RT NewsThe US House of Representatives approved an annual defense spending bill early Thursday after rejecting a proposed amendment that would have prevented the United States government from indefinitely detaining American citizens.
An amendment introduced in the House on Wednesday this week asked that Congress repeal a controversial provision placed in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that has ever since provided the executive branch with the power to arrest and detain indefinitely any US citizen thought to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda or associated organizations.
“This amendment would eliminate indefinite detention in the United States and its territories,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), a co-author of the failed amendment, said during floor debate on Wednesday,“So basically anybody that we captured, who we suspected of terrorist activity, would no longer be subject to indefinite detention, as is now, currently, the law.”
“That is an enormous amount of power to give the executive, to take someone and lock them up without due process,” Smith added. “It is an enormous amount of power to grant the executive, and I believe places liberty and freedom at risk in this country.”
Pres. Barack Obama vowed when he signed the 2012 NDAA into law on December 31, 2011 that he would not use the indefinite detention powers provided to him by Congress. When that provision was challenged in federal court, however, the White House fought back adamantly and appealed a District Court ruling that initially reversed the indefinite detention clause, eventually sending the challenge to the Supreme Court where it stalled until earlier this month with the justices there said they would not consider the case.
The bill sponsored by Smith and co-author Rep. Paul Broun (R-Georgia) would have given the legislative branch a chance to repeal the same provisions that SCOTUS declined to hear, but the bipartisan amendment failed on a vote of 191 to 230.
A separate proposal from Rep. Smith meant to expedite the shut-down of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was also rejected early Thursday; an amendment from Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Florida) intended to cut federal funding for recreational facilities at Gitmo, however, was approved in the NDAA draft that left the House on Thursday.
On Twitter, Smith said he was “disappointed” but “won’t stop fighting to pass this critical legislation.”
Disappointed my amndts to #CloseGitmo &end #indefinitedetention failed in the #NDAA. I won't stop fighting to pass this critical legislation
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) May 22, 2014
And while the White House is unlikely to abandon its own fight with regards to keep the indefinite detention provision intact, the Obama administration threatened to vote this year’s NDAA because it would continue to complicate the president’s promise to close the Guantanamo Bay facility — a vow older than his own administration.
“If this year’s Defense Authorization bill continues unwarranted restrictions regarding Guantanamo detainees, the president will veto the bill,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statementWednesday evening.
When the 2011 NDAA passed Congress with the controversial indefinite detention provision included, the White House said at the time that it would veto the legislation before Pres. Obama eventually balked.
Well, it looks like the Constitution is now dead. We no longer live in a republic…instead we’re now living in a corporate/banker/AIPAC run corrupt empire. Long live the Republic.
George Bush is quoted as saying….”the Constitution is just a God Damned piece of paper”……it sure looks like he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t know much of anything else….that’s for sure.
Now Obama has become our equivalent of Caesar….Imperator.
It took the Roman Empire over four centuries to fall but I’d wager the American Empire won’t take that long. When an empire’s money is worthless it doesn’t have much to run on and the Dollar’s days are numbered more surely than anything. Emperor Obama knows that.
There was one crucial thing that lead (lol) to the demise of the Roman Empire -> insanity. There are some parallels to the current emperor and Rome of old.
Not just ‘some’ crazy people but the extent of the governing class, the wealthy. Largely, they were nuts.
The wealthy people had access to fine products available to them due to their wealth. Things they would want to have to such as fancy attire, fine jewelry & deluxe flatware & drink accessories. Not being the scientifically advanced peoples of decades centuries to follow they were completely unaware that lead had a viscous side effect on the brain – insanity.
Lead was a very prized and valuable metal used in many application, not limited to it’s use in food & drink items.
Those fancy goblets were killing people. The old adage about Nero & his fiddle are not based on myth. Undoubtedly, he was nutso [crazy] and did go about his merry way as Rome burned.
With so many people being off their rocker the ruling parties could not organize in a cognitive way. Eventually this allowed the Empire to split – Rome fell to the invisible foe.
First, the law is not lawful soooo. ergo no law allows indefinite detention.
Second, No law passed by congress has any jurisdiction over any human in the states united unless you the individual consent.
Third any body who abducts another human should be shot on sight and if they are wearing patches and badges they should be shot twice for good measure.
Now I love the Constitution and what it stands for but at the end of the day I did not agree to be contracted with it so congress couldnt possibly even pass a lawful law that binds me to it. I was forced to be born, have a birth certificate, and a SSN by a woman(my mom) who was too stupid to know what she was doing. No contract is lawful if it was done under duress or without all parties understanding and consent.
Damn right !
“The US House of Representatives approved an annual defense spending bill early Thursday after rejecting a proposed amendment that would have prevented the United States government from indefinitely detaining American citizens.”
American citizens are the key words. How many in this “usurped government” are duel citizens? Seems like a convenient way to be excluded from this detainment, no? Guess they think they thought of everything.
same ole game
Anyone hear what the 230 who voted against repealing indefinite detention used as an argument?