Wed 27 Sep 2006
Yes, that’s right: the Republicans in Congress have agreed on a ‘compromise’ which allows a tribunal established under the authority of the President, using whatever criteria or definition it wants (because the law, while it refers to the Military Commissions Act of 2006 does not apply its rules to the tribunal) to declare anyone to be an enemy combatant for any reason it desires, and takes away that person’s right to sue to challenge their detention. — Bound in a Nutshell
[update] the author of that post wrote in a comment here that he’s now updated his entry to reflect that it’s not quite as bad as it seems — it only affects non-US citizens. Thankfully we don’t know any of those right? Those guys totally won’t know what hit them, SUCKERS!
September 27th, 2006 at 4:32pm
I wish I were making this up.
I’ve been following politics to some degree or another for twenty years.
I have never felt as hopeless about the future as I do today. :(
September 27th, 2006 at 4:37pm
aph: the fact that you’re saying that makes it worse because I respect your opinion and you’re not prone to exaggeration like I am.
September 27th, 2006 at 5:51pm
Yet another reason to never set foot inside the US again.
Unless I go to visit RT, of course. Man I should do that and stop being a lazyass.
September 27th, 2006 at 6:28pm
Terrorist, your game is through
‘Cause now you have to answer too
America!
Fuck yeah!
That’s it - I’ve had it. I’m moving far away from America. Somewhere like… Toronto.
September 27th, 2006 at 10:57pm
But see my update. Basically, it’s not as bad as I was making it out to be, as the habeas suspension only applies to non-citizens … which means it’s not the end of the republic, it’s just the republic announcing to the world that freedom is not a universal human right, it’s something reserved for american citizens, and everyone else can just fuck off.
I feel a lot less personally threatened, but my idealism about America is still shattered.
September 27th, 2006 at 11:17pm
skippy: yeah dude it’s been a frigging year+ already.
Joey: I dunno if you heard but Toronto is full of… Liberals. That’s right, not just liberals, but Liberals. I can see it now, soon you’ll be extolling the virtues of Trudeau and Chretien…
aph: well that’s good for *you* I guess. cold comfort to me though. meh.
September 28th, 2006 at 9:52am
Yeah. It’s no comfort at all to you. And precious little to me, really; it still means that a majority of our legislators think freedom from arbitrary detention is a freedom we can sacrifice because someone claims it will protect us from the terrorists.
“Give me the power to imprison people forever with neither warrant nor appeal. I promise i’ll only use it in good ways.”
Meh.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:32pm
rt: Man… you’re right. I enjoy my liberal media, but I hate the Liberal Party. I’ll have to work tirelessly towards their defeat. Or undermine them from within, with backhanded compliments.
For example, I can’t believe how people are racist against leadership candidate John Volpe! I mean, children of pharmaceutical company executives are lining up to support him financially, and even the dead are rising to join the Liberals. Naysayers are against him simply because they hate Italian-Canadians.