You can’t just declare civilians as enemy combatants for fun

The Military Commissions Act continues to face a variety of obstacles in its attempts to violate human and civil rights. Last week 2 judges appointed by the Bush Administration in separate cases ruled that they weren’t complying with their own fairly random system and that prosecution could not be carried out until the process was in compliance with the act. Yesterday it was determined that even with a Presidential order, declaring civilians enemy combatants for fun crosses the line from democracy to police state by defying the Constitution; so civilians must be held and tried under the civil court system rather than by the military.

Also, in relation to the Military Commissions Act, it’s Torture Awareness Month. Check out the Torture Abolition and Survival Support Coalition (TASSC) for info on events and actions.