Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a "Battlefield" They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window
While nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate
Thanksgiving, the Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday
that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans.
The Senate will
be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at
an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American
citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in
the United States itself.
Senators need to hear from you,
on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if
any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison
civilians without charge or trial.
The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president —
the power
to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial
civilians anywhere in the world.
Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised his
concerns about the NDAA detention provisions during last night’s
Republican debate. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could
be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any
battlefield, even within the United States itself.
The worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which will be on the Senate floor on Monday. The bill was drafted in secret
by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and passed in a
closed-door committee meeting, without even a single hearing.
I know it sounds incredible. New powers to use the military
worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate
that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the
combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat
troops out of Afghanistan too? And American citizens and people picked
up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military
prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really?
Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?
The answer on why now is nothing more than election season politics.
The White House, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General
have all said that the indefinite detention provisions in the National
Defense Authorization Act are harmful and counterproductive. The White House has even threatened a veto. But Senate politics has propelled this bad legislation to the Senate floor.
But there is a way to stop this dangerous legislation. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is offering the Udall Amendment
that will delete the harmful provisions and replace them with a
requirement for an orderly Congressional review of detention power. The
Udall Amendment will make sure that the bill matches up with American
values.
In support of this harmful bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
explained that the bill will “basically say in law for the first time
that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be
imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.” Another
supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is
needed because “America is part of the battlefield.”
The solution is the Udall Amendment;
a way for the Senate to say no to indefinite detention without charge
or trial anywhere in the world where any president decides to use the
military. Instead of simply going along with a bill that was drafted in
secret and is being jammed through the Senate, the Udall Amendment
deletes the provisions and sets up an orderly review of detention
power. It tries to take the politics out and put American values back
in.
In response to proponents of the indefinite detention legislation
who contend that the bill “applies to American citizens and designates
the world as the battlefield,” and that the “heart of the issue is
whether or not the United States is part of the battlefield,” Sen. Udall
disagrees, and says that we can win this fight without worldwide war and worldwide indefinite detention.
The senators pushing the indefinite detention proposal have made
their goals very clear that they want an okay for a worldwide military
battlefield, that even extends to your hometown. That is an extreme
position that will forever change our country.
Now is the time to stop this bad idea. Please urge your senators to vote YES on the Udall Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
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