Saturday, December 17, 2011

America , The Newest Military State ?


America, the newest military state in the world? With a new security law enacted ,not vetoed by President Obama, that in essences allows a USA citizen to be arrested on US soil , detained , sent to Guantanamo Bay prison for ever if so desired, by the military , all with out a trial. Well , there goes the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights out the window! I mean who needs them? Look out all third world countries , there's a new kid in town.Human rights are a thing of the past it would seem .

In an article by Chris McGreal for the Guardian, he quotes Tom Malinowski  of Human Rights Watch as saying : "It's something so radical that it would have been considered crazy had it been pushed by the Bush administration," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch. "It establishes precisely the kind of system that the United States has consistently urged other countries not to adopt. At a time when the United States is urging Egypt, for example, to scrap its emergency law and military courts, this is not consistent."

Glen Greewald reporting for Salon writes in his article Three Myths About The Detention Bill  : " The most  important point on this issue is the same as underscored in the prior two points: the “compromise” reached by  Congress includes language preserving the status quo. That’s because the Obama administration already argues that the original 2001 AUMF authorizes them to act against U.S. citizens (obviously, if they believe they have the power to target U.S. citizens for assassination, then they believe they have the power to detain U.S. citizens as enemy combatants). The proof that this bill does not expressly exempt U.S. citizens or those captured on U.S. soil is that amendments offered by Sen. Feinstein providing expressly for those exemptions were rejected. The “compromise” was to preserve the status quo by including the provision that the bill is not intended to alter it with regard to American citizens, but that’s because proponents of broad detention powers are confident that the status quo already permits such detention."

It would appear that a USA  citizen may be arrested anywhere in the world , no questions asked , put into prison , no trail ,and there isn't a thing anyone can do about it now. Possibly assassinated without question. Imagine that. Khadaffy did that and he is dead now. Al Jazerra's D. Parvaz explains things a little clearer in their report on this new bill .His examples will clarify things for you best.

Americans can say this is for our national defense, our national security, and yes this would , could, be correct, but if you start down this road , what next? Cancellation of the Constitution because it is not relevant in today's environment? After all when it was written way back when 1787 , they didn't have AlQaeda or the Taliban did they?

In the 1960's there was a proliferation of world wide terrorist organizations and terrorist acts against not just Americans , but most of the worlds citizens in countries all around the world. Groups like : The Weathermen or The Weather Underground ,Red Army Faction that was a German militant group , not to be confused with the Japaneses Red Army which was a communist terrorist group, and last but not least the infamous Irish Red Army otherwise known as the IRA.But no one thought it necessary to abandon the USA Constitution or the Bill Of Rights , law and order, to fight against them .

Why are things so different now? Because of 9-11 happening on American soil? So close to home .So scary.People were murdered by those other groups , Americans among them .It was just being done in someone else back yard, so to speak , not ours.Now it is Very Personal .So, to hell with all those things that the founders of America thought was a good ideal ,the things we propose to others that are so important to make a free, just society .We are under attack and we are not taking this lying down. We will use whatever means or force it takes to justify our actions in doing so.While we preach to other nations to do as we say and not as we do.

I, as a American , proud to be so , am so alarmed with the direction my country is moving towards.I always took great pride in being an American; knowing we had a justice system in place that was the envy of the world. One the was fair to all .A person accused of a crime had a fighting chance to defend themselves against their accuser by a jury of their peers in a court of law.That is no longer true. A Sad , dark time ahead for America and Americans .