Could somebody remind me why we have military commissions authorized to hand out death penalties?
And why did the Senate pass the National Defense Authorization Act to reaffirm this ability and authorize indefinite detention without trial?
You may want to ask President Obama to veto this act. The White House phone number is (202)456-1111. (Your call is important to the President!) Say something like:
I’m calling to ask President Obama to veto the National Defense Authorization act. I believe the indefinite detention of those who have not been convicted of any crime is both Unconstitutional and Un-American. Because the military did not even ask for this authority, I believe this is simply an example of Congress playing politics with human rights, civil liberties, and our country’s most cherished values.
Additionally, could a few hundred of you ask this question of Obama’s Tumblr?. The people staffing the Tumblr, are doubtlessly campaign staff of limited influence. But … I would like to make this an issue for the campaign as well. And maybe if enough people ask the question, somebody will feel obligated to answer it.
