I am utterly disappointed by the news I heard last evening that President Obama is going to not veto the Defense Authorization Bill. Earlier the Administration issued a veto threat if the indefinite detention amendment was on the bill. The congress as tinkered with it but the basic problem still exists and it erodes our civil liberties of 6th Amendment to the Constitution.
This morning I emailed the White House to tell them my disgust at now signaling the President will sign the bill. I am a staunch Democrat and hardcore supporter of President Obama and I am very displeased with this capitulation on this important civil right. Candidate Obama in 2008 said one thing and now the opposite is happening. (Guantanamo- I know the Republicans screeched about we don't want terror subjects on American soil) Who is going to stand up to the continuation of our country becoming a police state with the citizens having no rights other than the rich and powerful (the 1%)? I thought President Obama would. I guess the Military Industrial Complex has more to say than we the people. But many experts say this will hamper our ability in the fight against terrorism. Bin Laden is deep in the sea but what he advocated for the U.S. is still being ratified by this knee jerk Congress. For shame!
I will vote for the President next fall because of the clown show on the other side and because of the Supreme Court and Federal Judiciary needs progressive voices to interpret law; but I cannot keep silent over this amendment to the Authorization Bill.
With the likes of Senator McCain for it, it would automatically give me pause of supporting such a measure. He is still a sore loser from getting trounced in the 2008 election that he opposes everything the President wants to do. So much for the so call maverick of past. On yesterday McCain blasts the President on ending the Iraq War which is a promise kept by the president. However this bad amendment needs to sink the whole bill as it erodes our fast and speedy trial provision of the 6th Amendment and makes us look like some banana republic.
