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Generals Warn of New Action by Obama To Rip Up Constitution
14 December 2011
In a New York Times op-ed, published yesterday, two retired four-star Marine generals, Joseph P. Hoar and Charles C. Krulak, demand that President Obama veto the National Defense Authorization Act, because Section 1031 effectively rips up the U.S. Constitution by allowing indefinite detention of American citizens, on American soil, if they are suspected of terrorist ties. The Section would also mandate military custody for most terrorism suspects, and would extend the ban on transferring prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay facility. While the Generals correctly warn that the provisions would destroy Constitutional guarantees of due process and "undermine our ideals in the name of fighting terrorism," they are apparently unaware of a devastating revelation by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. In a recent debate on Section 1031, Levin reported that the original language of the section, drafted and voted out of committee, had exempted American citizens and lawful residents from the indefinite detention provisions, but the Obama Administration had insisted that the exemption be removed. In other words, the Obama Administration is fully behind the assault on the Constitution and the authorization of indefinite detention without due process for American citizens suspected of terrorist ties. If allowed to stand, this is the death of the U.S. Constitution. President Obama is not about to veto the bill. He is behind this unconstitutional move. The only remedy is impeachment, or removal under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. |