Slippery slope to a police state - rule by fear?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1867/comments

"Senate Bill 1867, Section 1032(b)


(b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens-

(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.

(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States"

While I admit I'm not a US law expert, nor an attorney, it's very hard to ignore the implications of what's written there.

Looking at the word 'requirement' and the contextural placement in the sentences seem imply that it doesn't exist for US Citizens (and resident aliens). So ... to then say it doesn't exist, means there is not justification needed.



It's like the US Patriot Act all over again ... wait .. speaking of that ...

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111010/04043716279/nytimes-sues-federal-government-refusing-to-reveal-its-secret-interpretation-patriot-act.shtml

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110525/15411414434/senators-reveal-that-feds-have-secretly-reinterpreted-patriot-act.shtml

So we have a the US Federal Government concocting an alternate legal system. Seems like all this is the next step in implementing this en masse to its own citizens.

The Trial is slowly coming to life in America.

Commenter toray99 sums it up best -

The difference is that the danger of American citizens being detained without trial as terrorists on frivolous pretexts is an even greater danger now given that the Department of Homeland Security has characterized behavior such as buying gold, owning guns, using a watch or binoculars, donating to charity, using the telephone or email to find information, using cash, and all manner of mundane behaviors as potential indicators of domestic terrorism.

Talk about a silent next step from democracy to police state. And what's the most painful part about it?

Funny how you don't hear about that in the corporate media?

I do see it in the New York Times, and the BI, but really no where else.

Probably because the establishment has learned long ago, the best way to take away people's collective rights, is to distract them so much to make the forget they even had them; to the point where they simply stop paying attention.

UPDATE - http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/12/the-real-reason-for-obamas-threat-to-veto-the-indefinite-detention-bill-hint-its-not-to-protect-liberty.html


Here's a gem set of statements -

I noted Friday:



The police state started in 2001.


Specifically, on 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney initiated Continuity of Government Plans that ended America’s constitutional form of government (at least for some undetermined period of time.)


On that same day, a national state of emergency was declared … and that state of emergency has continuously been in effect up to today.