Bypass of Habeas Corpus

In the latest National Defense Authorization Act, Congress is trying to give the U.S. military power to imprison Americans indefinitely, without charges or respect for habeas corpus, if it is claimed they are terrorists. Any member who supports that provision is grossly violating his or her oath to uphold the Constitution. If our government thinks you are a terrorist, present charges and evidence to a judge. There should be no authority to lock people up without judicial review. That is the kind of power held by tyrants in totalitarian regimes. It has no place in the U.S. It is ironic that this activity in Congress is taking place in the same period when the Secretary of State visits Myanmar, a country that is finally getting rid of the very same type of government powers.

Americans seem ready to forfeit their most basic civil liberty without a whimper. By a vote of 93-7 the Senate this month approved a military appropriations bill empowering the government to designate any U.S. citizen within the country as a terrorist and to have the military hold him indefinitely without trial and without the right to habeas corpus, the right to be brought before a court for a judgment on the legality of one's imprisonment.

The question of existence of habeas corpus is a matter of preserving basic human rights, and taking that away is just opening the gate for slowly letting the powers that be pick arbitrarily our rights to their convenience. It is important that we make our mark and make our voice heard. Recently, there's a proposed bill to regulate the content of the internet, it is a serious threat to freedom of speech. If said bill passes any website is subject to scrutiny, from a regular online vendor like Xlpharmacy to even personal websites, it is all in danger.