Speak Out Network
The House Vote On Indefinite Detention
Here's how they voted:
Alabama
Aye AL-1 Bonner, Jo [R]
Aye AL-2 Roby, Martha [R]
Aye AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R]
Aye AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
Aye AL-5 Brooks, Mo [R]
Aye AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
Aye AL-7 Sewell, Terri [D](Black Caucus)
Alaska
Aye AK-0 Young, Donald [R]
Arizona
No AZ-1 Gosar, Paul [R]
Aye AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
Aye AZ-3 Quayle, Ben [R]
Aye AZ-4 Pastor, Edward [D]
No AZ-5 Schweikert, David [R]
No AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
No AZ-7 Grijalva, Raul [D]
Not Voting AZ-8 Giffords, Gabrielle [D]
Arkansas
Aye AR-1 Crawford, Rick [R]
Aye AR-2 Griffin, Tim [R]
Aye AR-3 Womack, Steve [R]
Aye AR-4 Ross, Mike [D]
California
No CA-1 Thompson, C. [D]
Aye CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
Aye CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
No CA-4 McClintock, Tom [R]
No CA-5 Matsui, Doris [D]
No CA-6 Woolsey, Lynn [D]
No CA-7 Miller, George [D]
Aye CA-8 Pelosi, Nancy [D]
No CA-9 Lee, Barbara [D](Black Caucus)
Aye CA-10 Garamendi, John [D]
Aye CA-11 McNerney, Jerry [D]
No CA-12 Speier, Jackie [D]
No CA-13 Stark, Fortney [D]
No CA-14 Eshoo, Anna [D]
No CA-15 Honda, Michael [D]
No CA-16 Lofgren, Zoe [D]
No CA-17 Farr, Sam [D]
Aye CA-18 Cardoza, Dennis [D]
Aye CA-19 Denham, Jeff [R]
Aye CA-20 Costa, Jim [D]
Aye CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
Aye CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
Aye CA-23 Capps, Lois [D]
Aye CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
Aye CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
Aye CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
Aye CA-27 Sherman, Brad [D]
Aye CA-28 Berman, Howard [D]
Aye CA-29 Schiff, Adam [D]
Aye CA-30 Waxman, Henry [D]
No CA-31 Becerra, Xavier [D]
No CA-32 Chu, Judy [D]
No CA-33 Bass, Karen (Black Caucus)
No CA-34 Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D]
No CA-35 Waters, Maxine [D] (Black Caucus)
No CA-36 Hahn, Janice [D]
Aye CA-37 Richardson, Laura [D](Black Caucus)
No CA-38 Napolitano, Grace [D]
Aye CA-39 Sanchez, Linda [D]
No CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
Aye CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
Aye CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
Aye CA-43 Baca, Joe [D]
Aye CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
Aye CA-45 Bono Mack, Mary [R]
No CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
Not Voting CA-47 Sanchez, Loretta [D]
No CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
Aye CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
Aye CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
Not Voting CA-51 Filner, Bob [D]
Aye CA-52 Hunter, Duncan [R]
Aye CA-53 Davis, Susan [D]
Colorado
No CO-1 DeGette, Diana [D]
No CO-2 Polis, Jared [D]
No CO-3 Tipton, Scott [R]
Aye CO-4 Gardner, Cory [R]
Aye CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
No CO-6 Coffman, Mike [R]
Aye CO-7 Perlmutter, Ed [D]
Connecticut
Aye CT-1 Larson, John [D]
Aye CT-2 Courtney, Joe [D]
No CT-3 DeLauro, Rosa [D]
Aye CT-4 Himes, James [D]
No CT-5 Murphy, Christopher [D]
Delaware
Aye DE-0 Carney, John [D]
Florida
Aye FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
Aye FL-2 Southerland, Steve [R]
Aye FL-3 Brown, Corrine [D] (Black Caucus)
Aye FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander [R]
Aye FL-5 Nugent, Richard [R]
