Secretly Written Bill Would Let Americans Be Detained Indefinitely

To the editor:

Many pieces of legislation introduced in Congress seek to change our understanding of basic U.S. constitutional values, but most die in committee. This one hasn’t.  
 
Senate Bill 1867, co-authored by Democrat Carl Levin and Republican John McCain, was written in secret and approved by committee without a single hearing. The bill would authorize the indefinite detention of American citizens anywhere in the world, including within U.S. jurisdiction (i.e., in the community where you live). The bill is being included as part of the National Defense Reauthorization Act.
 
Senate Republicans support the bill and enough Democrats support it to give it a great chance of passing. This provision does have opponents.  President Obama has threatened to veto the bill and even Ron Paul is concerned enough to bring it up during one of the GOP debates.
 
An amendment called the Udall Amendment has been offered by Democratic Sen. Mark Udall that would delete the dangerous provision.
 
See this ACLU blog.
 
With Osama bin Laden dead, and American troops being withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan, members of the Senate are poised to give the military and presidency sweeping powers that would seek to weaken our constitutional rights of habeas corpus without any explanation whatsoever. 

This isn’t a “Democratic Party” or “Republican Party” matter.  It is a matter of dramatically changing what we have known to be bedrock American democratic values.
 
I invite you to contact your federal legislators and express your views about this legislation.  Contact your congressional members via these addresses.  You can paste the same message for each member into the form each member provides.
 
Richard Dittbenner
San Diego