New Legislation Brings Police State

By SACHA BRENAC

Big Brother, meet your 21st century replacement, the U.S. government. In the past several weeks, the Senate has been debating a bill that would, essentially, transform the U.S. into an authoritarian nation heavily controlled by the military. Think I’m exaggerating? Think again.

The National Defense Authorization Act, which passed in the Senate 93 votes to 7, would give the military the power to arrest, detain, interrogate and even potentially assassinate anybody suspected of terrorism.

The military would be given the power to detain suspects indefinitely without a trial, including American citizens. Any American citizen.

Some might think, hey, we’re at war. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Well, that’s what the German people thought in the 1930s.

Some might think I am exaggerating, but am I really? If this bill becomes law, and our president doesn’t veto it, then what will stop the military from using its newfound power to suppress political opponents? Is that really too far-fetched? We are humans after all.

Emotions aside, this law is completely illogical. It gives the military interrogation, charging and trial powers, even though the FBI and other similar agencies were created specifically for that use, and are pretty efficient at them. In fact, the military, with its tribunals, are not very good at these legal actions.

So why is our civilian government succumbing to this new sense of militaristic nationalism? Ever since the 1950s, the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) has more or less directed the economy and policies of this nation.

President Eisenhower, in a 1961 speech, warned us about the growing power of the MIC and its potential threat to our basic liberties. Defense in this country makes up for roughly 30 percent of government spending, and 47 percent of the entire world’s military spending. Defense spending has been steadily increasing over the decades.

So, why should the American people be against this bill? It is fundamentally un-American. In fact, it is anti-American.

We are a republic whose entire existence is for the freedom and rights of all people who decide to be a part of the American experiment, the American experience and the American dream.

Is the American dream dead? Not yet. Does it still have a chance? Potentially. Will it survive the National Defense Authorization Act? No.

The American people have to stand up and say “enough,” while we still can. We cannot let this new form of fascism consume the very existence of this country. We must bring the nation back to when the state and the people were one. And we must act soon, or else it will be too late.

As for me, if this passes, I’m moving to Canada.