Letter to the Editor: Repealing the Military Commissions Act
This week I wrote this letter to the editor of my local paper, The Missoulian. True, Ron Paul is generally wacky, but I still admire his American Freedom Agenda Act and wanted to draw attention to it. Since I live in a conservative area of the country (though a liberal part of Montana), it seemed important to elaborate on potential ramifications of the Military Commissions Act for those who might not otherwise be alarmed.Support bill revoking ‘combatant' status
If the president names you an “enemy combatant,” you become one just because he or she says so. This means that, at this moment, you or any other U.S. citizen could legally be locked up without charge or the right to an attorney. Shocking, isn't it? And fundamentally un-American; the kind of thing that would make the founders turn over in their graves.A provision in the Military Commissions Act gave the president this unprecedented power a little over a year ago. Though we might like to think “enemy combatant” status would only be conferred upon U.S. citizens with verifiable terrorist ties, are we willing to allow our basic rights to be tossed out the window on that gamble?
This is not a partisan issue; every American, not only
those who vocally oppose the current administration's policies, should
be alarmed. Imagine if a President Clinton II framed anti-abortion
terrorism as a threat to national security, and all anti-abortion
activists faced risk because of their potential terrorist ties. Or if
an NRA member was responsible for a school shooting or another Oklahoma
City bombing, and other members suddenly became potential “enemy
combatants.”
The point is that no president should have the authority to call you something that strips you of your rights. Ask Rep. Denny Rehberg to support Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul's American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007 (HR 3835), which would reverse the Military Commissions Act and many other threats to our liberty. Those on the left and the right who are concerned about preserving our basic freedoms can go to www.americanfreedomcampaign.org and www.americanfreedomagenda.org, respectively. If we give up our rights voluntarily, do we need to worry about those “enemies of America” out there who “hate freedom”?
~~ The Missoulian
The point is that no president should have the authority to call you something that strips you of your rights. Ask Rep. Denny Rehberg to support Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul's American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007 (HR 3835), which would reverse the Military Commissions Act and many other threats to our liberty. Those on the left and the right who are concerned about preserving our basic freedoms can go to www.americanfreedomcampaign.org and www.americanfreedomagenda.org, respectively. If we give up our rights voluntarily, do we need to worry about those “enemies of America” out there who “hate freedom”?
~~ The Missoulian
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