Is A Two Step Tango all it takes?
I want to preface this with my belief that indefinite detention should not be allowed to be imposed on anyone, regardless of citizenship status. However, now it seems that the chickens have predictably come home to roost, and we have plenty of people saying that that is simply not true.
I only have a few questions that I would like to pose at this time:
Does the President have the right to declare American citizens "enemy combatants" and thereby strip us of our American citizenship and all supposed rights therein? ** Step 1 **
If so, couldn't indefinite detention then be imposed against such declared "enemy combatant"? ** Step 2 **
After all, such an individual would no longer have the rights of an American citizen, correct?
That seems like an easy 2 step tango, and if true, effectively strips all of us of our constitutional rights.
Do we REALLY think that a President and his/her appointed cabinet officials one day won't view a large swath of us as being un-American, or as we have heard all too often recently, not being "Real Americans"? With this power do we really think they won't use it against some of us eventually? It most likely would start being used very sporadically, but it would have the potential to snowball into something truly horrifying. I can absolutely envision certain leaders fighting the plutocracy being declared "enemy combatants". After all, the DoD already labels protestors as "low level terrorists". Look at what's happened around the world the past few decades (especially in South and Central America). It CAN happen here. It is certainly a possibility, no matter how unlikely, that must be guarded against (and was guarded against previously). The past 10 years have drastically changed what it even means to BE an American, and it seems the framework has now been laid to enable the disappearing of Americans once they have been declared to be "enemy combatants". It is chilling to consider the possible consequences with the wrong Administration in power.
I have seen many people continously posting that indefinite detention can not be imposed against U.S. Citizens. It even says so IN THE BILL! To me it seems rather disingenuous to state that legislation that has been passed in this country can't be applied to U.S. citizens when the President can simply declare an American citizen an enemy combatant and void that citizenship. NO ONE should be trusted with that power. Not Obama. Not Gingrich. Not Romney. Not Jesus Effin' Christ. NO ONE. It's unconstitutional and simply Un-American.
In addition, it is my understanding that for U.S. citizens it is simply optional, and not mandatory as it is for foreign nationals, to be detained in military custody. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong because I'd love to be, and if it is an option, it certainly isn't prohibited.
A little foresight must be invoked here when considering the consequences of this legislation. Scenarios that might be unlikely must still be given consideration and guarded against. Especially when that unlikely scenario can now be implemented fairly easily with the wrong Administration in power.
#OWS
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