John McCain Would Like To Deny You Your Rights -- For Funzies!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 11:12AM It's all a slippery slope. Isn't that what we on the left have been saying all along? That if you deny the rights of non-Americans it's only a matter of time before people start thinking the Bill of Rights was printed in invisible ink. Right now Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman are floating a bill that would allow for American citizens to be detained without charge. Sure it's unconstitutional, but that's never stopped them before.
Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman -- the best buds of Sen. Lindsey Graham who is presently trying to negotiate a deal with the President to close Gitmo -- are BIG fans of unlawful indefinite detention. Yup. The love the idea of denying people rights and holding them without charge indefinitely. They love it SO MUCH that McCain-Lieberman are floating this "fantastic" piece of legislation that would treat EVERY American citizen like a Gitmo detainee!
Bill of Rights? What Bill of Rights! Habeas corpus? Is that some kind of Greek food? McCain and Lieberman don't know! They just know they'd like to be able to throw you in jail without charge or trial! Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall several times screaming, "THAT'S NOT CONSTITUTIONAL!"
Here's what the bill actually says:
SEC. 5. DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL OF UNPRIVILEGED ENEMY BELLIGERENTS.
An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent under section 3(c)(2) in a manner which satisfies Article 15 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War may be detained without criminal charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners in which the individual has engaged, or which the individual has purposely and materially supported, consistent with the law of war and any authorization for the use of military force provided by Congress pertaining to such hostilities.
Isn't that just swell? You TOO could be rounded up off the street on the scantiest of evidence (maybe you have a neighbor who really hates how you keep playing those T-Pain records at high decibels and decides to call the Feds and say you're a Jihadi! Wouldn't THAT be fun!) and you'd be locked away without trial -- forever and ever, amen -- because it's "The War On Terror!" The war -- much like "The War on Drugs" and "The War on Crime" -- THAT NEVER ENDS! I love how you can be locked up for the "duration of hostilities" when a terrorist attack can come from anywhere by anyone at anytime. There's no such thing as a "ceasefire" on terrorism! Who do you sign the armistice treaties with? Oh... My... God, what are they thinking?
From The Washington Independent:
My emphasis. Lieberman is constantly described as a moderate. McCain — at least once upon a time — used to buck his party and is now taking a for-it-before-he-was-against-it position on closing Guantanamo. And they favor keeping U.S. citizens detained indefinitely, a position that wouldn’t withstand a second of judicial scrutiny.
These are Graham’s closest allies in the Senate. They would be the very first people he would call to round up their votes for closing Guantanamo if the White House agrees to a deal. And they favor keeping American citizens detained forever!
Yup. These are the people Graham would be reaching out to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. They "hate" the prison, but LOVE the denial of rights.







Reader Comments (8)
Hey we let GWB get away with wiping his ass with the Constitution for eight years, why is anyone surprised that they'd want to expand this fucknuttery to citizens.
Personally, I'm so conflicted on Gitmo. I really think a Supermax can do the job. Also, radical Islamic fundamentalists are going to keep hating America whether we shut down Gitmo or keep it open. We better get used to that.
What kills me about this is that republicans are always carrying on about too much government control but when they can use the government to oppress people they are fine with it.
i understand the intent. people seem to think that the people who enforce these laws are just some barbarians who have no clue about discernment.
Oh. I expected something about Dan Rather's Watermelon comment today.
What the hell is an unpriveledged enemy belligerant? You aren't amember of congress and you announce that you don't like the Patriot Act? I mean, really, what is that?
McCain is getting senile and needs to be put in a nursing home. I'm sure he is still bitter about the election. This proposal sounds more communist than anything else and the Republicans are going on about Obama turning America into a Socialist country.
"Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall several times screaming, "THAT'S NOT CONSTITUTIONAL!""
Why is the "Constitution" nearly always cited as the yardstick for what's right or wrong? It's as though you - and the other devotees of the myths and legends of the USA - believe George Washington & Co were five steps behind Moses when he came down the slopes of Mount Sinai.