Obama administration backs stripping “terror” suspects of Miranda rights

Attorney General Eric Holder said Sunday that the Obama administration would seek congressional passage of legislation that would weaken or eliminate Miranda rights for anyone arrested on suspicion of a connection to terrorism, effectively permitting open-ended and coercive interrogations.

In appearances on several network television interview programs, Holder and chief White House terrorism adviser John Brennan responded to congressional demands for more sweeping attacks on democratic rights in the wake of the failed attempt to detonate a car-bomb in New York City’s Times Square May 1.

Senator Joseph Lieberman, an Independent Democrat from Connecticut, and Senator Scott Brown, the recently elected Republican from Massachusetts, announced May 5 they would introduce legislation to authorize the State Department to revoke the citizenship of any American believed to be linked to terrorism. Similar legislation is to be introduced in the House of Representatives by two Pennsylvania congressmen, Democrat Jason Altmire and Republican Charles Dent.

The Lieberman-Brown bill was announced amid a blaze of media publicity, after the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the suspected Times Square bomber, a naturalized American citizen of Pakistani descent. Shahzad was taken off an Emirates Airways plane at Kennedy Airport May 3, interrogated and arrested. Right-wing criticism of the Obama administration and Holder in particular has focused on the decision to read Shahzad his Miranda rights after four hours of questioning.

The bill won immediate support from some leading Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she supported the “spirit” of the measure but wanted to see the details. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared, “United States citizenship is a privilege. It is not a right. People who are serving foreign powers—or in this case, foreign terrorists—are clearly in violation, in my personal opinion, of that oath which they swore when they became citizens.”

Continued at link

Source

But wait, technically all of us here on ATS could be terrorists right?

And if I don't have the right to remain silent, torture it out of me...

The plot thickens...

This is really bad news. When we start punishing SUSPECTS, then we've lost everything that was once great about our Justice system. This would mean "innocent until proven guilty" is no longer our legal motto. I don't know what Obama's thinking!

This is not good! What ever happened to "Inalienable rights"? Looks like they've discoverd a way to ammend the Constitution without having to ammend the Constitution - just legislate their way around it.

I'm wondering if those who supported OBama are starting to get embarrassed yet? And if not now, then what will it take?

Why don't we take him to prison for terrorism.

Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological goal (as opposed to a lone attack), and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians).

That pretty much sums up his administration and the previous administration.

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT

IMO Obama needs a serious challenge in the Democratic Primaries in 2012. There is only one man who is already vocal against Obama and has enough power and guts to take on Obama and his regime of Corporate war criminals. They would piss themselves if he actually took on Obama and the entire corrupt corporate regime.

[edit on 5/10/10 by Misoir]

OK. Obama already apologized to the world for the Bush administration treating terrorists outside the U.S. legal system, now his regime is going to do exactly the same thing, while Holder is still planning civilian trials in New York City for Gitmo detainees?

Originally posted by kozmo
This is not good!

What ever happened to "Inalienable rights"? Looks like they've discoverd a way to ammend the Constitution without having to ammend the Constitution - just legislate their way around it.

I'm wondering if those who supported OBama are starting to get embarrassed yet? And if not now, then what will it take?

Yeah frankly I'm getting fed up with Obama. The war is still going strong. He has done nothing to repeal the patriot act and restore our freedoms. He has done absolutely nothing to bring those war profiteering bast *ahem* gentlemen to justice for their fake war. You know he acts just like a republican which is why I think he's doing this to suck up to the right.

Before someone says there is no difference between rep and dems you need to take a better look. There's a big difference however neither is beyond reproach.

Originally posted by kozmo
This is not good!

What ever happened to "Inalienable rights"? Looks like they've discoverd a way to ammend the Constitution without having to ammend the Constitution - just legislate their way around it.

I'm wondering if those who supported OBama are starting to get embarrassed yet? And if not now, then what will it take?

If you did your homework, you'd know Republicans such as John McCain criticized and pressured the Obama adminastration for NOT TAKING AWAY terror suspects and terrorists Miranda Rights,

they finally succumb to the pressure and is attacked for it?

THIS GUY NEVER WINS!

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
This is really bad news. When we start punishing SUSPECTS, then we've lost everything that was once great about our Justice system. This would mean "innocent until proven guilty" is no longer our legal motto. I don't know what Obama's thinking!

