Attempt To Rein In Obama's Detention Powers Thwarted By McCain

[Kathianne]

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/12/21/travesty-of-justice-limits-on-presidents-detention-powers-stripped-from-final-defense-bill/


‘Travesty of Justice’: Limits on President’s Detention Powers Stripped from Final Defense Bill (http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/12/21/travesty-of-justice-limits-on-presidents-detention-powers-stripped-from-final-defense-bill/)
by
Bridget Johnson




December 21, 2012

The amendment (http://pjmedia.com/blog/feinstein-tea-party-sen-lee-wage-war-on-obamas-indefinite-detention-powers/) from Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to block the president’s broad power to hold American citizens without trial was stripped from the final defense authorization bill in conference, prompting a “no” vote on the entire bill from Lee and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)


Civil libertarian supporters in the upper chamber have stressed the urgency of passing the language for fear that more than actual terrorists could be detained by the government’s current authority.


The bill authorizing $633 billion in spending went to President Obama’s desk today after passing 81-14 in the Senate. The House approved the conference report 315-107 on Thursday.
Obama has vowed to veto the bill, but it passed with a veto-proof majority.


The Feinstein-Lee amenement had passed the Senate 67-29 on Nov. 29. The conference committee led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) removed this provision, making an enemy of Paul, who called it a “travesty of justice.”


“These core American legal privileges prescribed in our Bill of Rights have been observed since our nation’s founding. When I assumed office, I took an oath to protect our Constitution – and in voting against this unconstitutional NDAA, I kept that promise,” Paul said.


“The right to due process, a trial by jury, and protection from indefinite detention should not be shorn from our Bill of Rights or wrested from the hands of Americans. It is a dark day in our history that these rights have been stomped upon and discarded,” he continued.

...

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/12/21/travesty-of-justice-limits-on-presidents-detention-powers-stripped-from-final-defense-bill/


This should scare the hell out of citizens but sadly it will not. It will just be considered business as usual because obama has destroyed the ideal of our founding and our freedoms being right. The population. low information voters get their freebies and all is GREAT!! THATS HOW REPUBLICS FALL. Destroy the ideal, destroy the mental ability for the citizens to understand the ideal and while doing so feed them like pigs.

McCain is a sold-out bastard and always has been in "his political career" in my opinion. -Tyr

[Kathianne]

Could a staff person please change the misspelled word to 'detention'? Obviously I put too much faith in my touch typing right hand?

[Abbey Marie]

Could a staff person please change the misspelled word to 'detention'? Obviously I put too much faith in my touch typing right hand?

Done

[DragonStryk72]

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/12/21/travesty-of-justice-limits-on-presidents-detention-powers-stripped-from-final-defense-bill/

This, quite frankly, has to go before the SCOTUS. This is a clear violation of Constitutional Authority, and in no way did the Founders want ANYONE having indefinite powers to detain people without legal recourse, or even charges.

[Robert A Whit]

This should scare the hell out of citizens but sadly it will not. It will just be considered business as usual because obama has destroyed the ideal of our founding and our freedoms being right. The population. low information voters get their freebies and all is GREAT!! THATS HOW REPUBLICS FALL. Destroy the ideal, destroy the mental ability for the citizens to understand the ideal and while doing so feed them like pigs.

McCain is a sold-out bastard and always has been in "his political career" in my opinion. -Tyr

We have to keep hope by understanding that what Obama does vis a vis the Feds cops, this does not mean our local cops have to do as his cops do.

McCain sure has proved to be a bust. I want of course to actually read that law and the amendment to see how it was supposed to work.

We must watch the Feds like a hawk to save this country and freedom.

[Robert A Whit]

I do NOT believe that citizens can be detained forever. If they happen to meet some strict tests, it might be possible provided they are proven terrorists. We have terrorists locked up now who are Americans but I believe they were sentenced to a period of years.

