America can now indefinitely hold US citizens without trial....scary!

[Gandalf]

Must we permit the US military to detain Americans without trial? | Seema Jilani | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

It seems that the National Defense Authorisation Act discussed in the article above has been passed. Congress has passed the bill and America is now a state that can lock up it's own citizens without trial and if recent precedent is anything to go by, can and will, use torture in order to punish them too.

It's scary to think that America and Iran share more in common than many would like to think. There is no longer any pretense at being just, this act shows America for being the fascistic, tyrannical state which it is.

With recent attempts to control the Internet, police brutality inflicted upon OWS protestors, the groping hands of the TSA, the Wall Street bailouts, the imperialist wars, the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay, bought elections and now this....can anyone really say that America is a free country?

Free to do what? Eat a lot? So my poser of the day. Has America become the totalitarian police state that I have long been suggesting?

[Gandalf]

Stop the press....

Obama himself is clearly a tyrannical fascist as he wanted to incarcerate US citizens, but that bit was finally dropped after a bit of a tussle. Apparently they are not going to incarcerate US citizens.

Obama signs defense bill despite 'reservations' - Yahoo! News

That news has kind of spoiled my thread really and the title is quite wrong, though obviously that was their original intention. At the least, it shows that the powers that be are fascistic and will stop at nothing to get what they want. However, there are seemingly a few checks still in place. Still, it is all extremely scary.

[Gandalf]

What a crap thread. I am happy that US citizens are not going to be detained, but it has totally wasted a thread. Fuck you Obama.

[Kev]

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha






Fucking brilliant!

[:::PSL:::]

The only thing l dislike about America is eminent domain.

[Gandalf]

Feel free to mock me, I suppose it is called for. Can we not delete this thread before Lyle gets here?

[El Kabong]

Yawn.....yes its a bad piece of legislation, yes Obama is a horrible President, but America has had legislation like this before 2 examples are under the GREAT FDR #1 Unlawful Internment of Japanese-Americans #2 Massive media censoring, you WOULD be arrested (I'll have to look up the name of the law) if you did ANYTHING that could be considered subversive to the war effort, for instance giving up to date weather reports especially for big cities.

I agree with miles that its a bad bit of legislation, I don't think its the end of the world or even the end of free America, its not even close.....though I suppose miles knows better than I do as he's an expert on all things American

[Kev]

My poor mum has caught my chest infection. And I still feel fucking ill.

[Gandalf]

My poor mum has caught my chest infection. And I still feel fucking ill.

For real? That really sucks, your poor mother.

You are clearly still very ill as your thread is out the door and to the left. Mind you, this thread was a bit of an abortion. The legislation is clearly awful, but less awful than what the original article was suggesting might be.

I thought it was the second coming of Hitler and it is only 2/3rds there.

[Gandalf]

Thank you for the flattering final sentence, Lyle. All very true.

I'm glad to see you agreeing with me. I think any sensible American would look at the legislation and be appalled and less we forget America is not at war with a particular nation, but some vaguely defined global threat of 'terror'. It is so vague that it is meaningless and with an America so stretched out across the globe and seemingly thinking it can run things as it wishes, any opposition could be viewed as so called 'terror'. It is legislation that is ripe for horrendous abuse and recent history suggests that such abuse is likely.

It is all wrong and would really like to see American's challenge the state. It is definitely clamping down on anything 'free' or 'just' and this is just the latest in a series of tyrannical acts. Obviously protestors are not being shot dead or anything like that, but the methods and means are so much more sly and subversive.

[El Kabong]

Thank you for the flattering final sentence, Lyle. All very true.

I'm glad to see you agreeing with me. I think any sensible American would look at the legislation and be appalled and less we forget America is not at war with a particular nation, but some vaguely defined global threat of 'terror'. It is so vague that it is meaningless and with an America so stretched out across the globe and seemingly thinking it can run things as it wishes, any opposition could be viewed as so called 'terror'. It is legislation that is ripe for horrendous abuse and recent history suggests that such abuse is likely.

It is all wrong and would really like to see American's challenge the state. It is definitely clamping down on anything 'free' or 'just' and this is just the latest in a series of tyrannical acts. Obviously protestors are not being shot dead or anything like that, but the methods and means are so much more sly and subversive.

.....and?

[Gandalf]

Thank you for the flattering final sentence, Lyle. All very true.

I'm glad to see you agreeing with me. I think any sensible American would look at the legislation and be appalled and less we forget America is not at war with a particular nation, but some vaguely defined global threat of 'terror'. It is so vague that it is meaningless and with an America so stretched out across the globe and seemingly thinking it can run things as it wishes, any opposition could be viewed as so called 'terror'. It is legislation that is ripe for horrendous abuse and recent history suggests that such abuse is likely.

It is all wrong and would really like to see American's challenge the state. It is definitely clamping down on anything 'free' or 'just' and this is just the latest in a series of tyrannical acts. Obviously protestors are not being shot dead or anything like that, but the methods and means are so much more sly and subversive.

.....and?

And what? Are you really so stuck in the sand?

It's up to you American's what you do about it and thankfully there are some willing to stand up for their country. Obviously not you, but many others.

[Gandalf]

Chomsky on the money as usual: