For a political movement called "the right," it's ironic that the thing they hate most would be... rights. In particular, civil rights.
Holding people forever without charge? That's okay by Republicans. Torturing people until they're too crazy to speak in their own defense? To put it in terms the right would understand, "ditto."
So is it any surprise that Republicans would use a spending bill as cover for allowing civilians to be tried in military trials?
Private contractors and other civilians serving with U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan could be subject for the first time to military courts-martial under a new federal provision that legal scholars say is almost certain to spark constitutional challenges.
Constitutional challenge? Come on. Why would not giving civilians a grand jury hearing, or trying them before members of the military rather than a jury of their peers cause a problem?
And just who would fall into this new legal pit? Lindsay Graham says one thing.
Graham said the change was aimed solely at holding contractors accountable.
But since the bill includes any American working in a war zone, the real targets of this end-around may be quite different.
But legal observers say it could be interpreted broadly to include employees with other government agencies, as well as reporters.
Hear that whistleblowers? Or you hippie liberal reporters? Let someone know about how money is being wasted in the war, or fire off a bad report from the Green Zone, and your next destination could be Gitmo.