is getting ready to approve a bill to authorize the suspension of the fundamental rights and freedoms for which hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives. This administration and every elected official that votes for this "detainee bill" is laying a stone at the tomb of our grand little experiment.
This country has been sold out by a group of greedy, petro-fascist people with no more understanding of our hard fought history against tyranny than they do about "winning" a war. Molly Ivins has a nice piece on this steaming pile of legislation.
Think it's a just a lot of wind that doesn't mean much? Here's the text of the bill. I would direct your attention to sections 108(3), 106 and 107. Respectively, they give the President the right to be the sole "authority" on interpreting the Geneva Convention, suspension of writ or habeas corpus for detainees (overruling the recent Supreme Court ruling about detainees rights to contest their detainee status, and the prohibition of a detainee to invoke the Geneva Convention. That little chestnut was a right that came from Magna Carta.
Harry Reid, not one of my favorite politicians, put it quite eloquently on this occasion:
"The Framers of our Constitution understood the need for checks and balances, but this bill discards them. Many of the worst provisions were not in the Committee-reported bill, and were not in the compromise announced last Friday. They were added over the weekend after backroom meetings with White House lawyers. We have tried to improve this legislation. Senator Levin proposed to substitute the bipartisan bill that was reported by the Armed Services Committee. That amendment was rejected. Senators Specter and Leahy offered an amendment to restore the right to judicial review - that amendment was rejected. Senator Rockefeller offered an amendment to improve congressional oversight of CIA programs - that amendment was rejected. Senator Kennedy offered an amendment to clarify that inhumane interrogation tactics prohibited by the Army Field manual could not be used on Americans or on others - that amendment was rejected. And Senator Byrd offered an amendment to sunset military commissions so that Congress would simply be required to reconsider this far-reaching authority after five years of experience. Even that amendment was rejected. I strongly believe this legislation is unconstitutional. It will almost certainly be struck down by the Supreme Court. And when that happens, we'll be back here several years from now debating how to bring terrorists to justice.
The families of the 9/11 victims and the nation have been waiting five years for the perpetrators of these attacks to be brought to justice. They should not have to wait longer. We should get this right now - and we are not doing so by passing this bill. The National security policies of this administration and Republican Congress may have been tough, but they haven't been smart. The American people are paying a price for their mistakes.
History will judge our actions here today. I am convinced that future generations will view passage of this bill as a grave error. I wish to be recorded as one who voted against taking this step."
RIP, United States of America.
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