Amy Goodman: Another Memorial Day in This Endless War

from truthdig:


Another Memorial Day in This Endless War

Posted on May 22, 2013
By Amy Goodman


In a remarkable but little-noticed oversight hearing last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee looked at “The Law of Armed Conflict, the Use of Military Force, and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.” The 2001 AUMF is the act passed by Congress on Sept. 14, three days after the al-Qaida attacks on the United States.

Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, opened his questioning of the military officials before him by stating: “Gentlemen, I’ve only been here five months, but this is the most astounding and most astoundingly disturbing hearing that I’ve been to since I’ve been here. You guys have essentially rewritten the Constitution here today.”

King’s statement followed the questioning by longtime South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who recently pushed to have the Boston bombing suspect—a U.S. citizen accused of a violent crime on U.S. soil—named an “enemy combatant,” denying him his constitutional rights. Graham enjoyed unanimous agreement from the panelists to his series of questions:

“Do you agree with me that when it comes to international terrorism, we’re talking about a worldwide struggle?” ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/another_memorial_day_in_this_endless_war_20130522/