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May 17, 2012

URGENT: House Vote on Repealing NDAA Kidnapping

Quote of the Day: “One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence.” – Charles A. Beard (1874-1948)

The House is considering the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2013.

Remember that the 2012 NDAA contained language that allowed the military to kidnap people — even on U.S. soil.

Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Justin Amash (R-MI) will propose an amendment that explicitly repeals this language.

The vote on this amendment could be TODAY.

Please tell your Representatives to support this amendment, using DownsizeDC.org's Repeal Indefinite Detention campaign.

You may borrow from or copy this letter…

The 2012 NDAA essentially declared all American soil a war zone. That bill sanctioned the illegal powers that this President and the former President claimed to possess. It is unconstitutional and dangerous to use the military to kidnap and imprison anyone the President chooses.

Some Senators were even gleeful about this! Sensible Americans, like me, were outraged. Who wants to live in a country where the State could make our loved ones “disappear?”

Regrettably, the 2013 NDAA, as reported in the House, does not repeal these legalized kidnapping provisions. That's why I support the Smith-Amash Amendment.

What does this amendment do? It…

* bans so-called “indefinite detention” (kidnapping) on American soil. Those arrested must be charged or tried.
* terminates the use of military commissions for those detained on U.S. soil. Instead, they would enjoy the due process rights provided in the Constitution and would be tried in regular federal criminal courts.
* prevents civilian law enforcement from transferring U.S. suspects to the military for indefinite detention.
* clarifies that neither the 2012 NDAA or the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force gives the military authority to detain persons on U.S. soil.
* repeals Section 1022 of the 2012 NDAA, which _REQUIRES_ the military to put some civilian suspects into military detention.

Constitutional procedures protect ALL persons in the United States, not just American citizens. That's because human rights are “pre-constitutional.” (http://tinyurl.com/7utzq35)

The Smith-Amash Amendment is the ONLY one that addresses my concerns with the 2012 NDAA. It restores due process rights to citizens and non-citizens alike.

Your failure to support Smith-Amash will tell me that you would prefer a military dictatorship to a free society. I do not consent to being governed in this fashion. I will be watching your vote.

END LETTER

You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

We urge you to forward this to like-minded friends, and to go to our blog and and share this post with your friends.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

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