I had missed this one. Thanks to the guys from Loose Change Final Cut
for pointing out this obscen act of legislation.
Military Commissions Act of 2006
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
President George W. Bush signs into law S. 3930, the Military
Commissions Act of 2006, during a ceremony on October 17, 2006 in the
East Room of the White House.The United States Military Commissions
Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-366, 120 Stat. 2600 (Oct. 17, 2006),
enacting Chapter 47A of title 10 of the United States Code, is an Act
of Congress (Senate Bill 3930[1]) signed by President George W. Bush
on October 17, 2006. Drafted in the wake of the Supreme Court's
decision on Hamdan v. Rumsfeld[2], the Act's stated purpose is to
"facilitate bringing to justice terrorists and other unlawful enemy
combatants through full and fair trials by military commissions, and
for other purposes."[3] The bill limits the right of habeas corpus and
has been suggested to be unconstitutional (because it is).
The Act may apply to U.S. citizens
In the House debate, Representative David Wu of Oregon offered this
scenario:
Let us say that my wife, who is here in the gallery with us tonight, a
sixth generation Oregonian, is walking by the friendly, local military
base and is picked up as an unlawful enemy combatant. What is her
recourse? She says, "I am a U.S. citizen". That is a jurisdictional
fact under this statute, and she will not have recourse to the courts?
She can take it to Donald Rumsfeld, but she cannot take it across the
street to an article 3 court.
aussi....
In General- No person may invoke the Geneva Conventions or any
protocols thereto in any habeas corpus or other civil action or
proceeding to which the United States, or a current or former officer,
employee, member of the Armed Forces, or other agent of the United
States is a party as a source of rights in any court of the United
States or its States or territories. [Act sec. 5(a)]
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In other words...as pointed out by Congressman Wu, anyone labeled an
"unlawful (lol) enemy combatant" (as opposed to a lawful friendly
combatant???) can be detained, without any right of habeus corpus,
without regard to citizenship, and without any legal recourse
whatsoever. Then said combatant will be tried by a "Military
Commission," without representation, outside the rules of the Geneva
convention, convicted by a two thirds majority by that Commission.
Still don't get it?
Anyone can be accused, arrested, tried and convicted by the same
organization without any recourse just because the military says so.
Guess the Patriot Act, Patriot Act II, Directive 51 and Warner Act
weren't enough.
What makes the US a great country, at least in concept, are certain
unalienable rights--life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The Bill
of Rights. The division of government into branches in order to
assure that noone can become a tyrant/dictator. We have allowed
congress to take these rights away from us, and have allowed the
President to take us perilously close to martial law.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. -- That to SECURE THESE RIGHTS, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive
of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence,
indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience
hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are
sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which
they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them
under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security.
S~
Ron Paul '08...Reestablish the Constitution.
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