NDAA's imprisonment without trial provisions are trying for a second chance
at life. Remind me to put
V For Vendetta
back on the Netflix queue...
As reported yesterday,
If you're new to this whole thing - that's okay, the major U.S. television
networks appear to be running an actual blackout on this court case today
(I've been begging them for 8 months now to cover NDAA in-depth) - the key
point is this: alleged terrorists.
Boom... Rest of your life in a sketchy off-grid prison like the one Bane puts Bruce Wayne in, without charge or trial.
No access to the lawyer phone call
you see on CSI: Miami. You don't even have time to post a status update on Facebook to let your friends know not to expect you anytime soon at the next
LAN party, because you've been black-bagged.
Unlike some of my libertarian
friends, I see the very real need for continuing to fund our spy programs - we can keep tabs on our enemies overseas without violating American
citizens' rights here at home. When it comes to fighting violent extremists
fueled by an ideology of hatred, there is zero margin of error: they cannot
be allowed to succeed even once.
Once you allow for imprisonment without trial on suspicion alone - a practice we see in some of the most oppressive regimes on Earth - you create a VERY slippery slope where anyone who disagrees with the government, anyone who attends a peaceful afternoon protest or politically-minded cookout, and anyone who sleeps with a TSA agent's ex-girlfriend might be at risk of unimaginable injustice. It also creates a chilling effect within the media.
Our journalists are lazy enough without letting them know that covering
controversial issues could result in their black-bagging and imprisonment.
They'll stop doing journalism altogether.
|