Bush Proposes to End Your Legal Rights

In a new proposal President George W. Bush is floating a proposal that could end all the rights Americans take for granted. Under these laws any person could be charged with any crime the Secretary of Defense chooses and they could be tried by military tribunal, even in absentia. All they must do is suspect you of terrorism. No proof need be presented against you in the gulag. No right to counsel, no habeas corpus, no right even to examine witnesses and evidence used against you. The Washington Post says this:

Under the proposed procedures, defendants would lack rights to confront accusers, exclude hearsay accusations, or bar evidence obtained through rough or coercive interrogations. They would not be guaranteed a public or speedy trial and would lack the right to choose their military counsel, who in turn would not be guaranteed equal access to evidence held by prosecutors.

Detainees would also not be guaranteed the right to be present at their own trials, if their absence is deemed necessary to protect national security or individuals.

This isn't simply some delirious liberal ranting, but a real proposal sent to Congress by the Administration. There's nothing here to prevent the abrogation of all your rights as an American citizen. For all those conservatives crying about how everything changed on 9/11 I have one question: will you be comfortable having this law enacted with President Hillary Clinton enforcing its terms? Here's the kicker provision:

The plan calls for commissions of five military officers appointed by the defense secretary to try defendants for any of 25 listed crimes. It gives the secretary the unilateral right to "specify other violations of the laws of war that may be tried by military commission." The secretary would be empowered to prescribe detailed procedures for carrying out the trials, including "modes of proof" and the use of hearsay evidence.

In other words, the Secretary of Defense is free to add any other crime he wishes and to decide what rules and procedures would be used in these sham trials. Do you really trust Donald Rumsfeld with this power? Welcome to George Bush's Amerika.