“Sieg Heil to the president Gasman
Bombs away is your punishment
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government
Bang bang goes the broken glass and
Kill all the fags that don’t agree
Trials by fire, setting fire
Is not a way that’s meant for me
Just cause, just cause, because we’re outlaws yeah!”
-Green Day, “Holiday”
“I’m not a part of a redneck agenda.”
– Green Day, “American Idiot”
So I’m catching up on the blogosphere today and I finally got around to reading an article that John C. Dvorak posted on his blog. Essentially there’s new legislation that’s quietly been passed through our Congress that’s pretty much asserting what we already have known for 6 years…. Bush = Hitler.
“If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier…just as long as I’m the dictator…”
— George W. Bush
Washington, DC, Dec 18, 2000, during his first trip to Washington as President-Elect
So what is this new legislation? Simple. It’s a bill legalizing the torture of terrorists and other detainees. Which of course, we all know is wrong. Yes, they may be trying to blow us up, but I’m sorry, they’re humans too and they deserve to but put in front of a jury just like anyone else who has committed a crime. Anyway, back on topic. The bill, which is analyzed here, is a fucking joke. Not only is it Bush and the right’s way of giving a big “fuck you” to the Geneva conventions, but it also appears to illegally be stripping us of one of the best things that this democracy has, the system of checks and balances. (I forgot.. Another thing this does is prevent anyone from invoking the Geneva Conventions.)
“No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider any claim or cause of action whatsoever, including any action pending on or filed after the date of the enactment of the Military Commissions Act of 2006, relating to the prosecution, trial, or judgment of a military commission under this chapter, including challenges to the lawfulness of procedures of military commissions under this chapter.” (Watson)
Like I said.. This essentially is an attempt to remove the checks and balances from this bill, which is a complete violation of the founding principals of this country. I bet you George, Thomas, John, etc. are all turning over in their graves over the gross incompetence of the right-controlled Congress and this president to even try to put such a statement into a bill. Of course, this is a scary road to go down. Consider the fact that if they want to start doing that, who’s to say they couldn’t try passing a law that says it’s a violation of law to criticize Bush and attempt to make it so that you couldn’t challenge it (Yes, I realize something like that is a clear violation of Amendment # 1)
Now, if you keep reading the linked article by Wason & Jones, you’ll see that among other things that this bill does is allow secret trials, in other words, ones where you have no knowledge of the crimes against you and are unable to make a defense against yourself, applications of this law not only to people detained by the US in places outside of our borders but also CITIZENS of the US. Consider this: “Any person subject to this chapter who, in breach of an allegiance or duty to the United States, knowingly and intentionally aids an enemy of the United States, or one of the co-belligerents of the enemy, shall be punished as a military commission under this chapter may direct.” (Watson). Read that closely, as pointed out in the analysis, why would an enemy have allegiance or duty to the US?
And what would all of this apply to? Well.. Not only would this apply to people who are trying to harm us but to a broad scope of things. Hmm… “Fahrenheit 9/11”? Well.. Michael Moore could be thrown in jail according to the interpretations of this bill now. It’s definitely enabling terrorists, right? How about most of the hosts over at Air America or for that matter most of NPR. Oh wait, that’s right the right is already pulling funding for NPR so they can silence them. Of course, that another story.
Basically, this is a bad bill and it needs to go away. Hopefully, barring any tampering of voting machines, the Dems win control back next month and we can finally put an end to all the bull shit the Republicans are spewing out of Washington.
By the way… If you’re thinking “why not challenge the law anyway”, seems that the Bush administration is going to great lengths to stop that.
Now.. Before I go.. Consider this:
In addition to the procedure prescribed by the constitution, laws of the Reich may also be enacted by the government of the Reich. This includes the laws referred to by Articles 85 Paragraph 2 and Article 87 of the constitution.
Laws enacted by the government of the Reich may deviate from the constitution as long as they do not affect the institutions of the Reichstag and the Reichsrat. The rights of the President remain undisturbed.
— HItler’s Enabling Act
The authority to establish military commissions under chapter 47A of title 10, United States Code, as added by section 3(a), may not be construed to alter or limit the authority of the President under the Constitution of the United States and laws of the United States to establish military commissions for areas declared to be under martial law or in occupied territories should circumstances so require.
— HR 6166
“areas under martial law”? Could this be the start of an Enabling Act for Bush? More importantly, are you concerned yet?
-A
Analysis Consulted:
Watson, Paul Joseph., and Alex Jones. Torture Bill States Non-allegiance to Bush Is Terrorism. 30 Sep. 2006. 5 Oct. 2006 <http://www.informationliberation.com/index.php?id=16337>.