"A draft Bush administration plan for special military courts seeks to expand the reach and authority of such "commissions" to include trials, for the first time, of people who are not members of al-Qaeda or the Taliban and are not directly involved in acts of international terrorism, according to officials familiar with the proposal.
The plan, which would replace a military trial system ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in June, would also allow the secretary of defense to add crimes at will to those under the military court's jurisdiction. The two provisions would be likely to put more individuals than previously expected before military juries, officials and independent experts said."
Be sure to exercise your 2nd Amendment rights while you can. You may need them before this is over.
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07:42 PM
PFF
System Bot
Monkeyman Member
Posts: 15835 From: Sparta, NC Registered: Nov 1999
That would be the key. If you are declared an illegal enemy combatant, you basically lose your Constitutional rights to due process. That's not new. This just expands it's reach.
By RACHEL L. SWARNS Published: February 4, 2006 WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 — The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract worth up to $385 million for building temporary immigration detention centers to Kellogg Brown & Root, the Halliburton subsidiary that has been criticized for overcharging the Pentagon for its work in Iraq.
KBR would build the centers for the Homeland Security Department for an unexpected influx of immigrants, to house people in the event of a natural disaster or for new programs that require additional detention space, company executives said. KBR, which announced the contract last month, had a similar contract with immigration agencies from 2000 to last year.
The contract with the Corps of Engineers runs one year, with four optional one-year extensions. Officials of the corps said that they had solicited bids and that KBR was the lone responder.
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10:45 PM
Fastback 86 Member
Posts: 7849 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Sep 2003
"That would be the key. If you are declared an illegal enemy combatant, you basically lose your Constitutional rights to due process. That's not new. This just expands it's reach. "
Psst, if you are a foreign national you don't have Constitutional rights. They only apply to US citizens.
As for the usual Halliburton rant, do you have any idea how big they actually are? The amount of resources and sub contractors they can put in play? Yes it can look bad on the surface, but with their resources they can usually out bid and actually get a job done on time and on budget (note the usually part) If this were turned over to a gov't agency it would be over budget and take 10x as long.. BigDig anyone?
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11:49 PM
Aug 3rd, 2006
Toddster Member
Posts: 20871 From: Roswell, Georgia Registered: May 2001
José Padilla was held for 3 years without being charged. He has since been charged with "conspiracy to murder, kidnap, and maim people overseas." "The U.S. administration has in the past described him as an illegal enemy combatant, arguing that he was thereby not entitled to the normal protection of US law, nor protection under the Geneva Convention."
Yaser Esam Hamdi was held for 3 years without being charged and denied legal representation. Finally in 2004 the SCOTUS said charge him or release him. He had dual citizenship with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. He was released to Saudi Arabia and forced to give up his U.S. citizenship.
Only Lindh was convicted and that was on a plea bargain.
People may dismiss these three as bad examples because they're "evil" or "they were terrorists" or whatever. But they were all American citizens. Timothy McVeigh had his day in court and was convicted by a jury of his peers. What's the difference? And, if you think of a reason there's a difference - ask yourself if there SHOULD be a difference.
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12:18 AM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
As for the usual Halliburton rant, do you have any idea how big they actually are? The amount of resources and sub contractors they can put in play?
Actually, I personally don't give a damn WHO builds the detention centers. The issue, IMO, is the perceived need for these centers, not who won the contract.
Psst, if you are a foreign national you don't have Constitutional rights. They only apply to US citizens.
The coupled, coupled with the US regimes propensity for walking wherever they want on the planet and ignoring foriegn soveriegnty in the process to get at whatever they deem "enemy combatants" makes this new twist on scary thing for the entire planet. In fact, the US government has NEVER shown anything, globally, but an extreme willingness to shove thier foriegn policy and internal politics down the plants throught by brute force. Defending thier country internally and at the border is one matter (which any sane person would find perfectly acceptable). Walking into a foriegn country under the banner "War on -insert current cause here-" is a whole different ball game.
I dont have the link, but recall a case a several years ago where a Windsor, ON business owner did business in both the US and Cuba (perfectly legal up here). The Kings (or Slick Willies, dont recall which) regime didnt take kindly to the concept that he was ignoring the US imbargo on Cuba and went after him with everything they had (even though he wasnt a US citizen or resident). By today's USG standards he would be an "Enemy fiscal combatant".
I know (or knew) through work contacts a few individuals who werent adverse to using occult practices (and vocal about it) to try to impede the USG's "policies". My guess is using a ouja board or whatever in an "unaproved manner" now makes one an "emeny combatant."
The only bright side I see is that Georgie-Boys second term is getting short, so he will be gone for good. Unfortunatley, those "behind the scenes" who pull the strings arent term-limited, so the best we can hope for is whatever new regime is installed has some mitigating influence on BushCo's insanity.
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06:49 AM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
I like your post because I feel you "get it" but don't think that juse because Bush and co are leaving office that this ideology will change. The ideology had started long before him and has become increasingly invasive, year by year, administration by admininstration, a chink here and a piece there. There is NO difference between democrat or republican. The fact is they are both pro big business and anti america / american at the same time. We american citizens are nothing more than greese..
The next administration will increase taxes beyond what we are seeing today. Many will loose their homes, cars and way of life. Those that manage to survive will look down on those who can not and gleefuly agree with the hand that feeds them, those who lost were irrisponsible, uneducated idiots and deserve the misery they got.
The more deeply "we the people" are divided, the more strength the USG will have over us to impose it's will, ignore our rights and strip us down to nothing more than ignorant servants.
It is not the right of the government to control the people. It is the right of the people to control the government. The sad part of it all is there are hardly any people left, just pittifully scared, supposedly educated bobble headed "yes" men who have "too much to loose". How right they are when one sees how many of our rights have been lost.
quote
Originally posted by under8ted: The only bright side I see is that Georgie-Boys second term is getting short, so he will be gone for good. Unfortunatley, those "behind the scenes" who pull the strings arent term-limited, so the best we can hope for is whatever new regime is installed has some mitigating influence on BushCo's insanity.
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12:05 PM
larryemory Member
Posts: 838 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Jan 2003
I like your post because I feel you "get it" but don't think that juse because Bush and co are leaving office that this ideology will change. The ideology had started long before him and has become increasingly invasive, year by year, administration by admininstration, a chink here and a piece there. There is NO difference between democrat or republican. The fact is they are both pro big business and anti america / american at the same time. We american citizens are nothing more than greese..
The next administration will increase taxes beyond what we are seeing today. Many will loose their homes, cars and way of life. Those that manage to survive will look down on those who can not and gleefuly agree with the hand that feeds them, those who lost were irrisponsible, uneducated idiots and deserve the misery they got.
The more deeply "we the people" are divided, the more strength the USG will have over us to impose it's will, ignore our rights and strip us down to nothing more than ignorant servants.
It is not the right of the government to control the people. It is the right of the people to control the government. The sad part of it all is there are hardly any people left, just pittifully scared, supposedly educated bobble headed "yes" men who have "too much to loose". How right they are when one sees how many of our rights have been lost.
Bill, You're slipping. You sound downright sensible.
[/sarchasm]
