For those who think that worries of an American Fourth Reich are alarmists, consider this report from the Washington Post concerning the new anti-terrorist legislation:
As a result, human rights experts expressed concern yesterday that the language in the new provision would be a precedent-setting congressional endorsement for the indefinite detention of anyone who, as the bill states, "has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States" or its military allies.
The definition applies to foreigners living inside or outside the United States and does not rule out the possibility of designating a U.S. citizen as an unlawful combatant. It is broader than that in last week's version of the bill, which resulted from lengthy, closed-door negotiations between senior administration officials and dissident Republican senators. That version incorporated a definition backed by the Senate dissidents: those "engaged in hostilities against the United States." [emphasis added]
So here we have a bill which would grant the President the ability to designate a US citizen an enemy combatant. Remember this administration is pushing for no Habeas Corpus protection for enemy combatants - no court review. The government would be able to swoop down on you at night, take you off to a remote facility without access to a lawyer and hold you indefinitely. As I recall, locking up people without charges or review was one of the Founding Fathers' complaints against George III. Ironic.
Thank goodness they only do this to brown people.
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