US Senate passes its version of NDAA bill

[Ross]

US Senate passes its version of NDAA bill, which would allow military to detain anyone on US soil.
Friday, December 2, 2011

The US Senate on Thursday passed its version of a bill that, among other provisions, would enable the US military to indefinitely detain anyone who is deemed to be engaging in terrorist activities.

93 Senators voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with only seven opposing and none abstaining. (A list of who voted for the bill is available at OpenCongress.)

The NDAA authorises $662 billion in funds for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and military personnel. The act's Subtitle D, which discusses "counter-terrorism", would also allow the military to detain anyone, including US citizens, on home soil, without having to guarantee a trial.

The House will also vote on the bill, and then must reconcile its version with the Senate's, before the legislation could be sent to the President's desk. A roll call was held over the bill in late May in the House, where 322 Representatives supported, 96 opposed, and 13 abstained.

The Senate later adopted, in a 99-1 vote, a compromise amendment, stating that the NDAA is not intended to change the current legal authority of the government to imprison individuals detained in the "war on terror".

Obama's administration has cautioned it would veto NDAA, although some political observers say the president would sign it anyway to avoid political headaches.


Rand Paul was one of seven Senators to vote against NDAA.Daphne Eviatar, an associate for the Human Rights First group, told Democracy Now that "[Obama] has said he will. Whether he will is a difficult question because, politically, it's difficult to veto a defense spending bill that 680 pages long and includes authorization to spend on a whole range of military programs."
Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, son of presidential candidate Ron Paul, voiced concerns over the bill on the Senate floor on Wednesday. "Under the provisions, wouldn't it be possible, then, that an American citizen could be declared an enemy combatant and sent to Guantanamo Bay and detained indefinitely?"

John McCain, who had helped write out the relevant provision in the bill, responded: "I think that as long as that individual, no matter who they are, if they pose a threat to the security of the United States of America, should not be allowed to continue that threat."

Senator Lindsay Graham, a supporter of NDAA, explained that it "basically says in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield" and anyone can be detained, "American citizen or not".

Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, also expressed disappointment: "Since the bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens and others are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial if this bill becomes law."

As of this writing, the mainstream media were mostly silent about the "counter-terrorism" provisions in the legislation. As such, more detailed information surrounding NDAA's passage is difficult to obtain.

The bill, numbered H.R. 1540, was sponsored by Republican Representative Howard McKeon from California. The full legislation text is available on OpenCongress (warning: large file).

http://theopenglobe.org/wiki/US_Senate_passes_its_version_of_NDAA_bill,_which_would_allow_military_to_detain_anyone_on_US_soil

[Anmar]

This bill is ridiculous.  What happened to the rule of law?  We live in a civilized country where we believe that people have inalienable god given rights.  We shouldn't be willing to give the government the power to take them away.  Remember that every power we give our government to use against other people could eventually be used against us. 

Can you imagine in Obama's final year of his second term, that he'll launch a war against domestic "terrorists"  Suddenly militias and groups across the midwest will find themselves being tortured, imprisoned indefinitely, and even assassinated.  Why not?  we're doing all those things right now, to American citizens, right now.....

[jarhead]

Anmar,
You are beating a dead horse about poor ol Anwar al-Awlaki.
Now quit scaring me with that talk about" Obama's final year of his second term". That is worse than just plain ol scary.
Instead of going after midwest militias and groups maybe he will go after Muslim terrorist sympathizers and Liberal loonies-------------------------------------------Now, that aint one bit scary to me !!!

[Ross]

Yea, Jarhead but as I read it any american citizen can be declared a terrorist and be wisked away withut due process of law and could end up at Gitmo and for got about. That would include you and  or me.

Just piss off the wrong official and you are a terrorist.

Since when was our miitary ever designed to fight it's citizens at home.?

Don't we have plenty of other agencies for domestic situations?

Have you heard the Marines are wanting to return to sea, their original roll and operate as a sea to land assult force?
A few months back I read something about dismantling the Marine Corp and I thought that would be a serious mistakes.
Go Marines.

[Warph]

Great post, Ross.  As Anmar stated, there is no telling what Obuma can do.  I would be very surprised if he would veto this bill if it becomes law.  This gives the president super, super power against Americans.  

Here is an article that is quite scary.  Read between the lines:

http://www.travis.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123282639


Ross... on getting rid of the Marine Corp, Obuma, when asked, said it was just a rumor.  This has been tried before.  A book was written on this in 2002: The U.S. Marine Corps and Defense Unification 1944-47: The Politics of Survival by Gordon W. Keiser (Apr 2002)
It states:

"This National Defense University Military History examines the role of the U. S. Marine Corps in the defense unification controversy of 1944-1947. World War II demanded the coordinated training, equipping, transporting, and employing of huge forces and soon exposed the organizational flaws of the prewar military establishment. Sentiment for unifying the U. S. military effort predated World War II, but the war provided the impetus for a major reorganization. Long before the end of the war, there was a growing conviction in the War Department and Congress to establish a system to coordinate and unify the activities of the U. S. Armed Forces. "

"The National Security Act established a more unified defense entity in 1947, but the Marine Corps - deftly practicing the "politics of survival" - emerged with its organizational identity and integrity essentially intact. The author, Colonel Gordon Keiser, USMC, relates the history of how the Corps managed to survive amidst the political maneuvering of more than an account of one Service's struggle to endure"[/font]

[jarhead]

I think the vast majority of our military will not be carrying out what they will consider an un-lawful law-BUT---if Obama signs it into law the first one my beloved Marines will whisk away to Gitmo will be the POTUS--the biggest terrorist we have. Let him rot away with his fellow Muslim terrorists.

Ross, after WW-II Harry Truman and his sidekick D. MacArthur tried to do away with the USMC. Then they "tried" to get the 1st Marine Division annihilated at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and it came back and bit them in their sorry asses.

[Ross]

I think our country needs our Marines and I hope you are right about our military.
It's just the puppets called officers that I worry about.
Our country's leadership, military officers and politicians are
in dire need of ethics, principles and leadership training.
Too bad politicians can't be held responsible for lying to the public.

[Ross]

Here is an article that is quite scary.  Read between the lines:

http://www.travis.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123282639

I had read about this in a different fashion about 16 months ago.
They built a mock of San Diego for training the military.
You are right, worrisome.

[Ross]

I forgot they need some lessons in respect as well.
Example:
I just recieved this and I see no respect in it at all. They disgust me.

Air Force dumped ashes of more troops' remains in Va. landfill than acknowledged.
By Craig Whitlock and Mary Pat Flaherty, Updated: Wednesday, December 7, 6:50 PM
The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show.

The landfill dumping was concealed from families who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner, Air Force officials said. There are no plans, they said, to alert those families now.

It is a long story, read the rest at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/air-force-dumped-ashes-of-more-troops-in-va-landfill-than-acknowledged/2011/12/07/gIQAT8ybdO_story.html?wpisrc=al_national