Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a “Battlefield” They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window.: Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a “Battlefield” They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window.:

The Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. The Senate will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in the United States itself.

Senators need to hear from you, on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial.

The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised his concerns about the NDAA detention provisions during last night’s Republican debate. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself.

The worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which will be on the Senate floor on Monday.The bill was drafted in secret by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and passed in a closed-door committee meeting, without even a single hearing.

I know it sounds incredible. New powers to use the military worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat troops out of Afghanistan too? And American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?

This is an appalling power grab on behalf of the military/industrial complex, and must be stopped. Please call your congresspeople and tell them to support the Udall Amendment to S. 1867, because America isn’t some giant “battlefield” where we’re all subject to military law at the whim of whoever happens to be president at the moment.

That came from Neil Gaiman and I agree with him. [read the article]

Sadly, the #occupy movement, for me, has moved from being about our country, and what NEEDS to change to keep it going in a safe and forward-thinking manner, to being about police brutality and how it is systemic, endemic, and really pathetic.  If we saw this behavior from the police towards protesters in any other country (see Egypt, etc this summer), we'd call it human rights being violated.

It hurts my soul to see this happening here.

I hope you read that article and educate yourself on what is going on, no matter what your views are of the protesters. It's good to have a handle on your rights, or lack of them, and good to know that you can now be arrested with any rights being read to you, and without being told what you are being arrested for.

I'm going to stop before I get all preachy.