Michael Moore asks citizens to stand up to Obama on civil liberties issue

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Michael Moore asks citizens to stand up to Obama on civil liberties issue

Paul Harris in New York
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 February 2013 16.56 GMT

Michael Moore, the gadfly documentarian who has made a career out of fighting against conservative issues, has called for US citizens to stand up to President Barack Obama and back a court case he says is fighting a dangerous erosion of civil liberties.

The case has been brought against a little known piece of legislation called the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), which critics say has been changed to grant Obama the power to indefinitely detain American citizens without charge.

A group of activists, including Daniel Ellsberg – the official who leaked the Pentagon papers about the Vietnam war – and former New York Times journalist Chris Hedges have gone to court to get the language of the NDAA changed. On Wednesday an appeals court in New York heard arguments in the case and is set to render a judgment in the coming months.

Now Moore has come out swinging against the NDAA, too, saying that the White House is embarking on a plan to scrap vital civil rights that should concern every American citizen – despite a relative lack of publicity about the case. "At the moment a lot of people think the NDAA does not look scary. But this sort of thing never looks scary at the start. But the American people will rue the day if they do not stop this," he told the Guardian in an interview.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/07/michael-moore-obama-administration-ndaa

[rhett o rick]

1. Michael, Michael plez give us a break. Some of us have a difficult time dealing with reality.

We rationalize to keep sane. We have made up our minds that Republicans are bad and Democrats are good. It's an easy concept to work with. When Sen Specter switched from Republican to Democrat, he cleansed himself. All past badness was forgiven.
Now you, Michael are trying to burst our comfort bubble. Shame.

[oberle]

2. what to do

And just wht does he think ordinary citizens can do about this? Especially if Ellsberg and Hedges lose.

[Jakes Progress]

11. At least stand up.

At least voice your disgust. At least.

[WillyT]

3. K & R !!!

[Jeevus]

4. I had a post deleted by the DU jury for basically saying the same thing.

First NDAA was signed into law, and I shrugged it off.

Now drone strikes without due process are ok? I can't shrug that off.

Obama has completely betrayed his liberal base. This is a big fuck you to civil liberties from the Obama administration.

[zeemike]

5. And you could be alerted on again for bringing it up

But not by me cause I thing you not only have the right to say it but a duty as a citizen to do it.
Don't let the trolls get to you...and welcome to DU.

[Flying Squirrel]

18. Sad to think that civil liberties has become a "partisan issue"

There was a time not so long ago when that was not the case.

[CarmanK]

6. The fight for democracy has to protect individual rights to life, and liberty. We have to secure it

for all our citizens. We cannot detain people without due process indefinitely. But, I will say, that if an AMERICAN goes abroad, takes up the mantle of a terrorist and leads a terrorist organization, he is an ENEMy combatant and is subject to military rules of engagement.

[valerief]

7. Does this give the president the right to detain GOP House members for being terrorists? nt

[DeSwiss]

15. ''When the President does it, it isn't illegal.'' ~Richard M. Nixon :-/ n/t

[a2liberal]

8. History will not look back on us kindly

I can't believe all the people on DU who think it's no big deal... "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

[Jakes Progress]

12. Nixon went to China.

What will Obama's legacy be?

[awoke_in_2003]

9. And Congrees renewed the patriot act...

which the president signed. Neither side gives a flip about civil liberties.

[Jakes Progress]

13. But the veto was his.

That's who will get the credit in history.

[zipplewrath]

10. Obviously

Obviously Michael wants Palin to win. Er, who is the current GOP boogey man that is suppose to prevent us from criticizing Obama?

[DeSwiss]

14. If not now.....

...when?

- K&R

[ReRe]

16. Thanks for this article from the Guardian..

K&R

...Eugene. However, don't be fooled by it. The red flag went up for me by the time I got to the 5th word. FYI, gadfly = "an intentionally annoying person, who stimulates or provokes others, esp by persistently irritating criticism." My eyes traveled up to the author's name, "Paul Harris, New York." Ah...The reporter is in New York, no doubt somewhere near or on Wall Street. Thus the animosity towards Michael Moore. Michael seems intentionally annoying to the Wall Streeter because he speaks truth to power. If Michael went along to get along, this article might have less of an attitude.

If you want to know a little more on the subject of the NDAA, go check out http://www.DemocracyNow.org Search around and you will find quite a bit on Chris Hedges and Daniel Ellsberg, et.al. who speak about their case against the USG for the lanquage in the NDAA. (Ellsberg was on there yesterday speaking about it.) They (Ellsbberg & Hedges, et.al.) won their first case and were elated, even though they knew that the Administration would appeal it. The appeal is what happened yesterday, and again they are in a waiting period for the judge's ruling. Also, you will find tons of info about John Brennan, POs pick for CIA Chief.

[xchrom]

17. Du rec. Nt

[Scuba]

19. We need to keep pulling the President, and others, left.