Have you called the White House yet?
Tom the Dancing Bug, via BoingBoing.
Plenty of websites have been reporting/debating/parsing the National Defense Authorization Act controversy for weeks now. In a nutshell, the NDAA contains provisions that have been worded so broadly, they’ll give any future president the power to imprison American citizens and legal residents of the U.S. indefinitely and without trial on the basis of accusation (even without proof) of a “belligerent act”.
Indefinitely. Without trial. This situation is not merely about politics; it’s about our most basic and precious civil rights.
If you can find a minute in the next 24 hours to call (202) 456-1414 to ask President Obama to change his mind, he still has until tomorrow (Dec 26th) to veto the bill.
It’s worth a shot.
[EDIT: Sunday, Dec 25. Apologies, folks. Looks like the office is closed until Tuesday. But, by all means, write a letter (even if it’s too late): http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call#write ]
December 25th, 2011 at 10:09 am
This was actually amended to exclude American citizens. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c112:./temp/~c112kmAsba
Subtitle D–Detainee Matters, Section 1031, (e) Authorities- Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authorities, relating to the detention of United States citizens, lawful resident aliens of the United States or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States.
December 25th, 2011 at 11:20 am
So, I called. They won’t take messages for the President, as the “Presidential Message Office” is closed until Tuesday.
However, they did pick it up instantaneously, I didn’t even hear a ring. That was weird.
December 25th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Roofus, that link has expired; is there a second one you can show? From what I understand, the only provision U.S. citizens are excluded from according to the 1021/1022 sections of the bill is the “requirement” of military detention.
Military detention is mandatory for foreign nationals, optional for U.S. citizens and legal residents. Nowhere in the NDAA (as I understand it! I hope I’m wrong! prove it, please!) is it clearly stated that U.S. citizens are exempt from, specifically, the presidential power of military detention: only from the requirement that they be specifically detained BY the military. The detainment issue remains the same.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/us/senate-declines-to-resolve-issue-of-american-qaeda-suspects-arrested-in-us.html?_r=1
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1540/
December 25th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Roof is wrong
This law is awful and should be vetoed by the President
January 4th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading this in my mind with the voice of the announcer in Portal 2, which made everything seem acceptable.