]> http://www.msucd.org/taxonomy/term/1/0 A forum for discussing the political landscape of our nation. en http://www.msucd.org/node/37 <p>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. </p> <p>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.</p> National Politics Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:37:48 -0700