Friday, September 23, 2011

What is the Military Commissions Act really for in our changed America?

Besides the suspension of the Bill of Rights, Habeus Corpus, and the labeling of even US citizens Unlawful Enemy Combatants, what is the government trying to pursue after passing the Patriot Act (later adding 2 more ammendments to that), and the Military Commissions Act, and the act allowing him to assume control of the guard and deploy them anywhere domestically without having the consent of state and local authorities and government (unconstitutional use of executive power)?What is the Military Commissions Act really for in our changed America?It authorizes the suspension of habeas corpus for non-citizens, including legal permanent residents, in U.S. custody 路 It authorizes the President to detain anyone, including U.S. citizens, without charge by designating them enemy combatants or unlawful enemy combatants 路 It authorizes the President to determine what constitutes torture. 路 It authorizes the use of evidence obtained by coercion 路 It authorizes the use of hearsay 路 It authorizes retroactive immunity for U.S military and intelligence officials for abuses that occurred at sites such as, Abu Ghraib, Guant谩namo, Bagram and secret CIA facilities. 路 The definitions of rape and sexual assault are narrower than under international law and have higher thresholds for proof.



It violates the Suspension Clause of the Constitution by denying non-citizens any meaningful opportunity to challenge the legality of their detention 路 It violates the 6th Amendment by allowing classified evidence which the accused can only see in summary 路 It violates the 4th Amendment by allowing evidence obtained by coercion or without a warrant or probable cause 路 It violates the Geneva Conventions by watering down humanitarian law protections of Common Article 3 and by effectively granting a retroactive amnesty to U.S. officials who have tortured detainees
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