Either Monday or Tuesday the Senate will vote on a bill that allows the
US military to imprison civilians with no formal charges and hold them
with no trial.
The ACLU reports even US citizens wouldn't be immune as the legislation aims to declare national territory part of the "battlefield" in the War on Terror.
Termed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and drafted behind closed doors by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) the NDAA would:
1) Explicitly authorize the federal government to indefinitely imprison without charge or trial American citizens and others picked up inside and outside the United States;
2) Mandate military detention of some civilians who would otherwise be outside of military control, including civilians picked up within the United States itself; and
3) Transfer to the Department of Defense core prosecutorial, investigative, law enforcement, penal, and custodial authority and responsibility now held by the Department of Justice.
From the ACLU's website:
The ACLU reports even US citizens wouldn't be immune as the legislation aims to declare national territory part of the "battlefield" in the War on Terror.
Termed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and drafted behind closed doors by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) the NDAA would:
1) Explicitly authorize the federal government to indefinitely imprison without charge or trial American citizens and others picked up inside and outside the United States;
2) Mandate military detention of some civilians who would otherwise be outside of military control, including civilians picked up within the United States itself; and
3) Transfer to the Department of Defense core prosecutorial, investigative, law enforcement, penal, and custodial authority and responsibility now held by the Department of Justice.
From the ACLU's website:
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.”
Another supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is needed because “America is part of the battlefield.”
In an effort to stop the bill, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is floating the Udall Amendment, which according to the ACLU is:
"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.
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