Senate Panel Debates Bill on Treatment of Detainees: Specter, Leahy strong

NYT: Senate Panel Debates Bill on Treatment of Detainees
By JOHN O’NEIL
Published: September 25, 2006

Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee sought to slow down the effort by President Bush and Congressional leaders to speed the passage of legislation on the treatment of terror suspects.

Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is the panel’s chairman, described as “inexplicable” a provision in the bill that would strip federal court of jurisdiction over detainees not formally charged with war crimes.

“If the courts are not open to decide constitutional issues, how is constitutionality going to be tested?’’ he asked.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the committee’s senior Democrat, criticized the rush to pass the legislation, saying its restriction of court access would perpetuate “the indefinite detentions of hundreds of individuals against whom the government has brought no charges and presented no evidence, and without any recourse to justice whatsoever.’’

“This is un-American,’’ he said, to applause from the audience....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/washington/25cnd-detain.html?hp&ex=1159243200&en=be5f88bd4c01eb3e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

the decider will decide. And we all know who the decider is don't we?

They WILL cave and give Chenney what he wants.

I'm ready in Seattle. I never hear of marches any more, not like we had before the invasion of Iraq.

I am bewildered. I feel that I should be doing something more than writing to representatives and newspaper editors. It ain't working. I want to march and protest again. What has happened?

b_b