The Indefinite Detention of American Citizens Without Charges‏,,, Hello Anyone Awake Yet?

Lisbon,
 
Way back in 2009, President Obama gave a speech in which he called
for the power to detain individuals indefinitely and without
charges. He stated his intention to create a new 'legal regime' to
make indefinite detention legal. 
 
Of course, in his speech he cites Al Qaeda and foreign terrorists. 
However, now that the Senate is about to vote TODAY on a bill that
would give the President the powers he was asking for, the ACLU and
others are claiming that the bill CAN and WILL be used on American
citizens here at home.
 
This is kind of a red alert...

 

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?
read more: http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being