President Obama: Just Say NO to Indefinite Detention

Dear President Obama,

On November 17th, your Executive Office issued a statement expressing serious concern over language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. This language basically renders our Constitution irrelevant, and all subsequent laws protecting American Citizens, and others in this country legally, against unreasonable search and seizure. It legalizes arrest without charge and runs rough-shod over pretty much all the amendments to our Constitution and Bill of Rights. You would know this, as you are an expert on the Constitution.

According to the section/s including 'Indefinite Detention', any US Citizen can be considered a 'threat' to National Security and can be labeled a terrorist. S/he can then be arrested by our Military, without charge, without due course of law, without access to a lawyer, and detained indefinitely. Additionally, 'any belligerent act' can be considered an act of terrorism. The language of the bill is weak and vague, and it could be misconstrued to include anyone who inconveniences anyone else in business or in authority. But you know this.

And yet you signed the Act into law, on December 31st, the very last day of the year.

After you signed the bill you issued a new message to us regarding your displeasure over the above, and other objectionable passages specified in the Act. You then put forward your plans, explaining how you would respond to the expected disarray, discontent, and disunity resulting in the abuse of this law, and of the people who elected you to the Presidency of the United States. And of those who did not as well.

Mr. President, we need more from you than promises.

Specifically We want you to :

a) Disentangle the NDAA 2012 from the Military Budget bill.

b) Remove all language referring to indefinite detention of US Citizens on US Soil, or abroad, by the Military, without charges, or

c) Rule the NDAA 2012, in its current form, as unconstitutional.

If you, as commander in chief, have the power to detain or release citizen-suspects, surely you also have the power to declare this new law unconstitutional, and demand it be re-written.