Occupy Pittsburgh Statement on 2012 NDAA

Please Note: This page is a blog; it reflects the view of the individual author, and does not necessarily represent the views of Occupy Pittsburgh.

NOTE: this is a living document, subject to change.

Occupy Pittsburgh Statement on 2012 NDAA (passed at 1/12/2012 General Assembly)

We have entered the New Year with a great gift from President Obama,
The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. Representing the 1%, the
U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives passed this bill,
followed by President Obama signing it on Dec. 31st. Although an NDAA
has been passed yearly for the last 48 years to sustain the enormous
Pentagon budget, the 2012 bill is particularly controversial because
it includes provisions that allow for the indefinite detention of U.S.
citizens by giving: “the authority for the Armed Forces of the United
States to detain covered persons … pending disposition under the law
of war [i.e., indefinitely and without trial]”. In addition to waging
foreign imperialist wars, the U.S Armed Forces are now provided with a
new domestic function: to act as a police force against their own
people, the 99%.

The act defines “covered persons” as a “person who was a part of or
substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces
including any person who has committed a belligerent act.”  The
language in this section is vague enough that it could be interpreted
as authorizing extreme forms of repression against a wide range of
political opponents of the U.S. government. Allowing the president to
determine what are “associated forces” and what constitutes a
“belligerent act” is essentially providing him with the wherewithal to
act against its own people for political purposes.

In light of recent massive police repression against the Occupy
movement throughout the U.S., it is conceivable that people who
organize or participate in demonstrations against the present or a
future government could be considered “belligerent.” Because “covered
persons” who are detained for “belligerent acts” will be stripped of
all rights by the 2012 NDAA, there will be no Fifth Amendment due
process to confirm or refute the validity of the government’s
accusations and actions against its own people. The 2012 NDAA is a
direct violation of the legal principle of innocent until proven
guilty.

As the 99%, we are not surprised that this bill enjoyed a great level
of bipartisan support from the Democrats and Republicans. Although the
Democrats attempt to portray themselves as friends of the working
class during election seasons, their support for this bill further
confirms their fundamental loyalty to the 1%, doing whatever is
necessary to preserve their corrupt order.

We are also fully cognizant of the connection between the timing of
this egregious violation of our democratic rights and the emergence of
the Occupy movement domestically and around the world.

We denounce this bill as a newer tool of repression against the 99%