An eloquent reminder from Freddie deBoer as cited by Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com, Jan 19, 2012 “Who Are the Victims of Civil Liberties assaults and Endless War”? (regarding particularly the recent sanctioned government “hit job” assassination even of American citizens without arrest and trial):

“The right to not be killed precedes all other rights. It is the foundation on which all other rights rest. What value can any rights have if they are not protected by a right to not be killed? Freedom of expression is no solace to a corpse. Likewise, what value do other rights have if those rights are not protected by rights of the accused? There is no value in freedom of assembly or religion if you can be thrown into a cage without a trial where you can invoke those rights. The right to protest has no meaning if the executive can respond to that protest by killing you without accountability, legal challenge, or review. Civil liberties are not merely right on principle. They are the necessary bedrock on which all conduct in a free society must rest.”

My message to the president:

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cannot stand.

It simply cannot be any clearer within the confines of the English language that this bill codifies the power of indefinite detention. It expressly empowers the President — with regard to anyone accused of the acts in section (b) – to detain them “without trial until the end of the hostilities.” That is the very definition of “indefinite detention,” and the statute could not be clearer that it vests this power. Anyone claiming this bill does not codify indefinite detention should be forced to explain how they can claim that in light of this crystal clear provision.

It is bad enough that Crapo, Risch, and Simpson signed this bill, in spite of my asking the not to sign. 

The NDAA is an aggressive attack on the basic concept of citizenship and U.S. democracy.

Both the House and the Senate have passed this odious legislation and the White House announced that the President is poised to sign the Act into law, despite urgent opposition from the leadership of all the major intelligence agencies (the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the FBI, the Director of National Intelligence, the White House Advisor for Counterterrorism, and the DOJ National Security Division head.

The NDAA allows any U.S. president to label someone a terrorist—including U.S. citizens—and subject them to indefinite detention without charges, trial or due process of law. Those labelled terrorists would be handed over to the military and potentially subject to waterboarding and other illegal forms of torture. See Glenn Greenwald’s excellent analysis.

Message sent December 23, 2011 to Obama from congress.org

This and other messages at http://treegrower.org/about/Tell Legislators.html

To my mind, the most salient issue here is that raised by Mr Hedges in the last minutes of the interview on Democracy Now! - i e, just why this legislation was proposed and passed at this particular point in time. Obviously, the people in the know suspect that things are going to get worse - much worse - in the United States and fear that the police will not suffice to repress the large-scale domestic disturbances that are likely to arise as a result. Thus they want to be in a position to call on a professional military - which they deem more likely than a military of conscripts to be willing to do so - to put down these protests. Something is definitely blowing in the wind….

Henri

in present structure of governance and under present usa constitution, expect only worsenings.
alas, neither the 99.99% of the Left nor hedges advocates putting together new constitution nor chagne of
structure of system of rule.
a new constitution wld have to enshrine just one basic human right: the right TO KNOW. then, nothing but
goodness would follow for all people.

To all citizens of Empire,
Romney or Obama: either one is a vote for the
status quo.

A video to illustrate the current state of America and the world:

Graffiti Philosophy

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” -
Jiddu Krishnamurti”

The world on its present course cannot avoid fuel shortages, debt-deflation,
fiscal austerity, increasing poverty, political and environmental conflicts over
energy and essential commodities, unprecedented global protests against Wall
Street financial injustice, political and legal challenges for full reserve monetary
reform, climate and humanitarian disasters, further revolution and war.

We are facing the perfect economic storm, in which sacrificing long-term high
performing income would guarantee poverty for the majority. Selling public
assets amounts to economic suicide.
- Link

I am not surprised that Chris’s stand has been all but ignored by the MSM, but I had hoped Current would have highlited his willingness to stand up for the rest of us on this rediculous legislation…power to you Chris…and I second gerard’s comment above…

Xboxershorts -

No, the military wouldn’t have gone hungry without the NDAA, a CR would have been easily passed if necessary.  Obama was the one who insisted that the language giving the Executive Branch its power be in the bill.  His veto threat was about that language being excluded, not about anything so trivial as violating the
Bill of Rights.

Truthdig -

Great choice, but then I guess you could say that about Chris Hedges just about any Monday.  I don’t want to say nepotism but…...........

Hang on folks . . . .
The self appointed “Ruling Class” seems to be setting things in motion . . . .

We are hearing crap like this from Washington DC on a regular basis these days. Some things begin to be more than just a coincidence.

Anyone that votes for an incumbent is only making it easier for these things to continue. There really is not difference in Parties anymore. There is only politicians and money.

@Xboxershorts.

I don’t believe anyone in either house reads the laws they are proposing - or
understands the main thrust, much less the unintended consequences.  I
believe they are elected by money or, possibly, by Diebold - and told what to
do.  I can easily imagine that their bills come to them pre-written.

