| Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced plans to challenge Monday's federal court ruling protecting American liberty from the NDAA. In response, Dr. Jill Stein issued the following statement today: It is important for everyone concerned with the preservation of liberty in America to stand up now against the Obama administration's attempt to defend the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Thanks to a lawsuit brought by journalist Chris Hedges and others, a federal judge ruled that indefinite detention is unconstitutional. The judge said that it could allow a president to indefinitely imprison journalists - or anyone else they considered to be in some way assisting the enemy in the War on Terror - without charging them with a specific crime or giving them a chance to defend themselves in court. The judge noted that this would have a chilling effect upon journalists reporting stories that displeased the government. The judge told the Obama administration that they could not use the law. The response of the Administration was to file for an emergency measure to keep the law in effect while they appeal the ruling.
Indefinite detention without trial is used to suppress dissent by dictators around the world. It is the type of oppressive executive power that our Constitution was written to forbid. It's time to tell President Obama that it doesn't belong in America.
Please don't let this pass without raising your voice. Once your rights are taken away, it will be too late to protest.
This isn't just a matter for the lawyers to decide. This threat to our constitutional rights is arising from a "look tough" political strategy adopted by the Obama administration. The Administration needs to understand that continuing down this path will exact a political price. They must be told that Americans resent their attempts to defend a law that undermines the constitution.
I and my running mate, Cheri Honkala, have opposed the indefinite detention provision from the time President Obama signed it. We also urge people to join us in signing the "First Amendment Pledge" against the use of military-style police tactics to intimidate people demonstrating against government policies (See http://www.firstamendmentpledge.org/ ). We will continue to speak up against the ongoing attempts to militarize our justice system and undermine our rights of free speech. |