Aye FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
Aye FL-7 Mica, John [R]
Aye FL-8 Webster, Daniel [R]
Aye FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
Not Voting FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
Aye FL-11 Castor, Kathy [D]
Aye FL-12 Ross, Dennis [R]
Aye FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
No FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
No FL-15 Posey, Bill [R]
Aye FL-16 Rooney, Thomas [R]
Aye FL-17 Wilson, Frederica [D](Black Caucus)
Aye FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
Aye FL-19 Deutch, Ted [D]
Aye FL-20 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D]
Not Voting FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
Aye FL-22 West, Allen [R](Black Caucus)
No FL-23 Hastings, Alcee [D] (Black Caucus)
Aye FL-24 Adams, Sandy [R]
Aye FL-25 Rivera, David [R]
Georgia
Aye GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
Aye GA-2 Bishop, Sanford [D] (Black Caucus)
Aye GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
No GA-4 Johnson, Henry [D](Black Caucus)
No GA-5 Lewis, John [D](Black Caucus)
Aye GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
No GA-7 Woodall, Rob [R]
Aye GA-8 Scott, Austin [R]
No GA-9 Graves, Tom [R]
Aye GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
Aye GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
Aye GA-12 Barrow, John [D]
Aye GA-13 Scott, David [D](Black Caucus)
Hawaii
Aye HI-1 Hanabusa, Colleen [D]
Aye HI-2 Hirono, Mazie [D]
Idaho
No ID-1 Labrador, Raúl [R]
No ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
Illinois
No IL-1 Rush, Bobby [D] (Black Caucus)
No IL-2 Jackson, Jesse [D](Black Caucus)
Aye IL-3 Lipinski, Daniel [D]
Not Voting IL-4 Gutierrez, Luis [D]
No IL-5 Quigley, Mike [D]
Aye IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
No IL-7 Davis, Danny [D](Black Caucus)
No IL-8 Walsh, Joe [R]
No IL-9 Schakowsky, Janice [D]
Aye IL-10 Dold, Bob [R]
Aye IL-11 Kinzinger, Adam [R]
No IL-12 Costello, Jerry [D]
Aye IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
Aye IL-14 Hultgren, Randy [R]
No IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
Aye IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
Aye IL-17 Schilling, Robert [R]
Aye IL-18 Schock, Aaron [R]
Aye IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
Indiana
Aye IN-1 Visclosky, Peter [D]
Aye IN-2 Donnelly, Joe [D]
No IN-3 Stutzman, Marlin [R]
No IN-4 Rokita, Todd [R]
No IN-5 Burton, Dan [R]
No IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
No IN-7 Carson, André [D] (Black Caucus)
No IN-8 Bucshon, Larry [R]
Aye IN-9 Young, Todd [R]
Iowa
No IA-1 Braley, Bruce [D]
Aye IA-2 Loebsack, David [D]
Aye IA-3 Boswell, Leonard [D]
Aye IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
Aye IA-5 King, Steve [R]
Kansas
No KS-1 Huelskamp, Tim [R]
Aye KS-2 Jenkins, Lynn [R]
Aye KS-3 Yoder, Kevin [R]
Aye KS-4 Pompeo, Mike [R]
Kentucky
Aye KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
Aye KY-2 Guthrie, Brett [R]
No KY-3 Yarmuth, John [D]
Aye KY-4 Davis, Geoff [R]
Aye KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
Aye KY-6 Chandler, Ben [D]
Louisiana
Aye LA-1 Scalise, Steve [R]
No LA-2 Richmond, Cedric [D](Black Caucus)
Aye LA-3 Landry, Jeff [R]
Aye LA-4 Fleming, John [R]
Aye LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
Aye LA-6 Cassidy, Bill [R]
Aye LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
Maine
No ME-1 Pingree, Chellie [D]
No ME-2 Michaud, Michael [D]
Maryland
No MD-1 Harris, Andy [R]
Aye MD-2 Ruppersberger, C.A. [D]
