person as a terrorist?


10 posted on 12/15/2011 6:16:01 AM PST by Marty
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To: listenhillary

This law was (drafted by lobbyists who ghost) wrote the bill for Republicans.

This bill was co-sponsored by Republicans.

This bill was voted out of committees controlled by Republicans.

This bill passed both houses with overwhelming Republican support.

The Republic is dead.

Every single Freeper who can not cognitively separate “supporting the troops” from “supporting the foundational human rights of the Republic from a corporatist military-industrial complex” can cheer wildly now.

Oh, they’re still going to gut TriCare and the G.I. Bill next year.


11 posted on 12/15/2011 6:16:10 AM PST by JerseyHighlander
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To: All

And all this crap started with Bush...


12 posted on 12/15/2011 6:17:31 AM PST by Doofer (I'm not at all impressed with the current field of narcissists.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Somebody post the section that says what this article says. I can’t find it. 1031 and 1032 don’t. Not a challenge but a request.


13 posted on 12/15/2011 6:17:54 AM PST by Stentor ("All cults of personality start out as high drama and end up as low comedy.")
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To: moovova

That might be the solution.

30 million people at one time threatening the status quo.


14 posted on 12/15/2011 6:20:05 AM PST by listenhillary (Look your representatives in the eye and ask if they intend to pay off the debt. They will look away)
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To: moovova

That’s what they have the FEMA camps.


15 posted on 12/15/2011 6:21:06 AM PST by liberalh8ter
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To: listenhillary; All

I certainly hope that when someone is popped on this, they have the wherewithal to challenge this in front of the SCOTUS.

Just damn.....the Constitution is really dead. The very idea that any POTUS, be they Republican or Democrat, has this kind of power is horrifying, to say the least.

I can easily see this being used as a tool of political repression.


16 posted on 12/15/2011 6:23:54 AM PST by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: All
From the article, emphasis mine:
[Senator Rand] Paul[(R-KY),] said there were already strong laws against support for terrorist groups. He noted that the definition of a terrorism suspect under existing legislation was so broad that millions of Americans could fall within it.

"There are laws on the books now that characterise who might be a terrorist: someone missing fingers on their hands is a suspect according to the department of justice. Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weatherproofed, someone who has more than seven days of food in their house can be considered a potential terrorist," Paul said. "If you are suspected because of these activities, do you want the government to have the ability to send you to Guantánamo Bay for indefinite detention?"

Beware preppers. Of course, first "they" have to discover that you are a prepper. And part of being a prepper is disguising that.
17 posted on 12/15/2011 6:26:45 AM PST by upchuck (Let's have the Revolution NOW before we get dumbed down to the point that we can't.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

With the signing of this bill, a door will finally be slammed shut on our freedom, since anyone who organizes to fight tyranny by our government can be incarcerated indefinitely without evidence or trial.

They don’t have to get rid of the guns if they just lock up the people who own them without trial.


18 posted on 12/15/2011 6:28:01 AM PST by firebrand (It's almost too late.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Remember all those open borders liberals who have said for years no US Military to protect our borders due to Posse Comitatus? This new law is a huge violation of Posse Comitatus to arrest US Citizens and detain them indefinitely without trial. Liberals are the biggest liars on the planet, without principles, do whatever will work for them at the moment


19 posted on 12/15/2011 6:28:16 AM PST by dennisw (A nation of sheep breeds a government of Democrat wolves!)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Congress & Senate?

Talk about leaving the door open to subject domestic political dissent.

Traitorous Bastards.


20 posted on 12/15/2011 6:30:51 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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