It's Official
It’s official, we no longer live in a democratic society. President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006, transforming OUR country into a state that is disturbingly Orwellian. The Executive now has the ability to declare anyone an Unlawful Enemy Combatant. This applies to aliens and UNITED STATES CITIZENS. So yes, if he chooses, you could be declared an Unlawful Enemy Combatant and subjected to “alternative” means of interrogation.
Torture was egregiously redefined to allow abuse of detainees (most of which are more than likely innocent as they have been charged with no crime, and were sold to us by warlords). Even further egregious were the violations of human rights that apply to non-citizens. Alien Unlawful Enemy Combatants can no longer apply for a writ of Habeas Corpus. Thus, anyone the president wishes to detain can be held indefinitely without being charged of any crime, and does not have the right to see all evidence used to incriminate them. Now if this doesn’t bother you, reverse the situation. What if an American citizen were overseas and detained by a nation’s government without charge or being able to defend themselves in court because they can’t see the evidence against them? What if an American citizen was water-boarded* and beaten to the point just before organ failure? Oh right, we prosecuted Japanese for war crimes when they water-boarded our troops.
The passing of this law marks the end of the moral superiority of the United States of America. Yes, our system and ideals of liberty and human rights are superior to our enemy’s. Make no mistake, we are fighting a vile enemy. But how do we justify this fight when we forfeit or moral high-ground? How do we win over those who are not yet our enemy by kidnapping and torturing them?
Benjamin Franklin said “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Our soldiers are fighting to defend America. But America isn’t just a piece of land between Canada and Mexico, since 1779 it has transcended the conventional idea of a country and now represents the ideals of liberty, equality, and fairness for all human beings.
These ideals are now under attack by our president and representatives. For the record, the Mississippians responsible for this travesty are Trent Lott, Thad Cochran, Charles Pickering, Roger Wicker, and sadly one of our two DEMOCRATIC representatives Gene Taylor. None of these men will be getting my vote. I was going to vote for Mr. Talyor, the representative from my home district. Judging by his recent voting record, I implore you to switch parties Mr. Taylor. Sorry about the rant, but this made me so angry I had to let it out somewhere.
