I weep today on this very sad day. The backbone of why our country came into being was to give people rights, even criminals, so that they are treated fairly and without prejudice. Now the Republican majority in the US Senate has decided to back Bush's terror trial bill. All in the name of "protecting" Americans. Phooey! i want terrorists brought to justice but they must have a fair trial like any other criminal. They must have access to information about their case in order to understand and make informed decisions. i am so sick of the republicans and the democrats aren't any better. i am so discouraged with the state of politics in our nation. i am disgusted and disgruntled.
' However, during a heated debate, Democratic senators accused the administration of tearing up 200 years of legal standards by removing detainees rights such as habeus corpus - the right to challenge their own detention. "This longstanding tradition of our country about to be abandoned here is one of the great, great mistakes that I think history will record," Democrat Chris Dodd told the Senate.
Others backed claims by human rights groups that fear that the complex set of rules will allow harsh techniques that border on torture - such as sleep deprivation.
"This bill gives an administration that lobbied for torture exactly what it wanted," said Senator John Kerry.'
So, what about those being detained that are NOT terrorists? They will not be allowed to challenge their detention. TOO MUCH power is being given to our government in the name of "freedom" and "safety"! Fear is being used to manipulate our nation and I am sick of it.
