My Letter to Congress: S.3081 Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of... 
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Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA] Vote on Passage of S.3081: Not Voted Yet -
Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] Vote on Passage of S.3081: Not Voted Yet -
Rep. Dave Reichert [R, WA-8] Vote on Passage of S.3081: Not Voted Yet
From reviewing the language of the bill, it appears that the protections guaranteed to US citizens by the Constitution have been completely circumvented. Beside the references to Al Qaeda, it appears that the definition of a terrorist or Enemy Belligerent can also be whatever the Executive branch (President) wants it to be and that there are no apparent limits on how long a person may be incarcerated without due process of law.
If this or similar legislation is passed under the guise of homeland security or protection against terrorists, we will wind up with a legal system no better than the one presently in existence in China -- and possibly worse. When I used to do significant business travel for Boeing, I had couple of trips to Beijing and had a chance to read about their legal system in the local news available in the hotel I was staying at. In essence under their system of law, if the police arrest you for a suspected crime, there is very little due process and a very high probability of being declared guilty without the benefit of a trial. Or, the trial may merely be a formality. In spite of the threats to our safety and security, if we forsake the principles on which our country was built, we will neither be safe or secure.
Sincerely,
Christopher Branham
Dear Mr. Branham:
Thank you for contacting my office. I appreciate hearing from you
regarding your views on S.3081, the Enemy Belligerent Interrogation,
Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010. This bill was introduced in the
111th Congress and it has not yet been reintroduced in the 112th
Congress. When it does, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind.
The views of Washingtonians are very important to my work. If you would
like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign
up for my weekly updates at
http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=GetEmailUpdates
y.senate.gov%2fpublic%2findex.cfm%3fp%3dGetEmailUpdates> . Again, thank
you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
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