When the polls come back with such low numbers for approval for the job that Congress is doing, I am not surprised when I hear some political analysts say there is a disconnect between the American people and their elected representatives.
But this latest defense bill gives me a severe chilling sensation. It legalizes the indefinite incarceration of whomever the government suspects to be a terrorist, anywhere in the world, without charges, without bothering with the nuisance of a trial. I was disturbed with the "enemy combatant" scenario, Guantamao Bay, etc., with the suspension of Habeas corpus. But the Constitution does allow this in time of war or insurrection. And it didn't seem to apply to American citizens, at least not within our borders.
I was equally uncomfortable with the assumed power the government claimed to have to assassinate "known" terrorists, including even Osama bin Laden. But I was told that Congress had given the president this power, as well as the power to invade foreign nations, clearly against the Constitution. Our constitutional right to assemble is being trampled upon as well, by the swat teams in riot gear as they arrest and pepper spray the "occupy" demonstrators, in the name of sanitation and safety.
More than a disconnect, this latest travesty reeks of tyranny, as we all tumble and slide down the slippery slope. It begs the question that any citizen may well ask, "what if they think I'm a terrorist?" It's not too far a stretch for them to call anyone who disagrees with their agenda a terrorist. Whoever authored this bill, as well as whoever voted for it, should be impeached, found guilty, and hung out to dry.
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Can we allow these rights the founders of this country so meticulously elaborated to be snatched away, without even the recourse of due process of law?
James Madison wrote that if men were angels, there would be no need for the government. And if angels governed men, that government would need no checks and balances. Since nobody contests our less that angelic nature, where have the checks and balances gone that allow this tyrannical legislation to exist?
Fred Dawson
Munday, W.Va.