Non citizens at Gitmo of course are not citizens of the USA so some other laws apply to them.

[DragonStryk72]

I do NOT believe that citizens can be detained forever. If they happen to meet some strict tests, it might be possible provided they are proven terrorists. We have terrorists locked up now who are Americans but I believe they were sentenced to a period of years.

Non citizens at Gitmo of course are not citizens of the USA so some other laws apply to them.

Actually, Our Constitution makes no difference, as it does not grant rights to anyone, citizen or otherwise. This is the problem people seem to have in understanding. The Constitution pre-supposes that all are born with inherent rights, and that these rights must be protected from the government.

Now, if we simply gave them life sentences for their actions, that would be one thing, but we're not charging them with anything, or putting them through due process. I wouldn't even mind if we put them through the Texas court system, but we need to observe our own morals and ethics in dealing with our enemies.

If we are to maintain that we are a moral and ethical people, then we must hold to those morals and ethics when they are tested, such as now. That is the only way to BE moral and ethical, is to hold to it when it would be simpler to turn away from them.

[Robert A Whit]

Actually, Our Constitution makes no difference, as it does not grant rights to anyone, citizen or otherwise. This is the problem people seem to have in understanding. The Constitution pre-supposes that all are born with inherent rights, and that these rights must be protected from the government.

Now, if we simply gave them life sentences for their actions, that would be one thing, but we're not charging them with anything, or putting them through due process. I wouldn't even mind if we put them through the Texas court system, but we need to observe our own morals and ethics in dealing with our enemies.

If we are to maintain that we are a moral and ethical people, then we must hold to those morals and ethics when they are tested, such as now. That is the only way to BE moral and ethical, is to hold to it when it would be simpler to turn away from them.

You are talking one thing, and I agree with the part about the constitution, and I another.

I do not accept that any law was passed to evade the constitution. I have never at any point been informed that even one US citizen is locked up to thwart the constitution. The amendment by Feinstein in my opinion was a "head them off" law to try to prevent a thing that has not happened, from happening.

We should not turn over the rights we have to the terrorists. This means they use our rights against us. So far, those at Gitmo are not citizens of this country and no more than I would have wanted our rights to be used by Hitler, I would not want the terrorists to use them either. Let their rights of their homeland help them if they can reach into our Gitmo system.

Our constitution can't grant rights to terrorists. Remember, you said it as well.

[DragonStryk72]

You are talking one thing, and I agree with the part about the constitution, and I another.

I do not accept that any law was passed to evade the constitution. I have never at any point been informed that even one US citizen is locked up to thwart the constitution. The amendment by Feinstein in my opinion was a "head them off" law to try to prevent a thing that has not happened, from happening.

We should not turn over the rights we have to the terrorists. This means they use our rights against us. So far, those at Gitmo are not citizens of this country and no more than I would have wanted our rights to be used by Hitler, I would not want the terrorists to use them either. Let their rights of their homeland help them if they can reach into our Gitmo system.

Our constitution can't grant rights to terrorists. Remember, you said it as well.

Um, against us how? They're still guilty of crimes, even by international law, so why must we abandon our ideals? They're weaker than us, and no real threat to our sovereignty, so how does this require that we stop exercising ethical treatment?

I'm not saying we "turn over" rights, because it is not up to us to decide if the have them. By our own founding documents, they, and every other human in the world, was born with them. They are not "ours", like we created them, or have dominion over them. That is why reads "All men are created equal", and not "All citizens" or "All americans". ALL, period. You say you agree, but if you agree, then your argument is hypocritical, and against the very principles you say are so important.

Let Hitler have trial, he's still guilty as fuck, and we're still right to execute him, so what precisely is the harm? Would we really have been any less likely to kill Bin Laden, given that the President himself gave the order to kill him?

Our Constitution doesn't "grant" rights to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Those rights are inherent to every living person, period. If you really have faith in our Constitution and our Nation, then it should be no issue.