Indefinite Detention

Most Americans will never have to worry about being arrested for acts of terrorism, but could you be arrested and treated as if you are a terrorist because your dog relieved itself on your neighbor’s lawn? 

Several years ago there was a law passed called ‘The Patriot Act’ which gave the United States government sweeping powers to investigate you, your property, family and friends if they were under the impression that you were a terrorist.  What was most concerning was that they didn’t have to discern between valid evidence.  And such determinations were indiscriminate as well.  A person could literally lose all rights to privacy for the simple reason that their neighbor turned them in to get back at them for their dog doing his business on their lawn.  It’s a scenario right out of a Robert Ludlum novel, right? 

As recently as four years ago I remember hearing someone click into my phone lines whenever I spoke with family and friends, resulting in temporarily distorting the clarity of my personal calls.  I would joke with my mother or a close friend that the CIA or FBI was listening in on my calls, wanting to find out the ingredients to my infamous Almond Butter Crunch recipe.  Immediately following these comments I would hear a click and the echoing of our voices would cease.  I kid you not.  I do have witnesses.

So I began to wonder if my lines were being tapped because of my previous military experience and/or due to my criticisms of president, George W. Bush, over his handling of the Iraq war and our shrinking economy.  I could think of no other reason as I was sure that my dog hadn’t soiled any of my neighbors’ lawns since, at the time, I didn’t own a dog.

I found it invasive to be shadowed due to having strong opinions that didn’t coincide with our country’s leaders.  Clearly it wasn’t the first time an American took up an issue with their sitting president, look at all the flack president Clinton endured, and nobody tapped my phones when he was president no matter how critical I was of him.

Imagine my pleasure when the Supreme Court had decided that warrantless wire-tapping was unconstitutional and that I could make a call without annoying clicking and incessant echoes.  Not that I didn’t get a kick out of being plugged in by the government and letting them know that I was aware of their intrusive presence. 

Currently our lawmakers are considering a bill that allows the government to commit Americans who are suspected of terrorism without any due process, no right to a hearing or even to know the charges being brought against you, and allows you to be detained indefinitely without recourse.  Congress has already passed this law and it heads to the Senate where there is no indication it will be curtailed.  At one point our president, Barack Obama, had threatened to veto this law, but after some minor revisions by Congress he has acquiesced and withdrawn his promise to veto. 

With all the new and highly invasive laws being passed in states these days -- such as the “Papers Please” law in Arizona where law enforcement officials can walk up to any individual on the street and ask for their proof of citizenship (I don’t always carry ID on me), or Alabama’s immigration law that encourages people to spy on their neighbors, once creating an incident where a customer who was paying with cash was asked to show their ID -- is anyone besides me growing concerned over the idea that our country is looking increasingly like pre-World War II Germany?  I’m sure Fascism is one of the evils our Founding Fathers tried to protect us against when they were drafting our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

In my opinion it’s dangerous to give our leaders this type of power that takes away our constitutional rights as citizens of this country.   I understand that there’s a tremendous fear of terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country.  And the members of the right-wing media don’t do anything to discourage such hysteria, especially when it comes to members of certain segments of our society (Muslims/Mexicans).  But shouldn’t we be more reasonable about what freedoms we’re willing to give up.  After all, it was Benjamin Franklin who said: He who sacrifices liberty for security deserves neither.

From comments I’ve seen by Americans who are aware of this bill and the rights it diminishes or completely obliterates, there are few who would support this bill if brought to a vote of the electorate and for a very good reason.  

Thankfully there are civil rights groups out there, like the ACLU and the NAACP, who haven’t given up and have vowed to fight this new bill.  It makes me want to begin donating to these and other civil rights organizations in order to help them continue to fight for our liberties.  It seems our elected officials are less than enthusiastic about providing them for us themselves.

My reason for concern about this bill isn’t that I worry I’ll be labeled as a terrorist.  The recipe for my Almond Butter Crunch will cause nothing worse than exploding hips and expanding waistlines.  But I do have a dog now and I can’t be sure that it won’t make a jail break and reek some form of havoc in a neighboring yard.  Hopefully, with a bevy of sincere apologies and a plate of goodies I’ll be able to stave off any attempts to have me indefinitely detained for reasons of unfounded but suspicious terrorist activities.