No MD-3 Sarbanes, John [D]
No MD-4 Edwards, Donna [D](Black Caucus)
Aye MD-5 Hoyer, Steny [D]
Aye MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
No MD-7 Cummings, Elijah [D](Black Caucus)
No MD-8 Van Hollen, Christopher [D]
Massachusetts
No MA-1 Olver, John [D]
No MA-2 Neal, Richard [D]
No MA-3 McGovern, James [D]
No MA-4 Frank, Barney [D]
Aye MA-5 Tsongas, Niki [D]
No MA-6 Tierney, John [D]
No MA-7 Markey, Edward [D]
No MA-8 Capuano, Michael [D]
Not Voting MA-9 Lynch, Stephen [D]
Aye MA-10 Keating, William [D]
Michigan
Aye MI-1 Benishek, Dan [R]
No MI-2 Huizenga, Bill [R]
No MI-3 Amash, Justin [R]
Aye MI-4 Camp, David [R]
Aye MI-5 Kildee, Dale [D]
Aye MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
No MI-7 Walberg, Timothy [R]
Aye MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
No MI-9 Peters, Gary [D]
Aye MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
Aye MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
Aye MI-12 Levin, Sander [D]
No MI-13 Clarke, Hansen [D] (Black Caucus)
No MI-14 Conyers, John [D](Black Caucus)
Aye MI-15 Dingell, John [D]
Minnesota
Aye MN-1 Walz, Timothy [D]
Aye MN-2 Kline, John [R]
Aye MN-3 Paulsen, Erik [R]
No MN-4 McCollum, Betty [D]
No MN-5 Ellison, Keith [D](Black Caucus)
Not Voting MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
Aye MN-7 Peterson, Collin [D]
Aye MN-8 Cravaack, Chip [R]
Mississippi
Aye MS-1 Nunnelee, Alan [R]
No MS-2 Thompson, Bennie [D](Black Caucus)
Aye MS-3 Harper, Gregg [R]
Aye MS-4 Palazzo, Steven [R]
Missouri
No MO-1 Clay, William [D](Black Caucus)
Aye MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
Aye MO-3 Carnahan, Russ [D]
Aye MO-4 Hartzler, Vicky [R]
No MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel [D](Black Caucus)
Aye MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
Aye MO-7 Long, Billy [R]
Aye MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
Aye MO-9 Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R]
Montana
Aye MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
Nebraska
Aye NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
Aye NE-2 Terry, Lee [R]
Aye NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
Nevada
Aye NV-1 Berkley, Shelley [D]
Aye NV-2 Amodei, Mark [R]
Aye NV-3 Heck, Joe [R]
New Hampshire
Aye NH-1 Guinta, Frank [R]
Aye NH-2 Bass, Charles [R]
New Jersey
Aye NJ-1 Andrews, Robert [D]
Aye NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
Aye NJ-3 Runyan, Jon [R]
Aye NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
No NJ-5 Garrett, Scott [R]
No NJ-6 Pallone, Frank [D]
Aye NJ-7 Lance, Leonard [R]
Aye NJ-8 Pascrell, William [D]
Aye NJ-9 Rothman, Steven [D]
No NJ-10 Payne, Donald [D](Black Caucus)
Aye NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
No NJ-12 Holt, Rush [D]
Aye NJ-13 Sires, Albio [D]
New Mexico
No NM-1 Heinrich, Martin [D]
Aye NM-2 Pearce, Steven [R]
No NM-3 Lujan, Ben [D]
New York
Aye NY-1 Bishop, Timothy [D]
Aye NY-2 Israel, Steve [D]
Aye NY-3 King, Peter [R]
Aye NY-4 McCarthy, Carolyn [D]
Aye NY-5 Ackerman, Gary [D]
No NY-6 Meeks, Gregory [D](Black Caucus)
Aye NY-7 Crowley, Joseph [D]
No NY-8 Nadler, Jerrold [D]
Aye NY-9 Turner, Robert [R]
No NY-10 Towns, Edolphus [D](Black Caucus)
No NY-11 Clarke, Yvette [D] (Black Caucus)
No NY-12 Velazquez, Nydia [D]
Aye NY-13 Grimm, Michael [R]
No NY-14 Maloney, Carolyn [D]
No NY-15 Rangel, Charles [D] (Black Caucus)
No NY-16 Serrano, José [D]
Aye NY-17 Engel, Eliot [D]
Aye NY-18 Lowey, Nita [D]
Aye NY-19 Hayworth, Nan [R]