The source Op was from "The World Socialist Website"...let's just research a little before we trust the first source provided and read it as gospel.

There is a law passed in 1984 that affords the FBI the chance to interrogate a suspect in cases where there might be an immediate public danger..

however, the Court created a "pub-
lic safety" exception to the Miranda requirements for situations
where a threat to public safety compels the police to question a
criminal suspect immediately.

www.questia.com...

Holder was discussing clarifying the "public safety" exception to afford FBI investigators to address any immediate threats that a terrorist subject might have put into motion..NOT Eliminating Miranda rights.

There are laws that actually forbid Congress from passing laws to elimnate Miranda rights.

The reality is that Congress cannot modify Miranda or the so-called "Quarles" exception. Indeed, there is a Supreme Court decision, Dickerson v. U.S., that significantly limits Congress's ability to modify the content and power of the warning. Since Miranda warnings are a constitutional right, Congress cannot overrule them.

www.theatlantic.com...

Other sources...

news.yahoo.com...

www.theatlantic.com...

[edit on 10-5-2010 by maybereal11]

reply to post by maybereal11


Thanks. I'm not familiar with that source. You know I don't usually trust the first source, but I screwed up.

"I think we have to give serious consideration to at least modifying that public safety exception," Holder said during an appearance on "This Week" on ABC. "And that's one of the things that I think we're going to be reaching out to Congress to do, to come up with a proposal that is both constitutional, but that is also relevant to our time and the threat that we now face."
...
"Well, I think a number of possibilities, and those are the kinds of things that we'll be discussing with Congress, to make sure that we are as effective as we can be, that agents are clear in what it is that they can do and interacting with people in this context," the attorney general said. "So we're going to be working with Congress so that we come up with something that, as I said, gives the necessary clarity, is flexible, but is also constitutional."

Holder Quote

I was aware of the 1984 law, but this OP made it sound like they were going to take away Miranda rights for suspects, not just someone who posed a public danger.

And Obama isn't mentioned in any of this at all. I love how all the thread titles lately throw Obama's name in there to make him look bad...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

And Obama isn't mentioned in any of this at all. I love how all the thread titles lately throw Obama's name in there to make him look bad...

Yep. I commented on that phenomena just today here..

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The strange thing in my world is how often I get labled a Kool-aide drinker or Obama defender, when in reality...I am just easily irked by dishonesty and I find it consistently and in great abundance within most of the Anti-Obama threads...to the point when I do see a clear and honest criticism of Obama, I am almost excited to post...YES...here he is out of line! Whoopee a valid criticism..finally! It's just so damn rare that an Anti-Obama thread is solid and factual and researched.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
reply to post by maybereal11

 

Thanks.

I'm not familiar with that source. You know I don't usually trust the first source, but I screwed up.

Yes the source is questionable...ironically not because they are "right wing". They are what their web title suggests...Real life Socialists/Marxist...who are fiercly opposed to President Obama, even before he was elected. They view him as a conservative The Irony....Obama getting hit with right wing style spin pieces and half-truths from real world Socialist/Marxists

reply to post by Koolcdj69


Oh, so I see... this is John McCain's fault, eh?

Yup, that John McCain sure is one political heavyweight. So much so that he can pressure the President into backing unconstitutional and untenable positions.

Last I checked, McCain LOST the election and is NOT President.

Originally posted by maybereal11
...when I do see a clear and honest criticism of Obama, I am almost excited to post...YES...here he is out of line! Whoopee a valid criticism..finally!

And that is exactly what happened with me here. I thought that finally we have a valid criticism of Obama that we can discuss. I just jumped the gun in my excitement.

I AM an Obama supporter and agree with him on many issues, but definitely disagree with him on some. And this (if it had been true) would have been one.

WTF are these idiots talking about?

You can't spend 120 SECONDS to spew someone's miranda rights at them?

So you cripple any future legal proceedings that might follow.

WHAT? These guys are idiots.

Hysterical idiots or political pandering prostitutes.

UM btw how about looking at all the coercive interrogations that police & other 'enforcement' agencies engage in WITH miranda rights?

This is just stupid.

I realize that the Republicans may gobble up this stupidity with all the rest,
but are you going to as well?

It is Lieberman & Holder & their police state affiliates that are engaging in more of their terrorism as usual.

Holder is a murderous United Fruit company paid whore.
A COWARD trying to paint everyone else with his own spinelessness.

[edit on 11-5-2010 by slank]