So it would appear the bill hinted about yesterday, National Defense Authorization Act (Secret Bill To Be Voted On…) is the bill the Senate has gone ahead and passed? Where Rep L Graham argues that under Sec 1031 of the bill will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.”
(Excerpt) Read more at Washingtontimes.com
“Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the Senate voted Tuesday to preserve language that would give the U.S. military a crack at al Qaeda operatives captured in the U.S., even if they are American citizens.
Led by Sen. Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, senators voted 61-37 to preserve the language that gives the military custody of al Qaeda suspects, rather than turning them over to law enforcement officials.
“We are at war with al Qaeda and people determined to be part of al Qaeda should be treated as people who are at war with us,†Mr. Levin said.
He and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on his committee, had struck a deal earlier this month on giving the military priority custody, while allowing the administration to waive that and give civilian authorities priority if it deems the waiver in the interests of national security.
The White House and its Senate allies objected and tried to block the changes, instead calling for the issue to be studied further.
They argued giving the military priority could complicate investigations into terrorist suspects in the U.S., and said it opens the door to indefinite military detention of U.S. citizens.”