What I’m about to say may offend people and constitute me as being a busybody, poking my nose into affairs that do not concern me. However, in a world that is rapidly becoming smaller and where the actions of a few have a huge impact on the rest of the world, this is one issue cannot be condoned. I’m talking about the Military Commissions Act that was passed into law in the United States of America (technically it has passed Congress and is only awaiting Bush’s signature, but we all know what’s going to happen, don’t we?)

It erodes many Constitutional rights of the American people, but it remains to be seen how many will actually notice that the rights they once treasured have been removed. (For a summary of what’s happened, read here. You can also Google “Military Commissions Act” to see what others are saying). The one I consider the most chilling reads:

Permit, in violation of international law, the use of evidence extracted under cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or as a result of “outrages upon personal dignity, particularly humiliating or degrading treatment”, as defined under international law.

This is the single, most appalling piece of legislation I’ve read. The basis of that law claims that while it’s not alright to rape people, it’s alright to use other methods to get them to confess. You can make them stand for hours with no relief; threaten them with things like raping their mothers/sisters/female relatives/heck, any one they care about at all, among others. This isn’t right; It’s torture. You can break their brains, force them to do things like what happened in Abu Ghraib (spelling?), all just for some information that is supposed to protect the country.

That’s not the only thing.

According to Mr Bush (should be Bullshit, but we can’t always have what we want, can we?) this is to make AMERICA safer. By denying these people the right to be treated like human beings, they seem to have forgotten the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. by committing such atrocities, they have not only SWELLED the ranks of non-US terrorists groups like the Al-Qaeda, but they have also opened the door for their own people to be treated like a dog or worse. It would seem that the US government is in a race to show the Al-Qaeda that they’re the boss because they can do this to their people AND get away with it.

In case you haven’t noticed, Bush and his gang of thugs have also taken the trouble to explain who they thought are enemy combatants, and thus, susceptible to being taken away at a moment’s notice and held without trial. Not to mention being eligible for abuse:

An “enemy combatant” is now no longer just someone captured “during an armed conflict” against our forces. Thanks to this legislation, George W. Bush is now able to designate as an “enemy combatant” anyone who has “purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States.”

So if you’ve even spoken of bringing down the Bush administration, you can be taken into custody. And be subjected to torture. Worse part is? Because the United States is such a SHINING example of democracy, there will be others who will follow suit. You do not have to be a foreign national; even if you’re a US citizen, you can be taken in for such dissidence.

I will admit, that these are all worse case scenarios… but these kinds of scenarios are often the ones that will come back to haunt us long after the smoke has been cleared and the fire has been put out. Perhaps I may be wrong; clarification would be welcomed. I know that this article right now is very disjointed; will work more on it when I get back from Church.

God Help Us; we’re in Dark Days now. Very dark.

Edit 1: Ganked from SiliconShaman who ganked it from SusieBecca:

Details found here.