Aye NY-20 Gibson, Chris [R]
No NY-21 Tonko, Paul [D]
No NY-22 Hinchey, Maurice [D]
Aye NY-23 Owens, William [D]
Aye NY-24 Hanna, Richard [R]
Aye NY-25 Buerkle, Ann Marie [R]
Aye NY-26 Hochul, Kathleen [D]
Aye NY-27 Higgins, Brian [D]
No NY-28 Slaughter, Louise [D]
Aye NY-29 Reed, Tom [R]
North Carolina
Aye NC-1 Butterfield, George [D] (Black Caucus)
Aye NC-2 Ellmers, Renee [R]
No NC-3 Jones, Walter [R]
No NC-4 Price, David [D]
Aye NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
Not Voting NC-6 Coble, Howard [R]
Aye NC-7 McIntyre, Mike [D]
Aye NC-8 Kissell, Larry [D]
Not Voting NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
Aye NC-10 McHenry, Patrick [R]
Aye NC-11 Shuler, Heath [D]
No NC-12 Watt, Melvin [D] (Black Caucus)
No NC-13 Miller, R. [D]
North Dakota
Aye ND-0 Berg, Rick [R]
Ohio
Aye OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
Aye OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
Aye OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
Aye OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
Aye OH-5 Latta, Robert [R]
Aye OH-6 Johnson, Bill [R]
Aye OH-7 Austria, Steve [R]
No OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy [D]
No OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]
No OH-11 Fudge, Marcia [D](Black Caucus)
Aye OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
Aye OH-13 Sutton, Betty [D]
Not Voting OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
Aye OH-15 Stivers, Steve [R]
Aye OH-16 Renacci, Jim [R]
No OH-17 Ryan, Timothy [D]
Aye OH-18 Gibbs, Bob [R]
Oklahoma
Aye OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
Aye OK-2 Boren, Dan [D]
Aye OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
Aye OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
Aye OK-5 Lankford, James [R]
Oregon
Aye OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
No OR-3 Blumenauer, Earl [D]
No OR-4 DeFazio, Peter [D]
Aye OR-5 Schrader, Kurt [D]
Pennsylvania
Aye PA-1 Brady, Robert [D]
No PA-2 Fattah, Chaka [D](Black Caucus)
Aye PA-3 Kelly, Mike [R]
Aye PA-4 Altmire, Jason [D]
Aye PA-5 Thompson, Glenn [R]
Aye PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
Aye PA-7 Meehan, Patrick [R]
Aye PA-8 Fitzpatrick, Michael [R]
Aye PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
Aye PA-10 Marino, Thomas [R]
Aye PA-11 Barletta, Lou [R]
Aye PA-12 Critz, Mark [D]
Aye PA-13 Schwartz, Allyson [D]
No PA-14 Doyle, Michael [D]
Aye PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
Not Voting PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
Aye PA-17 Holden, Tim [D]
Aye PA-18 Murphy, Tim [R]
Aye PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
Rhode Island
Aye RI-1 Cicilline, David [D]
Aye RI-2 Langevin, James [D]
South Carolina
Aye SC-1 Scott, Tim [R]
Aye SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
No SC-3 Duncan, Jeff [R]
No SC-4 Gowdy, Trey [R]
No SC-5 Mulvaney, Mick [R]
No SC-6 Clyburn, James [D](Black Caucus)
South Dakota
Aye SD-0 Noem, Kristi [R]
Tennessee
No TN-1 Roe, Phil [R]
No TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
Aye TN-3 Fleischmann, Chuck [R]
No TN-4 DesJarlais, Scott [R]
Aye TN-5 Cooper, Jim [D]
Aye TN-6 Black, Diane [R]
Aye TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
Aye TN-8 Fincher, Stephen [R]
No TN-9 Cohen, Steve [D]
Texas
Aye TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
Aye TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
Aye TX-3 Johnson, Samuel [R]
Aye TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
