The Military Commissions Act of 2006 - Kucinich Says. . .

This is the first of what I expect will be many posts by me on S. 3930, the Military Commissions Act of 2006. That's the craven piece of legislation that allows the US to torture and secretly try so-called "enemy combatants" that was enacted by Congress on Sept. 29, 2006, and signed by the craven President. The House agreed to the bill by 250 ‑ 170. The roll call vote is recorded in Roll No. 508 if you want to see how your representative voted.

For this post, I just want to quote from Dennis Kucinich:

Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Oh), Congressional Rep. from Ohio's 10th District is one smart guy. I remember 1978 when, despite the screams of shock & alarm from Wall Street, Mayor Kucinich saved the the City of Cleveland by declaring the City bankrupt. I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him once in the summer of 1980. I remember he was a warm, instantly likeable guy, with a deep intellect, a strong sense of direction, and an honest concern for John Q. Everyperson.

I don't know whether he would be a good president, but I think the country (and the world) would be better off if more people in our governement thought as he did. Everyone should support his plan for a Department of Peace.

Anyway, Dennis had this to say about the Military Commissions Act during floor debate before its passage:

[The bill] cast[s] a wide net, in defining unlawful enemy combatants, that would include any American supporter of a national liberation movement which is seeking to overthrow a US Government-supported despot.

For instance, with such a loose definition, the thousands of Americans, many of whom are church clergy, who provided support to the armed and unarmed opposition to the deposed dictatorships of El Salvador and Nicaragua, could have been designated as unlawful enemy combatants.

This hypothetical could occur, since 1) it would only take a determination by the President or Secretary of Defense that the opposition to a US-favored dictator was engaged in hostilities against the US, and 2) the act of solidarity by the American clergymen supported the opposition group.

* * *

The [bill] could make similar solidarity actions in the future a crime. Those crimes should not be triable by military commissions. They would be new crimes and expose Americans to prosecution simply for supporting unfortunate people in other countries who are struggling for their freedom.

* * *

If those who think the so-called war on terror is about ideas such as good versus evil and democracy versus thuggery, then [this bill] sends the wrong message about the true values of Americans. Let's stand up for the principles that this country was founded upon. Let's stand up for the Constitution, for the land of the free, for the home of the brave.

Cong. Rec., H7941 (Sept. 29, 2006).

In other words, if you were to support the democratic resistance of Pakistanis to rule by the current US supported dictator, the President can throw you in jail, torture you, and hide you away so that noone ever knows.