Let's Read & Discuss: New Bush Legislation to Spirit Us Away....

[readmoreoften]

Here is the text of the legislation that Bush wants our lawmakers to consider. I'm not a lawyer and I have a hard time reading this stuff (it's about 35 pps) but what I get out of it is that they want to open up Gitmo-style treatment to American citizens. The new law crosses out the word "alien" in the term "alien enemy combatant." The law would permit hearsay to be the only evidence. The law would allow the military tribunal to withhold all evidence from a defendent's lawyer. Giving "aid and comfort" to terrorists is one of the crimes. (Could your posts be construed as giving "comfort" to Hezbollah or Iraqi insurgents? Think about it.) I've read that it also says that defendents can be held indefinitely without charge, but I can't find where it says that. (I don't doubt it's there, I just probably didn't grasp what was being said.)

Think about what this could mean. It's not meant to target illegal immigrants, because illegal immigrants would be "alien" enemy combatants. Sure it's meant to catch "Al Qaida" sleeper cells in the U.S. But Al Qaida is so 2002! We're not evening looking for Bin Laden anymore, why worry about the leaves if we're not worried about the tree? How many times have you heard extreme RWers saying "Liberals give aid and comfort to the enemy!"? Or Bush say "You're either with me or your with the terrorists."?

Who is this new law targeting? Who is it that they're having such a hard time stopping at the moment?

Can we work on this together?

http://balkin.blogspot.com/PostHamdan.Bush.Draft.pdf

[magellan]

1. I don't think there's anything we can do

...except hope Congress isn't dumb enough to pass it. Otherwise, get used to the idea that if you oppose Bush**'s order, you're an unlawful enemy combatant.

[readmoreoften]

2. Why isn't this getting discussed all over?

Is it being pushed through behind the scenes or is this really just not that big of an issue?

I thought maybe we could read it and find other clues to lost liberties, etc. We need to know what's in here so we can lobby our congressfolk.

[wildbilln864]

3. Hello r m o...

and great post BTW! Haven't seen you in the dungeon lately. Have you given up on that place?

Anyways! I agree 100 %! This is being pushed aside and avoided while the Corporate Media promotes the ME crisis and Mel's drunken rant! You know, stuff more important than the ordinary American citizen's future.



Peace!!

[readmoreoften]

5. Well it looks like Bush is gonna put me in a dungeon soon enough.

Why hang out in one here?? :)

Sometimes I need to take a break from the dungeon. There are so many people in there who are committed to arguing against research, people who just make fun of people that it gets very irritating.

But I think this is tremendously important-- as important as that in many ways. What is Bush up to???!!!

We NEED to know this. If we are about to be rounded up I can't think of a more compelling thing to discuss... not Israel, Hezbollah, Pitbulls... none of it.

I'd like to ask Skinner if we can start an expat group devoted to those who plan to leave the country and those who are already gone. Yes, a part of me wants to stay and fight. But I'm afraid I'm in too "high risk" of a group. If we need to build a network to get people to safety, it might be wise. I'm taking this shit SERIOUSLY. I happen to think that it's not going to really start happening for a few years, maybe 3-5, but we need to start doing research and making plans.

Paranoid? Hell yes I am. I'm going to protect myself and my loved ones from harm. If I'm fighting windmills, all the better. I'd rather be paranoid and protected than in denial and tortured.

[snot]

4. There's plenty we can do. Let's start by voting this post up here. nt

[Reckon]

6. I would just say do not fear.

Fear is their friend.

[zcflint09]

7. If they didn't want to widen the target base, the law wouldn't be changed

And that's the reason for my concern. This law is so nefarious and vauge that it allows for Bush Co. to detain anyone who can be seen as "against the national interest". This really, is not good, but unfortunatley, you will not see mention of it in the mainstream media because the mainstream media is too busy covering BS issues and kissing Bush's arse to realize the affects this law could have.

[readmoreoften]

8. I agree. If there were ever a time to do something.

If there was ever legislation to be protested! I think we need to brainstorm on how to keep each other safe. DU live get togethers could help, but that won't stop infiltrators (I'm just being realistic, all campaigns have spies. Even during my labor strike there were men in black trench coats taking pictures. It's naive to think otherwise in this political day and age.)

Still, I remember that story about the people who got out of one of our Eastern European gulags. They made it out because they spent all day memorizing one another's phone numbers. When one person got out, everyone's loved ones were contacted. Something to remember.

We might want to prepare ourselves for a political MISSING PERSONS board if this passes. Let's just keep these things in mind. And stick by people you trust.

[MGD]

9. At the rate this president is going, the terrorists won't have any reason

to hate us pretty soon ("they hate us for our freedoms"). That being said, this legislation doesn't surprise me. Conservatives are fond of reminding us of how things were during WW2 and conservatives are notorious for wanting to move backwards instead of forwards.

[readmoreoften]

10. kick for one of those lawyer folks on DU to read and interpret...