They are certainly not elected to serve the American citizenry, and almost every
one of them has violated their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

I believe we will be stuck with a congress full of millionaires until we fumigate
the hallowed halls and chambers - both of congress and of the supreme court. 

Until that happens, we cannot expect much from the executive branch - and I
certainly don’t mean to lay all of this on the President.  But he threatened a veto
and he should have vetoed instead of merely negotiating to have all the power
in his own hand.  The power belongs to the citizenry who are no longer being
represented.  He may not be quite so benevolent next year - he can always
revoke his signing statement and decide to become a dictator.

I sincerely apologize for the accidental double-post.  I hope a moderator will have
the kindness to delete the 2:24 one which I believed I had sent to preview.

a hui hou
T

I’d like to know if congress backed the president into a corner. Seeing as this was the NDAA and it contained the legal wording to ensure our troops currently in the field and elsewhere do get paid.

If so, then not signing it was politically explosive too and Congress would deserve just as much (if not more) much vilification for this fascist piece of shit too.

Is it accurate that not signing this would disrupt military payroll and funding for VA and other veterans service?

That means something - and not necessarily what Lindsay Graham and John McCain intended - or maybe they did.  But one thing we do know is that Obama signed it - after making sure he had complete AND SOLE authority to implement it.

Doesn’t establishing in law that the US mainland is a war zone allow anyone who feels the need to go armed, and protect themselves, their families and their homes against forceable intrusion and attack by terrorists?  Why else would the homeland be codified as a war zone?

How can anyone now believe that the people kicking down their doors are really police officers and not terrorists who have stolen police uniforms?  Or that they really have a reasonable-cause warrant signed by a judge who had jurisdiction?

They cannot - because the law specifically says detention and rendition do not require the approval of the judge of a civilian court.  Anyone in a military uniform can kidnap anyone and no protections for innocents against this exist in law.

Cannot everyone now defend themselves anywhere within the declared war zone against attacks by co-opted military forces or hired mercenaries?  Because Obama has just signed a piece of legislation which says individuals no longer have any civil rights except the ones they can enforce themselves.  We cannot depend on our own military to defend us.

If Colonel Klink wants my farm, he can send a squad to ‘disappear’ my family as terrorists - and it’s not even my word against his - I no longer get to say anything about it.  I can’t demand to see the warrant.  He doesn’t need one.

I can’t call the President’s office to ask if he approved my rendition.  There is no one anyone can ask, and there are no safeguards against the abuse of the law.  Any base commander can quietly set themselves up as warlords - and that is exactly what will happen.

You will just disappear.  No one has to account for you - you are gone or dead.  There is no recourse but one.  Don’t go.  There aren’t enough military to kill all of us.  And of those who try, I can only hope that most of them will disobey the orders - but I know from history that it never happens that way.

If the President intended to start another civil war, I think he has probably succeeded.  The imaginary FEMA concentration camps will now become reality.

But we have been warned.  We now live in a war zone.  We can fight and die or surrender and die.

Doesn’t establishing in law that the US mainland is a war zone allow anyone
who feels the need to go armed, and protect themselves, their families and
their homes against forceable intrusion and attack by terrorists?  Why else
would the homeland be codified as a war zone?

How can anyone now believe that the people kicking down their doors are really
police officers and not terrorists who have stolen police uniforms?  Or that they
really have a reasonable-cause warrant signed by a judge who had jurisdiction?

They cannot - because the law specifically says detention and rendition do not
require the approval of the judge of a civilian court.  Anyone in a military
uniform can kidnap anyone and no protections for innocents against this exist
in law.

Cannot everyone now defend themselves anywhere within the declared war
zone against attacks by co-opted military forces or hired mercenaries?  Because
Obama has just signed a piece of legislation which says individuals no longer
have any civil rights except the ones they can enforce themselves.  We cannot
depend on our own military to defend us.

If Colonel Klink wants my farm, he can send a squad to ‘disappear’ my family as
terrorists - and it’s not even my word against his - I no longer get to say
anything about it.  I can’t demand to see the warrant.  He doesn’t need one.

I can’t call the President’s office to ask if he approved my rendition.  There is no
one anyone can ask, and there are no safeguards against the abuse of the law. 
Any base commander can quietly set themselves up as warlords - and that is
exactly what will happen.

You will just disappear.  No one has to account for you - you are gone or dead. 
There is no recourse but one.  Don’t go.  There aren’t enough military to kill all
of us.  And of those who try, I can only hope that most of them will disobey the
orders - but I know from history that it never happens that way.

If the President intended to start another civil war, I think he has probably
succeeded.  The imaginary FEMA concentration camps will now become reality.

But we have been warned.  We now live in a war zone.  We can fight and die or
surrender and die.

The best possible choice!  If funds are needed to help support this effort, I hope Truthdig will publish the venue for donations.