thinkprogress.org — On Friday, Sens. Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) plan to introduce an amendment restoring the habeas corpus protections stripped as a result of last year’s Military Commissions Act. The legislation would restore basic civil liberties to roughly 12 million legal permanent residents of the United States.
Jul 10, 2007 View in Crawl 4
starlessknightJul 11, 2007
Unfortunate Reality Check: Terrorists in America receive the same rights as American Citizens. Less Freedom/Rights for Terrorists = Less Freedom/Rights for everyone. This is a good thing; kinda jives with the whole "innocent until proven guilty" and "all men are created equal" (avoids tiers of citizenry, some having certain rights while others get other rights, or no rights).By now you've had to have heard about the Security vs. Freedom issue, so I'll forego it here.
thenthdoctorJul 11, 2007
What does Dungeons and Dragons have to do with this?
0xbadfoodJul 11, 2007
I personally think the "living document" bulls**t was one of the worst decisions ever made. The constitution isn't a living document. You think that it should change to reflect the times? That's why they make constitutional amendments.
dracostimpyJul 11, 2007
We can as soon as we rid ourselves of the Rep/Dem parties, since neither would ever allow that to happen.
terr01Jul 12, 2007
Pfft, as if D&D were the only kind of RP :P
cryptokiJul 12, 2007
so how does torture apply to this part of the 5th amendment then......nor shall be compelled in any criminalcase to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life,... (just asking)
bohicatwentytwoJul 12, 2007
Nice cut and paste from Wikipedia. Allow me to add to it from the same Unlawful Combatant page.Combatants who do not qualify for POW status:A combatant who does not qualify for POW status can, under the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, expect to be treated humanely; and before he is punished, can expect to get a trial in "a regularly constituted court."The bottom line is that terrorists like those in Iraq and Afghanistan are not protected as civilians, nor are they fighting within the confines of the Laws of War and the Geneva convention. The only rights that they are granted in their current state are the ones above. They have no habeas corpus rights, only that they are treated humanely and eventually have a trial in a "a regularly constituted court."
bohicatwentytwoJul 12, 2007
Democrats don't think we are fighting a war. <a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte_Quirin">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte_Quirin</a>…the law of war draws a distinction between the armed forces and the peaceful populations of belligerent nations and also between those who are lawful and unlawful combatants. Lawful combatants are subject to capture and detention as prisoners of war by opposing military forces. Unlawful combatants are likewise subject to capture and detention, but in addition they are subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals for acts which render their belligerency unlawful. The spy who secretly and without uniform passes the military lines of a belligerent in time of war, seeking to gather military information and communicate it to the enemy, or an enemy combatant who without uniform comes secretly through the lines for the purpose of waging war by destruction of life or property, are familiar examples of belligerents who are generally deemed not to be entitled to the status of prisoners of war, but to be offenders against the law of war subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals.