Hi all
Are you an enemy combatant?
On April 20 and 28 the Supreme Court will hold hearings to determine if
the prez can decide your fate at his whim.
http://www.nlg.org/eccases/
Can the Rights of People Simply Disappear by Presidential Order?
>What does it mean when the President of the United States can on his own
> >designate a citizen in the U.S. as an "?enemy combatant," and order the
> >military to hold that person incommunicado, indefinitely, and without
> >charges? The U.S. Supreme Court is now deciding whether the courts even
> >have the right to question the President's action.
> >
> >What does it mean when the U.S. military internationally can literally
> >snatch people off the street, designate them as "enemy combatants," and
> >assert that they are beyond the reach of either U.S. or international
> >law? Many are transported to a facility under total U.S. control and
> >funded by Congressional appropriations, where they are held
> >incommunicado, indefinitely, without charges and some are threatened with
> >trials before a military commission that falls short of basic standards
> >of justice.
> >If the Supreme Court upholds these actions, it will condone the
> >President's claim of virtually unlimited "wartime powers" without a
> >formal declaration of war by the Congress, and with no or extremely
> >limited oversight by the courts or the Congress.
> >
> >On April 20 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the
> >President's alleged right to create a "law free zone" at the Guantanamo
> >detention center in Cuba. And on April 28, the Court will hear oral
> >arguments on the President's asserted right to designate citizens as
> >"enemy combatants," hold them at the U.S. Navy base in Charleston, SC,
> >and deny them the ability to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.
> >
> >We believe that the President cannot be allowed to create a "legal Black
> >Hole" into which people are dropped with no recourse to the courts or to
> >international law. Among us we hold many varied views on how and why this
> >situation has arisen and what is ultimately needed to ensure justice. But
> >we all agree that this dangerous new presidentially-designated category
> >of "enemy combatants" who have no legal rights is unjust, illegal, and
> >immoral, and cannot be allowed to stand.
> >
> >The silence over this perilous issue must be broken, and public
> >opposition must be manifested. Join us in front of the U.S. Supreme Court
> >on April 20 and April 28 to declare a resounding NO! Legally permitted,
> >non-violent demonstrations will occur on both days from 9:30 am to 12:30
> >pm with a program of speakers beginning at 11:am.
> >
> >Our future and the future of hundreds of anonymous detainees now hang in
> >the balance. This is a watershed event in history. What is at stake is
> >just how much the President will be allowed to get away with. Your
> >silence will be taken as assent.
> >