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Anyone remember habeas corpus? You remember habeas corpus — it was the right of the accused to petition before legal authority for justice. Habeas corpus prevented law enforcement groups from indefinitely locking people up without charge or trial, and not letting detainees see a judge or an attorney.

President Shrub threw habeas corpus out the window along with the mindless stampede to pass the Patriot Act. President Obama extended its supposedly temporary suspension in 2009.

And now the Senate wants to crap on the rights of U.S. citizens again, this time by suspending the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA). The PCA prevents use of the military to enforce local laws within the U.S., unless it is by explicit order of Congress. Shrub tried to do an end-run around PCA in 2006, but the attempt was repealed in 2008.

The U.S. Senate is now considering S.B. 1867:

“A provision of S. 1867, or the National Defense Authorization Act bill, written by Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, declares American soil a battlefield and allows the President and all future Chief Executives to order the military to arrest and detain American citizens, innocent or not, without charge or trial. In other words, if this bill passes and the President signs it, OWS protesters or any American could end up arrested and indefinitely locked up by the military without the guaranteed right to due process or a speedy trial.” (emphasis mine)

Read that phrase over again, slowly, and think about its implications. It is nothing but an excuse to give Congress and the executive branch the right to throw “people of legal interest” into jail indefinitely, just like they do at Guantanamo Bay, without counsel or a trial. What a convenient way to get rid of the Occupy “problem”.

This is not why three of my children joined the armed services.

Call your Senator and your Representative, and tell them that maintaining our remaining freedoms is the worth of their jobs as legislators.