Aye TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
Aye TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
Aye TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
Aye TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
Aye TX-9 Green, Al [D](Black Caucus)
Aye TX-10 McCaul, Michael [R]
Aye TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
Aye TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
Aye TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
Not Voting TX-14 Paul, Ronald [R]
No TX-15 Hinojosa, Rubén [D]
Aye TX-16 Reyes, Silvestre [D]
Aye TX-17 Flores, Bill [R]
Aye TX-18 Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D](Black Caucus)
Aye TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
Aye TX-20 Gonzalez, Charles [D]
Aye TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
Aye TX-22 Olson, Pete [R]
Aye TX-23 Canseco, Francisco [R]
Aye TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
Aye TX-25 Doggett, Lloyd [D]
No TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
Aye TX-27 Farenthold, Blake [R]
Aye TX-28 Cuellar, Henry [D]
Aye TX-29 Green, Raymond [D]
Not Voting TX-30 Johnson, Eddie [D](Black Caucus)
Aye TX-31 Carter, John [R]
Aye TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
Utah
Aye UT-1 Bishop, Rob [R]
Aye UT-2 Matheson, Jim [D]
No UT-3 Chaffetz, Jason [R]
Vermont
No VT-0 Welch, Peter [D]
Virginia
Aye VA-1 Wittman, Rob [R]
Aye VA-2 Rigell, E. [R]
No VA-3 Scott, Robert [D](Black Caucus)
No VA-4 Forbes, J. [R]
No VA-5 Hurt, Robert [R]
No VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
Aye VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
No VA-8 Moran, James [D]
No VA-9 Griffith, H. [R]
Aye VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
Aye VA-11 Connolly, Gerald [D]
Washington
Aye WA-1 Inslee, Jay [D]
Aye WA-2 Larsen, Rick [D]
Aye WA-3 Herrera Beutler, Jaime [R]
Aye WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
Aye WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
Aye WA-6 Dicks, Norman [D]
No WA-7 McDermott, James [D]
Aye WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
Aye WA-9 Smith, Adam [D]
West Virginia
Aye WV-1 McKinley, David [R]
Aye WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
Aye WV-3 Rahall, Nick [D]
Wisconsin
Aye WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
No WI-2 Baldwin, Tammy [D]
Aye WI-3 Kind, Ronald [D]
No WI-4 Moore, Gwen [D](Black Caucus)
Aye WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
Aye WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
Aye WI-7 Duffy, Sean [R]
No WI-8 Ribble, Reid [R]
Wyoming
No WY-0 Lummis, Cynthia [R]
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Miles Scott Vonlogan on -
I have already told the craven democrats leadership and organizations who been trying to solicit campaign donations from me that i will not vote for anyone who voted for this piece of garbage which trashes the bill of rights to the US Constitution. This Bill finally codify what the Bush and The Obama Administration have been doing in to law. I do not fear the mixed compilations of thematic terror of The Aussome Possums on The Right.I did not practice or teach constitutional law.I did not stay at a Holiday Inn. But I do recognize hollow out dreams and the fear of warm over nightmares of pretended patriotism. Samuel Johnson famously wrote in 1775 that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” This Democrat in The White House and with his posse of handlers,enablers and clowns have fail to realize that we can see him.
