tagged w/ national defense authorization act
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George Orwell has a well-deserved reputation as one of the 20th Century's greatest authors. Unfortunately, his predictions turned out to be much darker than Jules Verne's visions of spaceships and submarines. If possible, Orwell's are more nuanced and scarily true. If he missed anything, it was the full-implementation of Ingsoc 20 years too late.George Orwell has a well-deserved reputation as one of the 20th Century's... more
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R3zn8D
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4 months ago
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Today is the SOPA internet blackout! Show your support, and sign the petition! Help combat online censorship, boycott those who would censor our internet for financial gain.
Sign the petition:
http://americancensorship.org/
Censor your avatar on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+:
http://www.blackoutsopa.org/
http://twibbon.com/cause/Censored—Stop-SOPA-Protest
If your are a webmaster, participate in the blackout, post an article/image to spread awareness:
http://sopastrike.com/
Blackout images stored here!Today is the SOPA internet blackout! Show your support, and sign the petition! Help... more
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R3zn8D
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4 months ago
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I happen to think that, as Progressives, we have a greater responsibility to question the President on his policies, because we’re the ones who put him into office, and if we refuse to be honest about our own guy, then all of those derisive spitballs lobbed at the other side are nothing more than a grand exercise in hypocrisy of the worst kind.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/12/16/betrayal-obama-to-sign-national-defense-authorization-video/I happen to think that, as Progressives, we have a greater responsibility to question... more
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While nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. The Senate will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in the United States itself.
Senators need to hear from you, on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial.
The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised his concerns about the NDAA detention provisions during last night’s Republican debate. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself.
The worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which will be on the Senate floor on Monday. The bill was drafted in secret by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and passed in a closed-door committee meeting, without even a single hearing.
I know it sounds incredible. New powers to use the military worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat troops out of Afghanistan too? And American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?
The answer on why now is nothing more than election season politics. The White House, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General have all said that the indefinite detention provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act are harmful and counterproductive. The White House has even threatened a veto. But Senate politics has propelled this bad legislation to the Senate floor.
But there is a way to stop this dangerous legislation. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is offering the Udall Amendment that will delete the harmful provisions and replace them with a requirement for an orderly Congressional review of detention power. The Udall Amendment will make sure that the bill matches up with American values.
In support of this harmful bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) explained that the bill will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.” Another supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is needed because “America is part of the battlefield.”
The solution is the Udall Amendment; a way for the Senate to say no to indefinite detention without charge or trial anywhere in the world where any president decides to use the military. Instead of simply going along with a bill that was drafted in secret and is being jammed through the Senate, the Udall Amendment deletes the provisions and sets up an orderly review of detention power. It tries to take the politics out and put American values back in.
In response to proponents of the indefinite detention legislation who contend that the bill “applies to American citizens and designates the world as the battlefield,” and that the “heart of the issue is whether or not the United States is part of the battlefield,” Sen. Udall disagrees, and says that we can win this fight without worldwide war and worldwide indefinite detention.
The senators pushing the indefinite detention proposal have made their goals very clear that they want an okay for a worldwide military battlefield, that even extends to your hometown. That is an extreme position that will forever change our country.
Now is the time to stop this bad idea. Please urge your senators to vote YES on the Udall Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-beingWhile nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, the... more
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Quietly—even stealthily—in the opening days of the New Year, President Barack Obama has set up a “Council of Governors”.
Like the 30-plus czars running America with neither the people’s nor the congress’s blessings, the Council of Governors is already a done deal.
“Is this a first step towards Martial Law, or a tie to the InterPol, RAND National Police Force stuff we’ve been hearing about,” asked a Texas patriot who tipped off Canada Free Press (CFP) after finding news of the new Council of Governors on Twitter. “Is this a sort of Homeland Security Politburo?
“I do know it’s another sleuth order executed without any announcement, OR EXPLANATION to the People.”
Patriots know by now that the promised Obama “transparency” is a fog.
Checking the Net on the Council of Governors, CFP found other than a few blogs only UPI.com had the story as of this morning:
“President Barack Obama Monday established a panel of state governors to collaborate with Washington on a variety of potential emergencies, the White House said.” (UPI.com, Jan. 11, 2010 at 11:54 p.m.). “Obama signed an executive order establishing a panel to be known as the Council of Governors, which will be made up of 10 state governors, to be selected by the president to serve two-year terms. Members will review matters involving the National Guard; homeland defense; civil support; and synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States, the White House said in a statement.
“The statement said the White House would seek input from governors and governors’ association (sic) in deciding which governors to appoint to the council, which will have no more than five governors from the same party.
“The secretaries of defense and homeland security will also sit on the council, as will presidential assistants for homeland security and counter-terrorism, intergovernmental affairs, the U.S. Northern Command commander, the commander of the East Coast Guard, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau.
“The panel was set up under a provision of the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, the White House said.”
There was no timestamp on the latest Emergency Order from Whitehouse.gov, which readers can see below.
The Obama administration seems to be conducting the business of America under cover of the dark.
Copy of the order at the link aboveQuietly—even stealthily—in the opening days of the New Year, President... more
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