Isn’t it sad that you have to pass a bill to ensure government recognizes your Constitutional liberties? But that is where we are in these here United States. A few congressmen are giving it another go to try to reign back the powers that the government gave the president in detaining anyone he thinks is a terrorist. The Hill reports:
Four members of the House are trying again to scale back the power of the president to indefinitely detain terrorist suspects, even though the House rejected a similar proposal last month.
Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) and House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) introduced the Civil Liberties Act on Friday, which would amend the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed in May.
Last month, these members supported nearly identical language as an amendment to the NDAA, known as the Amash-Smith amendment, but it was rejected 182-231. In that vote, only 19 Republicans voted for it.
Supporters of the bill, H.R. 5936, argue that under the NDAA as approved, the president could declare a U.S. citizen as an enemy of the state and indefinitely detain that person. While opponents say Americans do not lose their right to habeas corpus, or a hearing before the court, supporters say that would not necessarily be enough to save an American from indefinite detention, if it was claimed they were associating with terrorists.
Under the bill, anyone detained on U.S. soil would have all due rights and liberties under the Constitution. The bill would also terminate language in the bill allowing for mandatory military detention in some cases.
Mostly symbolic I suppose as there ain’t no way the President would sign this even if it made it through the Senate. I don’t think the Senate participates in the Republic anymore anyway.
