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Nearly 40 People Arrested Outside of Obama's White House Protesting Guantanamo, Indefinite Detention
WASHINGTON - Thirty-seven members of Witness Against Torture, a grassroots organization calling for the closure of the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were arrested in front of the White House around three o'clock this afternoon. Dressed in the iconic Guantanamo orange jumpsuits and black hoods and accompanied by a cage representing indefinite detention, the activists were warned to clear the sidewalk by National Park Police or risk arrest. After occupying the sidewalk for more than three hours, they were arrested one by one.
(Photo: Flickr | Witness Against Torture) “We came to the White House because just eleven days ago, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act. It is dead wrong,” says Leah Grady Sayvetz, an activist and college student form Ithaca, New York arrested this afternoon. “The NDAA makes Guantanamo near-permanent and expands detention powers just when this terrible and immoral detention apparatus should be being dismantled.”
The activists held signs that said: “NDAA is Guantanamo Forever,” NDAA is Guantanamo Come Home,” “Shut Down Guantanamo,” “Shut Down Bagram,” “Release Those Unjustly Bound” and pulled a full-size cage up on the side walk.
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11 Comments so far
Show AllPeople speaking out against injustice are arrested.
People supporting injustice are rewarded.
Where is this happening?
I guess no one would call this a participatory democracy. Shall we say it is more of a semblance democracy? as in, not real?
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I guess the next phase is that we all just run for cover and hope we are last in line.
We live in a feudal world, still. Those who obey the king are rewarded no matter what the result. Those who disobey are punished. The king is always right, even when wrong.
And yes, "semblance democracy" about covers it: a gloss of the form, none of the function.
The next phase is deciding if you want to live on your knees or die on your feet.
And under the NDAA Obama could ship these brave citizens to some black hole prison without charges and without rights. Pretty big of him not to do it, yet.
I am beyond outraged, not only due to the gov shredding our constitution, but mainly by the silence of the majority of Am citz. Dishonorable & shamelessly complicit.
If Obama or some of his generals were kept in that cage for a few days then they, perhaps, might have a small understanding of what those prisoners are going through in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Errol: Obama is in a cage, it's called the White House, he just doesn't know it.
He knows it, and entered it freely. And is being paid handsomely for it.
I am tired of the argument that Obama really wants to change things, but works with a hostile congress.
He knew exactly what was expected of him. Go back and watch his videos. After he makes his Yes We Can saying, watch his smirk.
Personally and as a member of Veterans for Peace, I support the ongoing protest movement and am deeply concerned about the domestic civil liberties and international human rights impact of President Obama's depressing New Year's Eve decision to sign the 2012 NDAA into law.
I consider it a shameful act of political betrayal that for all the rhetoric about unfettered presidential war powers and a unitary executive branch form of government, the duly elected Commander in Chief was supposedly unable to keep a public campaign pledge to close down a military prison, and release or relocate its inmates into continued federal custody elsewhere within one calendar year, by simply issuing an order and insisting that it then be obeyed. To me, this is the very essence of civilian control over the nation's military establishment. Elections should matter.
Decades ago, I was a county campaign coordinator for Carl Levin when he first ran and won his seat in the Senate. I have remained on cordial terms with him ever since. This morning, I received a constituent contact email summarizing the legislative record of the previous year, which included his sponsorship of the 2012 NDAA as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I pass Senator Levin's message along to Common Dreams. You can evaluate the rationale or spin for yourself.
"The [NDAA] provisions on detention of terror suspects in the bill got more attention than all these other important priorities [new sanctions against Iran, safeguards against counterfeit parts in US weapons systems]. The criticism of these provisions has usually been wildly inaccurate; if the [NDAA] bill did what some of its critics claim, I would have led the oposition. Our bill places in statute long-standing Obama administration policies on detaining al Qaeda terror suspects, policies that have been upheld by the courts. Putting those policies in statute makes it more difficult for future presidents to expand that detention authority. It preserves the flexibility of the executive branch to use the federal courts in trying terrorism cases. For the first time, it assures that suspects held in long-term military detention will get access to a military judge and lawyer.
"Just as important is what the bill doesn't do: It does NOT prohibit civilian trials for terror suspects. It does NOT strip the FBI and other civilian law enforcement agencies of their authorit. It does NOT allow the military to make arrests on US soil. It does NOT enact new authority to hold US citizens without trial or charge. It does NOT provide for indefinite detention of citizens without access to civilian courts." -Senator Carl Levin (D), Michigan, letter to constituents 1/13/12
Bill from Saginaw
To paraphrase George. In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth will get you arrested.