Senate Moves To Allow Military To Intern Americans Without Trial: NDAA detention provision would turn America into a “battlefield”
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Senate is set to vote on a bill next week that would define the whole of the United States as a “battlefield” and allow the U.S. Military to arrest American citizens in their own back yard 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. 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,” writes Chris Anders of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.
Under the ‘worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial’ provision of S.1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is set to be up for a vote on the Senate floor Monday, the legislation will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who supports the bill.
The bill was drafted in secret by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), before being passed in a closed-door committee meeting without any kind of hearing. The language appears in sections 1031 and 1032 of the NDAA bill.
“I would also point out that these provisions raise serious questions as to who we are as a society and what our Constitution seeks to protect,” Colorado Senator Mark Udall said in a speech last week. One section of these provisions, section 1031, would be interpreted as allowing the military to capture and indefinitely detain American citizens on U.S. soil. Section 1031 essentially repeals the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by authorizing the U.S. military to perform law enforcement functions on American soil. That alone should alarm my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but there are other problems with these provisions that must be resolved.”
This means Americans could be declared domestic terrorists and thrown in a military brig with no recourse whatsoever. Given that the Department of Homeland Security has characterized behavior such as buying gold, owning guns, using a watch or binoculars, donating to charity, using the telephone or email to find information, using cash, and all manner of mundane behaviors as potential indicators of domestic terrorism, such a provision would be wide open to abuse.
“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?” asks Anders.
The ACLU is urging citizens to call their Senator and demand that the Udall Amendment be added to the bill, a change that would at least act as a check to prevent Americans being snatched off the streets without some form of Congressional oversight.
We have been warning for over a decade that Americans would become the target of laws supposedly aimed at terrorists and enemy combatants. Alex Jones personally documented how U.S. troops were being trained to arrest U.S. citizens in the event of martial law during urban warfare training drills back in the 90′s. Under the the National Defense Authorization Act bill, no declaration of martial law is necessary since Americans would now be subject to the same treatment as suspected insurgents in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
If you thought that the executive assassination of American citizens abroad was bad enough, now similar powers will be extended to the “homeland,” in other words, your town, your community, your back yard.
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What a coinkydink that this bill is coming up just as the Occupy Wall Street protests are gathering steam. Thank you for posting this information — this is really scary.
Why we Occupy in Peace If we do not we will be economically politically enslaved END ALEC this is their work. Again a choose the slow death of enslavement or life in liberty and freedom Be Peaceful but Occupy Radsupporter
Most people are asleep to all these insidious changes our rights. And it does seem so interesting that this is coming to the fore during this time of occupy protesting.
I agree. So many people are involved in their own “reality” that they can’t see what’s beyond their own borders of perception. That is why it’s imperative to broaden their perceptions if we are fight this global financial disease now infecting our world.
This is fascism and the beginning of the end. US go unchecked and when the time for challenge comes about then it will be too late and the US will go too far.
I don’t see how that could happen with the “substantive due process” law to much to write out here but read it for yourself.aka ilskinny@comcast.net
I read sections 1031 and 1032 of the bill which are the two sections that concern the ACLU and Udall. This is a quote from section 1032:
(b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens-
(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.
(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States.
So to my understanding even lawful resident aliens are protected from military detention “except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States” and US Citizens are protected unconditionally. How does this translate to “arrest[ing] American citizens in their own back yard without charge or trial” ? Just trying to understand.
It’s “not required”. It doesnt mean it can’t be done.
Non U.S. citizens = required to detain.
U.S. citizens = optional to detain.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/appearance/600840428
Senator Levin, one of the authors, stating that 1031 does apply to American Citizens.
Great post!
US Rep Justin Amash stated, “Although the bill says ‘the requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States,’ Amash said the language is ‘carefully crafted to mislead the public’.”
“Note that it does not preclude U.S. citizens from being detained indefinitely, without charge or trial, it simply makes such detention discretionary,” he wrote.
How can this be happening? Citizen apathy, I guess.
Exactly…
Americans fall under this rubric of military custody. Until specifications are well defined, we are all subject to arrest and detainment.
See Substantive due process,even if an unreasonable law is passed and signed into law legally,substantive due process can make the law unconstitutional
You’re living in yesteryear. Corporations now run the rule of law, not that of law itself. People need to wake up to what is happening in our world and pay closer attention. Our politicians are now controlled by those that fund them. They are now no longer subservient to the will of We The People, but the will of the Too Big To Fails…
God help us
NDAA 2011 is a Declaration of War on Us by the U.S.
Yet…
Dec 8th is the 70th anniversary since America last constitutionally declared war
http://wp.me/pPkXP-yN
-sovereignthink
Again we have a government who has forgot where the power of this government is and must stay? and that is in the people not the government. For the good of the people not the Government.AKA ilskinny@comcast.net
It’s time that We The People; We the 99%; We the American People, from every walk of life and from every political bent, stand up to defend our country, her sovereignty, and her independence from the “Robber Baron” mindset of the 21st Century…
Instead of the wealthy elite (a.k.a., the Rothschilds, Astors, Rockefellers, Schwabs, Vanderbilts and Morgans, and the like) having the power, shouldn’t We The People – We The 99% – We the American People, have that power instead?
It’s obvious that our politicians – whether they be Republican or Democrat – are owned and operated by big corporations: they now hold the purse strings to our elected politicians.
Unlike certain Republican Establishment Candidates (i.e, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mit Romney, John Huntsman, and Rick Santorum), Ron Paul has remained consistent over the decades with his message regarding America and what could happen should big business take control of our system of governance. Moreover, Ron Paul has not been bought by corporate interests, like other Republican candidates…
Spread the word!
Regardless of our political party affiliation, “We The People” need to wake up to what is going on in this country – and in this world. We need to stand together to defend our liberties and freedoms before we lose what little freedoms we have left…