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Permalink Reply by Bennetta on -
Placing the power of the U.S. Military AND U.S. Govmt Intelligence Agencies against the freedoms of its own citizens is UNPATRIOTIC, SHAMEFUL AND VERY DANGEROUS and frankly should be construed as nothing more than DOMESTIC TERRORISM. It appears to me that our U.S. Govmt has become exactly what it previously claimed to be fighting so profusely against. National Defense Authorization Act aka POLICE STATE ACT is waaaaay worse than Patriot Act and anyone voting for it or refusing to VETO it, should be assumed to have NO MORAL DECENCY.
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Permalink Reply by Bennetta on
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Congress Decides Constitution is a Threat to National Security By KrisAnne Hall http://www.KrisAnneHall.com
December 1, 2011
The principles of habeas corpus and due process extend as far back as 12th century England. These principles were among the most fearfully guarded liberties among America’s founders. If truth be told it was abuses of due process and an unresponsive government (not simply burdensome taxes) that were the primary causes of the American Revolution. Notice the words of these distinguished Americans:
Ø “Trial by jury in civil causes…trial by jury in criminal causes, [and] the benefits of the writ of habeas corpus…all stand on the same footing; they are the common rights of Americans.” ~Richard Henry Lee
Ø “For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences” ~Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson
Ø “The founders of our nation considered the right of trial by jury…an important bulwark against tyranny and corruption, a ‘safeguard too precious to be left to the whim of the sovereign.” ~Chief Justice William Rehnquist, 1979
Yet, here we are today in the midst of a startling attack on some of our most fundamental liberties. As I write this, our Senate debates a bill that will undermine the very due process rights that thousands of brave souls have bled and died for.
Senate Bill 1867, also known as the National Defense Authorization Act, is the means by which Congress funds the military and is therefore a “must pass bill.” No politician wants to be the one who voted to defund the military, especially if you are a so-called conservative. Those who would be disposed to usurp the Liberties of this land take these must pass bills and convert them into Trojan horses. This particular Trojan horse puts the due process rights of American citizens in serious jeopardy through sections 1031 and 1032.
Sections 1031 and 1032 of this bill are completely unrelated to the funding of the military. These sections, we are told, will ‘save us from terrorists’. The plan is to remove the Constitutional right of habeas corpus and persons deemed to be terrorists will be detained indefinitely, out of the country. The built-in premise is that the right of habeas corpus is somehow a threat to national security.
Who wouldn’t want to stop terrorists? Don’t we all want to be safe? Aren’t terrorist the very demons we should be fighting today? If you don’t support this bill you are a terrorist sympathizer.
Am I a terrorist sympathizer simply because I believe that you shouldn’t have to circumvent the Constitution to do your job? Particularly considering the very job description these Congressmen swore to do was to “support and defend the Constitution.” It is mindboggling that those with the power and responsibility to PROTECT LIBERTY are the very ones who will justify its destruction. Here are the arguments put forth in favor of these dangerous provisions:
1. These Sections Specifically Limit Actions Of The Government To Al-Qaeda And Taliban Terrorists Involved In 9/11
False. This refers to sec. 1031(b) Covered Persons: (1) A person who planned, authorized, committed , or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks. (2) A person who was part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition forces…
I suppose all would be well, if this were the end of this section. However, the devil is always in the details. Attorneys are trained to look for loopholes, and those who wrote this bill were attorneys, so they are either ignorant or inserting holes to provide doors for future activity. Door No. 1:
…including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.
Belligerent act? There you have it, the open door to include just about anyone. Now don’t think these words are not well planned and don’t for one minute assume you know their definitions. Remember John McCain and Joe Leiberman’s "Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010"? This act failed, but that has not stopped John McCain. This Enemy Belligerent Act defines a Belligerent as: an individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent…an individual who: 1) has engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or 2) has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners." Hostilities? And the door swings wide open.
