Sunday, January 29, 2012
When President Obama recently signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act, criticism of his decision began immediately. Most of this criticism has been centered on only one section of the act and failed to recognize the many parts of the NDAA that are both useful and necessary.
Although the war in Iraq has ended and the withdrawal from Afghanistan has already begun, many veteran’s and current service members still require, and will so for some time, medical care and mental health treatment. The NDAA funds the Defense Healthcare Program which provides medical services for active duty military personnel.
A study conducted by the Center for New American Security and later presented to Congress showed that suicides in the military have spiked in recent years, particularly in the Army. Funds for suicide prevention programs and mental health assessment were appropriated in the NDAA. The act also instructs the Department of Defense to research and report on methods of identifying and treating post-traumatic disorder and traumatic brain injury. Military and veterans’ healthcare will be crucial over the next few years and the NDAA provides funding to address this issue.
In last week’s State of the Union Address, President Obama reiterated America’s commitment to stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The NDAA imposes financial sanctions against Iran, including its central bank, in an effort to place further pressure on the Iranian government.
In President Obama’s recently announced strategic guidance, a greater emphasis will be placed on the Asia-Pacific region. In keeping in line with the president’s new strategy, the NDAA instructs the Department of Defense to review the military capabilities of China and North Korea and report on their findings.
In order to continue combatting terrorism, the NDAA funds several counterterrorism efforts including the offering of rewards for information, assisting countries who are battling terrorism in their own countries, and funding for special operations forces. The act also orders of review of money given to Pakistan for its help in Afghanistan.
Bills like the NDAA are critical to provide the health care that many veterans will need. The flaws in the bill are small in number and can be addressed separately now that President Obama has signed the NDAA into law.
RESPONSES:
(Kelly’s arguments are in italics. Jacob’s responses are below.)
Section 1031 of the National Defense Authorization Act includes vague language that is so flexible in nature that it could be used to intern individuals who are part of movements who have some goals similar to violent terrorist organizations but who use peaceful means in order to bring about political change. It also stipulates that individuals held at Guantanamo Bay who are exonerated must be kept in custody there if there is any case of detainee recidivism in the exonerated detainee’s country, which essentially holds each individual responsible for the actions of any other citizen of his or her country.
The possibility of abusing the powers provided by the NDAA is certainly a very valid concern. But these powers are likely to disappear as they are already being challenged.
The American Civil Liberties Union vowed to fight the bill immediately after its signing. Ron Paul recently took a day out of his campaign and returned to Washington where he introduced a bill that will repeal section 1021 of the NDAA, the section that provides the government with an expansive authority to detain individuals. Even though President Obama signed the NDAA into law, he claimed he had serious reservations about the bill and signed statements promising never to use the authority given to him and his administration.
President Obama had the opportunity to take a firm stance supporting human rights and veto NDAA, but because of political pressure and the recent lack of cooperation from across the aisle, he made the decision to compromise. While I support compromise in situations in which it leads to greater productivity, President Obama should not have compromised here.
Between the President’s signed statements and recently introduced legislation by Ron Paul, the authority provided by the NDAA is unlikely to ever be used. In order to pass these important pieces, politics, not common sense, included one section into the bill that provides the government with an over-reaching authority. But with the opposition to this section, it is likely that section 1021 will ultimately be repealed.
— Jacob Keplar is a junior from Rusalin, KS.
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Comments
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
you forgot to mention that congress had enough votes for this bill to over ride any veto. if obama had vetoed it he may have looked like a hero, but only as far as the press would allow, which, btw, has been biased against him since he was elected, often forgetting to mention vital facts pertinent to the stories surrounding him.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
p.s. i'm sure that if he had vetoed the bill you would be decrying that as well, claiming that he went against the will of the people and delayed funding for needy vets. racist.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
The problem with your premise is that Obama never actually was opposed to the detainment provisions - his threat to veto, and his signing statement, were political theater to pander to those too lazy or stupid to pay attention to what was going on. As members of the Senate demonstrated, by showing the letter that they received from the White House, it was Obama himself who threatened to hold up the bill if they did not include those provisions, and he has, in fact, claimed since the beginning of his presidency that he already had those powers. Remember that he has already assassinated an American citizen with no due process.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
what ever a racist wants to believe
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
"The administration had threatened to veto versions of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 passed by the House and the Senate, arguing that provisions would open the door for the military to perform policing functions inside the United States, and that they would infringe on executive branch powers."
quote from the new york time
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/us/politics/obama-wont-veto-military-authorization-bill.html
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
"A provision of S. 1867, or the National Defense Authorization Act bill, written by Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, declares American soil a battlefield and allows the President and all future Chief Executives to order the military to arrest and detain American citizens, innocent or not, without charge or trial. In other words, if this bill passes and the President signs it, OWS protesters or any American could end up arrested and indefinitely locked up by the military without the guaranteed right to due process or a speedy trial."
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/26/us-senate-to-vote-on-bill-that-will-allow-the-military-to-arrest-americans-on-american-soil-and-hold-them-indefinitely/
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
"The provisions were co-sponsored by Senators Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, and John McCain, Republican of Arizona, both of whom should know better. Their excuse was that some Republicans had proposed worse rules. But the smart response to that situation would have been to block faulty legislation outright, not to make a really bad deal."
http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/president-obama-veto-the-defense-authorization-act/
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
Calling someone a racist simply because they criticize the president is the most racist thing you can do, because it implies that being black automatically means the man should not be judged by his actions, but only by the color of his skin. So please refrain from ignorant adolescent name-calling. As a member of an ethnic minority, I find your racism offensive.
If you're so hot on news articles, read these, which are from LIBERAL sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-turley/constitutional-rights_b_1213234.html
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-ndaa-al-madhwani-gitmo-089/
Educated liberals know that Obama has been lying from the very beginning about his position on indefinite detention, torture, extra-judicial executions, etc. He has broken every single campaign promise he made to end the Bush-era policies on this, and has in fact gone far beyond what Bush did on every one. For example, Bush never executed an American citizen without due process, but Obama did so openly just a couple of months ago, and defended his action and his self-proclaimed authority to do this.
Anyone who has been following his actions on these subjects knew from the beginning, even before the senate made public his letter demanding the inclusion of the NDAA provisions (which was the reason they sponsored them), that his supposed opposition to them was fake. It was just political theater to fool people like you, who read one or two news articles and think they are informed on a subject, into continuing to believe his lies.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
the last refuge of the ignorant - throwing the race card.
FYI; the press has admitted, through various personages, that they were totally in the tank for Obama. Ever hear of JournaList? A group of journalists who went on record as supporting Obama in his endeavors.
Not only a race baiter, but dumb as a sack of hammers.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
when there is no other motive then it must be racism, it was maccain and levin which crafted the current ndaa, and they claimed it was in response to blood thirsty repuglicans which wanted something worse. blaming obama for it, and even trying to say he insisted on it (indefinite detention) is an out right lie. you could call it politics as usual, but it still boils down to racism.
Keplar: Point Counterpoint: the National Defense Authorization Act
freedom of the press never meant freedom to lie to the public, repeatedly.
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