http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-turley14aug14.story By JONATHAN TURLEY, Jonathan Turley is a professor of constitutional
law at George Washington University.
Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft's announced desire for camps for U.S.
citizens he deems to be "enemy combatants" has moved him from merely
being a political embarrassment to being a constitutional menace.
Ashcroft's plan, disclosed last week but little publicized, would
allow him to order the indefinite incarceration of U.S. citizens and
summarily strip them of their constitutional rights and access to the
courts by declaring them enemy combatants.
The proposed camp plan should trigger immediate congressional hearings
and reconsideration of Ashcroft's fitness for this important office.
Whereas Al Qaeda is a threat to the lives of our citizens, Ashcroft
has become a clear and present threat to our liberties.
The camp plan was forged at an optimistic time for Ashcroft's small
inner circle, which has been carefully watching two test cases to see
whether this vision could become a reality. The cases of Jose Padilla
and Yaser Esam Hamdi will determine whether U.S. citizens can be held
without charges and subject to the arbitrary and unchecked authority
of the government.
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