Next argument:
2. Section 1032 Does Not Cover US Citzens.
False. Section 1032(2) states that the requirement to detain an individual applies to someone who has been determined to be “a member of, al-Qaeda or an associated force that acts in coordination with or pursuant to the direction of al-Qaeda: and to have participated in the course of planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.”
Sounds pretty limiting right? Well, here’s Door No. 2, section (4) “The Secretary of Defense (Leon Panetta) may, in consultation with the Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) and the Director of National Intelligence (James R. Clapper), waive the requirements of paragraph (1) if the Secretary submits to Congress a certification in writing that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States.”
There you have it. All limitations fly out the window if the government determines a “national security interest”. But those that planted these loopholes are not finished.
The next argument alleges:
3. Section 1032(b)(1) Specifically Excludes US Citizens
False. Section 1032(b)(1) states “The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.” Is this the part that is supposed to stop the government from detaining US Citizens? Any decent attorney would tell you that the “prohibitive language” in this statement is a bit ambiguous. What this section says is the REQUIREMENT to detain doesn’t extend to US Citizens. That means they don’t have to detain them, but what if they want to! Open Door No. 3, let all who enter beware!
All this sounds a bit alarmist right? Why do I think the language is cleverly crafted to be more than it appears? Because those who support this bill do not WANT to protect the liberty of US Citizens. They will, when cornered with the truth, tell you that any US Citizens who is involved with terrorists “DOES NOT deserve Constitutional rights.” The idea that US Citizens do not deserve their Constitutional rights is a very frightening statement. But put that in conjunction with the understanding that it is the government, specifically this current administration, that gets to CHOOSE which citizens do not deserve their Constitutional rights.
Still sounds alarmist right? After all we are talking about terrorists. So you don’t like terrorist? I don’t either. But I do love Liberty and I do fear the power of unlimited government. And what happens when the government determines you to fit the definition of a terrorist? Janet Napolatano says that soldiers returning from Iraq and those who oppose abortion fit the bill. Which US Citizens DO YOU think should not have protections under the Constitution? Which one of our rights is a threat to national security and need to be curtailed or eliminated? Remember William Pitt’s words, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.”
Terrorism is real and we must combat it. But you cannot have peace without Liberty! According to Benjamin Franklin, “Anyone who would trade Liberty for temporary security deserves neither Liberty nor security”. He specifically said, “temporary security” because he knew that being “safe” is a fleeting feeling. You may think trading just a small piece of Liberty today is worth feeling safe. However, tomorrow safety will fly away when a bigger boogey man turns the corner. Then will you be willing to trade a little more? Remember, the funny thing about temporarily giving anything to the government is that you don’t get it back and they always want more. Two words: Income Tax.
John Adams stated in his inaugural address in 1797, if “our Government can be influenced by foreign nations by flattery or menaces, by fraud or violence, by terror or intrigue the Government may not be the choice of the American People, but of foreign nations. It may be foreign nations that govern us and not we the people who govern ourselves.” He was telling us that when the government operates under the motivating factor of fear, those that scare us rule us. He continued with his warning by saying, “If we are to have a free republican government we must have an attachment to the Constitution and a conscientious determination to support it.” Our only hope of Liberty, our only hope of peace, is through the Constitution, not by circumventing it.
Congress took an oath to PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES; they did not take an oath to defeat terrorism. They must stick with their oath; because, the principles in the Constitution do not change; the definition of terrorist apparently changes based on political ideology.
Ronald Reagan called America the last bastion of hope. He was remembering a statement by Daniel Webster, “Hold onto the Constitution and to the republic for which she stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6000 years may never happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.” Our Congress has an obligation to us, an obligation to our children, and an obligation to the world.
We must stand for Liberty today or our children will bow tomorrow. I stand with Patrick Henry when he said, “Gentlemen may cry, "Peace! Peace!" -- but there is no peace. What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
© 2013 Created by Smiley and West.
