Does this mean that the United States is no longer a democracy?

Question

On 29 September, 2006, the U.S. Senate approved a bill which would suspend habeas corpus for anyone determined to be an "unlawful enemy combatant engaged in hostilities or having supported hostilities against the United States" by a vote of 65-34.

This bill "removes important checks on the president by: failing to protect due process, eliminating habeas corpus for many detainees, undermining enforcement of the Geneva Conventions, and giving a "get out of jail free card" to officials who authorized or ordered illegal torture and abuse." According ACLU Legislative Counsel, "nothing could be less American than a government that can indefinitely hold people in secret torture cells, take away their protections against horrific and cruel abuse, put them on trial based on evidence that they cannot see, sentence them to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and then slam shut the courthouse door for any habeas petition, but that’s exactly what Congress just approved."

Answer 1

Americans have become to complacent, and allow the morons, idiots, and unconvicted felons to pass this kind of leglisation. corograph talks of facisam i agree
a political philosophy or regime that is aggressively natialistic and stands for a centralized autocratic government
Fascism is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism.
The word "fascism" comes from fascio (plural: fasci), which may mean "bundle," as in a political or militant group or a nation, but also from the fasces (rods bundled around an axe), which were an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of magistrates.
The original fascist (fascismo) movement ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. In time, the generic term fascism came to cover a class of authoritarian political ideologies, parties, and political systems. The most notable of these parties, created after World War I, are the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) under Adolf Hitler but also Hungary's Arrow Cross Party, Romania's Iron Guard, Spain's Falange and the French political movements led by former socialists Marcel Déat and Jacques Doriot and others.

how much longer will we have the right to bear arms?
the erosion of this right has been slowly but surely disapearing.

our court system no longer does much more the generate revenue thru the reward system(plea-bargins). even our most trusted civil sevants: officers of the court, are just a organized group of self-serving unconvicted felons. they have promulgated more and more laws that make a felony conviction easier for the average citizen to aquire. normal non-governmental people seem to be not the objects of "serve and protect" but the targets. these newly created laws that are born on the ideals of a long and forgotten brave new world, are really turning this country into the very same evil empire(eastern europe circa 1950+ thru 1975 ) that this government has brainwashed its occupants into beliving was a threat to the free world. we sure got rid of them, now on to the new target terrorists. god save us from ourselfs.
the only terrorists our the ones our government has created..
as to you coroaph you have a good talk but when it comes down to it it now seem you dummie up like all the other good little sheep bah-bah

Answer 2

No. It just means that Congress is violating the Constitution. Again.

The bill takes away the authority to interpret law from the judicial branch, and gives it to the executive branch, which is a violation of Article III and the Seperation of Powers doctrine.

The bill suspends habeas corpus, where there is no rebellion or invasion (the federal courts are open), in violation of Article I section 9. Which is also a violation of the 1st Amendment right to petition the govt for a redress of grievances (access to the courts).

Finally, the bill eliminates 6th Amendment protections, which the Supreme Court has said apply to anyone, and cannot be overridden. It's amazing how many idiots keep trying to argue that the Constitution only applies to US citizens, without ever having read it, or the 200+ years of Supreme Court rulings interpreting it.

Bottom line, the bill directly violates at leat five clauses of the Constitution, and the Supreme Court has already confirmed these during earler attempts to do the same thing. While it also eliminates Geneva Convention protections, that is one one of the few things that Congress is allowed to do, because treaties have the same effect as federal laws, no more, no less.

But then again, we seem to be a country were neither the laws nor the Constitution apparently matter to most people. So, while this doesn't make the US less of a democratic republic, it does mean we've abandoned the constitutional principles that the country was founded up.

One small step for Congress, one giant leap toward fascism.

Answer 3

Read this excellent editorial, Pirates of the Mediterranean, by Robert Harris. The parallels between ancient Rome in 68 BC and modern Washington DC (since 2001) are frighteningly similar.

The Republican-led Congress, under immense pressure, cannot act quickly enough to give more control to the White House. At this point, the Congress looks more like an appendix of the Constitution - a totally useless, shriveled up piece of tissue that has no function or purpose for the rest of the body.

Answer 4

The United States was never a democracy to begin with. The US is a Republic, which is different than democracy. Democracy, in its purest form means every individual gets a say and a vote in every issue facing the nation. Clearly with a nation of nearly 300 millions people, this would be highly inefficient and ineffective. In a Republic, you elect representatives to vote for you and make decisions about where the nation should go. In this case, the US population elects 435 Congresspeople, 100 Senators, and 1 President to do the work of governing the country.

Answer 5

The key phrase is in your question "unlawful enemy combatant engaged in hostilities or having supported hostilities against the United States".

These are people that are picked up on the battlefield ("unlawful enemy combatant"). They do not fall under the Geneva Convention because they do not fight for a country, and do not wear a uniform.

This bill will not affect any American citizen unless they are on a battlefield attacking Americans.

If people like you would stop reacting with blind hatred, and actually read what the bill says, you might see that it is a good thing.

Take a deep breath, and calm down. Then read the following sentence: "unlawful enemy combatant engaged in hostilities or having supported hostilities against the United States". If you are calm and rational, you will clearly see this is aimed at people attacking Americans that are not in uniform.

This will not affect our democracy at all. Take a chill pill and be gratefull someone out there has the balls to protect the lives of you and your family.

Answer 6

Why is it SOOOO hard for people to understand?
justice is not about revenge.
If our citizens were being held BY ANOTHER GOVERNMENT indefinitely and were not allowed to defend themselves or see the evidence against them because of "national security" AND were being sentenced to death or mistreated IN ANY WAY We(Americans) would be flipping out and screaming for war!
BUSH is able to do this because ALLEGED terrorists are not from any 1 country or backed by a specific government.
DO YOU NOT SEE HOW EASY IT WOULD BE FOR THIS TO BE CORRUPTED AND USED FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN BECAUSE YOU CAN?? POWER CORRUPTS AND what do you do with people that disagree with you? whisk them away to internment camps. WAKE UP PEOPLE
I am PRO-AMERICAN, I SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
I DO NOT SUPPORT SECRECY AND TORTURE> WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CIVILIZED AND A MODEL FOR OTHER NATIONS TO EMULATE SO WHY THE GESTAPO TACTICS?

Answer 7

So what else is new. The ppl of the US are being sabotaged by their own Government, and regardless of what Lincoln may have done, what is happening now is more like Stalin Or Hitler. Hang on tight, it's going to be a rough ride.

Answer 8

The United States was never a democracy.

Besides, what they have passed has no effect on US Citizens, therefore the Constitution does not apply, and the Geneva Convention does not apply either. It may be "icky," but it is not (unfortunately) illegal.

Answer 9

No. It just means that you can no longer speak freely against the government for fear that you'll get tossed in jail with no rights. Hmmm, sounds a lot like commie China, doesn't it?

Answer 10

Why dont you go ask youre question to the familys of those who died on september 11th? Ask them if beating testomony out of a suspected terrorist is ok. I dont know about you but if some one killed a member of my family, and got all there friends to jump and dance in the streets about it, id probily be a little miffed.
Since america is my extended family, i am a little ****** miffed.
We have given them strict rules to follow, when they break them, WE BRAKE THEM. WE ARE AT WAR, DEAL WITH IT.
Have any of these new policys affected you in any way???
Stop bitching and support youre country, OR LEAVE.