By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 2, 2006; Page A04
A draft Bush administration plan for special military courts seeks to expand the reach and authority of such "commissions" to include trials, for the first time, of people who are not members of al-Qaeda or the Taliban and are not directly involved in acts of international terrorism, according to officials familiar with the proposal.
The plan, which would replace a military trial system ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in June, would also allow the secretary of defense to add crimes at will to those under the military court's jurisdiction. The two provisions would be likely to put more individuals than previously expected before military juries, officials and independent experts said.
Under the proposed procedures, defendants would lack rights to confront accusers, exclude hearsay accusations, or bar evidence obtained through rough or coercive interrogations. They would not be guaranteed a public or speedy trial and would lack the right to choose their military counsel, who in turn would not be guaranteed equal access to evidence held by prosecutors.
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Once again, I said this would happen, but people aruged it wouldn't, and now here it is.
The bush admin is floating a bill that will allow bush to be judge, jury, and executioner over ANYONE who breaks the law.
Best part is, they don't have to tell you what law you broke, who told them you broke it, and they don't have to let you even be in the court when your tried.
Under the proposed 'new' law prosecutors can use hear-say evidence (ex. 'I heard from my sisters cousin that he did that crime), 'coerced' evidence (readin: confessions tourtured from people or hearsay evidence tourtured from someone), no public trial (trials behind close doors in the basement of a building with no media access), no speedy trials (you can be held 'indefinately' - for years - without being charged, and you can't even get your own lawyer.
...Not that it matters as your attorney can't see the evidence because it's 'secret' kept for 'national safety', so you have to get your state approved attorney to defend you against charges involving evidence you dont see that was tourtured out of someone who they won't name who gave up your name and claimed some other guy said you did it.
And now ANY crime can get you thrown in this system - not just terrorism acts - the bush admin has left the stage open for anyone they deem to be a threat.
Ahh, the new american justice system. Looks like the old soviet system with a new face to me.
