and ya'll wonder why i ain;t happy bouncy anymore

[Guest guest]

President Bush Signs 2006 Military Commissions Act

President Bush has signed into law one of the most controversial acts of his

time in the White House. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 strips detainees

of the right to file habeas corpus petitions to challenge their own detention or

treatment. It expands the definition an enemy combatant and gives the president

the power to detain them indefinitely – including US citizens. Secret and

coerced evidence could be used to try detainees held in U.S. military prisons.

The bill also immunizes U.S. officials from prosecution for torturing detainees

captured before the end of last year. On Tuesday, President Bush held a signing

ceremony at the White House.

 

President Bush: " This bill spells out specific, recognizable offences that would

be considered crimes in the handling of detainees so that our men and women who

question captured terrorists can perform their duties to the fullest extent of

the law. And this bill complies with both the spirit and the letter of our

international obligations. As I've said before, the United States does not

torture. It's against our laws and it's against our values. "

Several Arrested in White House Protest Against Detainee Law

Outside the White House, several demonstrators were arrested at a protest that

drew more than one hundred people. The activists wore orange jumpsuits and

brandished dog leashes to represent the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo.

 

Unidentified protester: " We reject that the act repudiates a half-century of

international precedent by allowing the President to decide secretly and

unilaterally what abusive interrogation methods he considers permissible. "

Within Hours of Signing, Admin Moves to Dismiss Detainee Challenges

The administration wasted no time in putting the law into action. The Los

Angeles Times reports that within two hours of the signing ceremony, the Justice

Department moved to dismiss dozens of lawsuits filed by detainees challenging

their imprisonment.

 

Rights Groups Vow Challenge to Detainee Law

Meanwhile, lawyers for detainees and rights groups say they’ll press ahead

with challenging the law in court.

 

 

As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances,

there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in

such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest

we become unwitting victims of the darkness.

William O. Douglas