Our president has suggested a law that allows Habeas Corpus to be taken from terrorists. This means that, United States citizen or not, if the government decides for some reason that you are a threat to the country and they consider you a terrorist, you can be detained.

The bill, which was passed into law on October 17, allows a military commission to prosecute terrorism suspects and allows the president to decide the type of interrogation techniques that he feels are necessary.

There is no reason to change a piece of the constitution that has long protected citizens. It does not just help terrorists, it helps people who have been forgotten, people who have been mistaken, and people who have not had their day in court but have served enough time in jail to question why they are still there. Habeas Corpus is not prejudice; the writ is there to help all who are detained without proper reasoning and to protect the innocent.

A terrorist is any person who uses violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. Terrorism is violence or the threat of violence carried out for a political purpose.

So let’s say you are in a political riot and you throw a rock at law enforcement. You are now, by definition, a terrorist. You can be taken and detained without question, and tortured in any way your president sees fit. There is no trial for you. The court does not judge you, and when you scream for Habeas Corpus, no one cares.

Now let's say you are a bystander next to the "terrorist" who threw the rock at law enforcement. They did not see the terrorist throw that rock. You were near the area that the rock came from. Now you and five other people are rounded up and detained without questioning or explanation why you are there. The court does not get to hear your plea because you do not get to have a plea; without Habeas Corpus, you are alone, with no legal support from anyone.

Maybe you were not at the riot near the person who threw the rock. Maybe there were pictures of you near people who are terrorists. You make friends with these terrorists. You do not know they are terrorists, but you are now considered a suspect of terrorism. When the actual terrorists go out and do something that is considered political violence, are you taken in too? Maybe they consider you a terrorist by association. Will you be able to claim Habeas Corpus? No; you’re a terrorist now.

We are allowing one more protection to be taken away from us. We are allowing more power for the government and less power for the people. We the people are supposed to be in charge of this country. We are supposed to be free thinking, independent, political citizens, protecting United States citizens from anything that may interfere, including our own government. Are we going to keep allowing our freedoms and our protections for our freedoms to be edged off the ledge of the president's desk by a piece of paper with an illegible statement and signature stating that it is now okay to torture people and allow them not to see their day in court?

Because this law has passed, there could soon be another passed so that any "criminal" will lose Habeas Corpus and anyone who questions the government could be thrown in jail without charges.

Tell us what you think. Write Spectrum at editor@mcckc.edu.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College