This week Congress will vote on The Military Commissions Act, a bill that would let the President and the Secretary of Defense label anyone - even a U.S. citizen inside the United States - an "unlawful enemy combatant" and detain them without charge or trial. Republican Senator Arlen Specter called this provision "inexplicable." It is also unconstitutional and un-American. Why should Congress reject the Military Commissions Act? Here are just a few reasons:
It strips courts of jurisdiction to hear claims of unlawful detention and detainee abuses.
It sets up an inferior system of justice that the world is likely to reject.
It risks endangering Americans abroad who our enemies could now designate as “combatants.”
It prevents courts from reviewing the government’s compliance with the Geneva Conventions and provides immunity to those who engaged in abuse in the past.
