The U.S. Congress is bound to vote on a bill that will automatically authorize the U.S. president to declare war against any groups, countries or persons - including Russia, China, Syria, North Korea or Venezuela - seen to be opposed to U.S. policies across the globe.
A large number of civil society organizations including ACLU, NGO's and congressmen within the Democratic and the Republican parties in the U.S. are joining forces to fight against the defense authorization bill.
In a memorandum describing the urgent and dangerous legislation proposed at the Congress by Republican reps, the civil liberties and their allies at Capitol Hill and within the White House are battling against the proposed legalization of war. To many observers, this is a virtual declaration of war against the rest of the world with powers by the military and the President to attack Americans in their own country altogether.
"This monumental legislationΓÇôwith a large-scale and practically irrevocable delegation of war power from Congress to the PresidentΓÇôcould commit the United States to a worldwide war without clear enemies, without any geographical boundaries (the use of military force within the United States could be permitted), and without any boundary relating to time or specific objective to be achieved." said the memorandum.
Nearly three dozen House Democrats are calling on Republicans to withdraw a section of the 2012 defense authorization bill that they say would effectively declare a state of permanent war against unnamed Taliban and al Qaeda operatives.
There is no geographical limitationΓÇôthe new Declaration of War has no specification of countries against which military force could be used, and no specification of countries where U.S. armed forces could be deployed with or without the permission of the host country. Military force could even be used within the United States and against American citizens.
There is no specific objective for the new Declaration of War, which means that there is no clear criteria after which the PresidentΓÇÖs authority to use military force would expire. Although the proposed new Declaration of War lists ΓÇ£al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forcesΓÇ¥ as the ΓÇ£threat,ΓÇ¥ there is no definition for any of these entities, which historically have been amorphous, with shifting names, memberships, and organizational relationships.
A letter from the House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and 32 other Democrats argues that affirming continued war against terrorist forces goes too far, giving too much authority to the president without debate in Congress.
Their letter cites language in the authorization bill that incorporates the Detainee Security Act, which affirms continued armed conflict against terrorists overseas.
ΓÇ£By declaring a global war against nameless individuals, organizations and nations ΓÇÿassociatedΓÇÖ with the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as those playing a supporting role in their efforts, the Detainee Security Act would appear to grant the president near unfettered authority to initiate military action around the world without further congressional approval.
Ed;
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