NDAA Double Cross


When United States District Judge Katherine Forrest blocked the implementation of Section 1021 of the infamous National Defense Authorization Act in May of this year, I thought that legal civilians of all stripes were saved from being at risk of imprisonment without trial or due process. However, an appeals court stayed Judge Forrest’s injunction and the appellate court has allowed the indefinite detention provision to be reinstated during the appeal time frame.  Business Insider

Naomi Wolf of the Guardian explains why a group of journalists sued to block the implementation of Section 1021 in the first place. “As I reported here, last spring a group of journalists and activists including Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky and Tangerine Bolen, led by counsel Bruce Afran and others, sued President Obama to halt the implementation of Section 1021 in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would have allowed for the indefinite detention of Americans without charge or trial. The vague definition of who could be detained included individuals who were seen to provide “substantial support” to al-Qaida’s “associated forces” – wording that provided no protection for journalists interviewing, for example, detainees in Guantánamo, or activists and advocates working with prisoners on their cases.”  Readersupportednews 

The fact that the Obama Administration continues to argue in favor of the indefinite detention provision is sad enough, but now, while the appeal is in process, Senator Diane Feinstein has submitted a suspect amendment to the NDAA.  Her amendment would possibly allow the military to take American citizens and civilian non-citizens into detention and force them into military tribunals, instead of a trial in a United States District Court.  “To make matters worse, a recent development sees the threat of the NDAA on US citizens increasing. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein recently introduced an amendment to the 2013 NDAA, which, at first, seems to protect Americans’ due process – but, on closer examination, can be easily misinterpreted. Afran said that the Feinstein amendment “puts a gloss” on a very dangerous situation,

“First of all, the Feinstein amendment does not say that people in the US can’t be put into military custody. It simply says they can’t be taken into indefinite military custody without ‘trial’. If they are taken into military custody, they have to be given a trial of some sort – but not due process in a civil court. The [kind of] trial this refers to would be … military tribunals. So the Feinstein amendment does virtually nothing for American citizens or people in the United States in terms of protection.”

The original law at least left the issue of military detention somewhat ambiguous, but this amendment actually makes matters worse by explicitly allowing the military to take Americans into custody. The measure infringes on Americans’ constitutional rights, asserts Afran, who explained that, since 1861, the US supreme court has written in at least four decisions that “people living in the US – citizens or not – cannot be taken into military custody and denied a trial in civil courts.” Unforunately, should the NDAA go through, this becomes the law of the land: “Our system says a law is in force unless a court says otherwise. The president is considering vetoing the bill. We don’t know if it will be passed by the House, then signed by the president. If it is, we may have to go back to the trial court.”  Readersupportednews

I am truly left wondering if Sen. Feinstein actually understands her own amendment.  I, for one, am amazed and confused that a sitting United States Senator who claims to be a progressive, can put forth an amendment that allows for the possible military arrest and detention of United States citizens and legal civilians and their only recourse would be in a military tribunal system that has been likened to a kangaroo court as applied in the Guantanamo military tribunals.  The ACLU makes their criticism of Sen. Feinstein’s amendment very clear and unambiguous.


There are three problems with her amendment:


It is clear to this author that the hawks in Congress still control the discussion and even those who think they are helping the situation, might actually be making it worse for civilians and journalists. The few true progressives in Congress need to take control of the discussion and return us to the path that protects all civilians legally residing in the United States, whether they are citizens or not.  Journalists also need protection from this kind of repressive and foolhardy legislative attempt to “protect” us from enemies here in this country. Our Founders designed our Federal court system and it works pretty well.  Any attempts to divert civilians into a faulty military tribunal is dangerous and unconstitutional.

What do you think?  It is only your right to due process and to keep the military out of civilian matter that is at stake here!  If the appellate court decision is also appealed to the Supreme Court, how do you think the Roberts Court will handle this matter?

57 thoughts on “NDAA Double Cross”

  1. Gene, Interesting how Blackwater keeps changing its name. I wonder what mischief they are trying to escape from? Maybe it’s just their bad name but we keep finding out, but Academii is a new to me.

  2. Apropos of the general discussion, I accidentally clicked on The Onion a few minutes ago and read three stories before it dawned on me I was reading The Onion. The news has become so improbable that it is becoming harder to distinguish satire from the real thing. Thank you Joe Overton. We are living out the truth of your “window.”

  3. bettykath,

    Sure they do. Look at Academii, formerly Blackwater. The military contracts out all the time. Contracting out for military prisons is an easily justifiable financial decision. So does the CIA and the DHS. I did a blog column not too long ago about the DHS contracting out to General Dymanics to spy on American citizens.

  4. raff, does the military contract stuff out? I mean we used to have state run prisons, now many are privately run. We used to have military people carrying weapons and doing the killing, now we contract mercenaries and CIA operated drones. I’m sure there are other examples of former government operations being privatized. Ok, the CIA isn’t a private corporation but it isn’t the military either, at least not yet. I can’t imagine the corporations not taking advantage of such a potentially lucrative business. Taxpayers paying for indefinite detentions and slave labor. What an opportunity!

  5. dobbie606,

    Interesting video. For the record though, I thought back in the 80’s when the privatization trend started that it was a bad idea. We are seeing today the blooming fruition of just how bad an idea it was and is. If I’ve been surprised by anything in the way privatized prisons have unfolded, it is the rapidity and the blatant corporate use of what you fairly describe as slave labor. Anytime you attach a profit motive to oppression, you are begging for oppression to happen. It’s a field day for sociopaths.

  6. Brass,
    It was suggested above that the private run prisons would profit from the unlimited detention of civilians. However, the military would be responsible for the detentions.

  7. Raff, I don’t think the USSC will be the slightest help whatsoever! They ruled that Obamacare is constitutional. If they ruled that constitutional, they will rule ANYTHING constitutional. They are not on the side of the Constitution they are there to protect. They are a total sellout!

    And ya’ll are exactly right. No charge is necessary with the NDAA. No rights, no charge, no trial, no attorney, no phone call, and no one ever has to hear from you again, end of story.

    From where I sit, this bit of legislation is not just unconstitutional, it is totally treasonous!

  8. http://www.photographyisnotacrime.com/2012/12/06/homeland-security-and-fbi-release-document-once-again-labeling-photographers-as-potential-terrorists/

    Why does Napolitano continue with these terrible policies? sheesh. People are tired of their rights being breached and the out of control security state.

    If anyone had told me Janet would suck at HS, I would not have believed them, but here she is, sucking and harassing people for not good reasons.

    Feinstein is an old war monger from way back. Her husband is a MIC big wig of some sort. It is a massive conflict of interest. But at least she tried, wow, the right to not be indefinitely detained, we should be bowing and scraping in thanks,,,,,,,

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