Yesterday, the Senate joined the House in approving a piece of legislation, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, that discards key human rights protections and our best American traditions. With the passing of the bill, the members of Congress who voted for the bill stated loudly and clearly that they do not intend to practice real Christian values!
Congress had the opportunity to correct the Bush administration's profoundly disturbing human rights policies. Instead, they gave their stamp of approval to human rights violations. Our representatives in Congress have just passed legislation that:
1) Establishes a new judicial system to try a wide variety of people in military commissions that lack the minimal safeguards regarding coerced evidence may deny the right of the accused to examine evidence against them. A person could be sentenced to death under this flawed system.
2) Strips prisoners in Guantanamo and other alleged enemy combatants in U.S. custody --of the ability to file a writ of habeas corpus and challenge their detention. Many of these prisoners have been held for almost five years without charges or meaningful judicial review
3) Expands the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to allow the U.S. government to detain people on or off the battlefield indefinitely without charge or access to judicial review for an act as minor as writing a check.
4) Provides retroactive immunity to those who may have been implicated in creating policies or participating in abuse and other acts that most of us would consider torture and other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment.
It is indeed a sad day for all real people of faith who deplore this "end justifies the means" mentality.
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