One state is fighting back against the unconstitutional powers granted by the NDAA with a bill that would make it illegal for the government to indefinitely detain citizens without due process.
The post State House Passes First Of Its Kind Bill That Bans Federal NDAA Indefinite Detention appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
The Pentagon will now be pumping millions of dollars to wage a preemptive information war against "propaganda" that may expose the crimes of the military-industrial complex.
The post Pentagon Just Pledged Millions to Pay Media Companies to Wage a Massive Information War appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
Trump criticized the US for spending trillions in the Middle East, days after signing a military budget that will cost taxpayers $2 billion a day in 2018.
The price tag on the latest National Defense Authorization Act is $700 billion, which will cost American taxpayers nearly $2 billion every day in 2018.
(COMMONDREAMS) — In a bipartisan show of support for endless war and out-of-control military spending, the House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the nearly $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 that aims to boost war outlays by $80 billion—an amount that critics noted would easily cover the costs of free public college tuition and other initiatives that are frequently dismissed as too expensive.
The final vote tally was 357-70, with 127 Democrats throwing their support behind the bill. Sixty-seven Democrats—including Reps. Barbara Lee of California, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and John Conyers of Michigan—voted against the legislation.
In addition to providing cash for 90 F-35 jets—20 more than President Donald Trump requested—the measure also approves more than $12 billion for the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, a massive boost in funding that comes amid soaring tensions between the United States and North Korea.
As the Associated Press notes, the legislation additionally “includes money for as many as 28 additional Ground-Based Interceptors, which are anti-missile missiles that would be launched from underground silos in Alaska in the event the U.S. decided to try to shoot down a North Korean missile heading toward the United States. The interceptors are designed to directly hit the enemy missile outside the Earth’s atmosphere, obliterating it by the force of impact.”
The House vote sets the stage for the Senate to debate the legislation shortly after Thanksgiving before sending it to Trump’s desk. Because the measure far exceeds the $549 billion ceiling set by the Budget Control Act, “House and Senate leaders must strike a budget deal that increases the caps in order to boost defense spending as prescribed by the bill,” Politico reports.
Commentators were quick to slam the House for approving such a massive gift to the military while “Flint still doesn’t have drinking water, we are told we cannot have affordable single-payer, free college education is too costly, we do not have money to help the homeless, we do not have money to fix our infrastructure.”
Also – the implicit framing here that increased military spending is necessary to protect us from our own President"s recklessness, is just wrong. This is a massive cash cow for weapons companies, nothing more. https://t.co/ZauQXXPh63
— Alex Emmons (@AlexEmmons) November 14, 2017
"We can"t afford to take action on climate change" https://t.co/aAZSbKLlBn
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) November 14, 2017
But universal health care and tuition free college are too expensive. https://t.co/JiShmRjZ8p
— People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) November 14, 2017
What if we tell @HouseGOP & @HouseDemocrats that North Korea wanted to close schools, take our healthcare away and pump CO2 into our air – we could suddenly, magically find $700 billion dollars for all of it. https://t.co/pa1IYu4kba
— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) November 14, 2017
By Jake Johnson / Creative Commons / Common Dreams / Report a typo
This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.
Washington, D.C. — (RT) Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has vowed to delay a $700 billion defense bill until he is promised a vote on amending the use of military force in Afghanistan and Iraq, aiming to end the wars in the two countries.
The Senate on Monday took up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passing a motion in an 89-3 vote which allowed the legislation to proceed. That action essentially limits the procedural debate on the legislation and moves the NDAA to a full vote as early as Wednesday morning.
However, Paul made clear on his Twitter account that he had every intention of slowing down the passage of the NDAA – which sets forth the Pentagon’s budget and major programs for the next fiscal year beginning October 1 – until he was guaranteed a vote on amending the AUMF in Afghanistan in Iraq.
Tonight, the Senate is attempting to move forward with the Defense Bill. I am seeking an amendment to end the AUMF in Afghanistan and Iraq.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
“I will object to all procedural motions and amendments unless and until my amendment is made in order and we vote on these wars,” Paul wrote.
I will object to all procedural motions and amendments unless and until my amendment is made in order and we vote on these wars
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Advertisment
He went on to note the length of time that the US military has been present in Afghanistan and Iraq.
READ MORE: Paradigm Shift — Solar & Wind Jobs Growing 12 Times Faster Than US Economy
“We have been there for 16 years. It is time for them to end. It is time for Congress to vote on whether or not they should end.”
We have been there for 16 years. It is time for them to end. It is time for Congress to vote on whether or not they should end.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Paul noted that the Senate was in a “quorum call,” unable to act because of his protest.
The Senate is now in a quorum call, unable to act because of my protest. This is why I sit on the floor, in silent protest.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
He vowed to continue the protest until Congress agreed to vote on whether or not to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I will continue this protest and these objections for as long as needed to ensure Congress do its duty, and vote on ending these wars.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Paul noted that his protest was for the soldiers, adding that “hypocrites” are happy to “pretend concern over our constitutional duty to declare war” but are happy to “block any vote on ending any of our 7 current wars.”
Hypocrites, they pretend concern over our constitutional duty to declare war and then block any vote on ending any of our 7 current wars
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
The senator said that he “sits nearly alone,” but he is happy to fight by himself if needed.
In addition to Paul, the NDAA cloture motion was opposed by Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden.
READ MORE: Angry Protesters Storm FBI Building, Back Scared Cops into Corner
Paul took aim at both the “anti-war left” and the “conservative right” in his series of tweets.
“Where is the anti-war left demanding the wars end? Where is the constitional [sic] conservative right demanding Congress reclaim its war powers?” he wrote.
Where is the anti-war left demanding the wars end? Where is the constitional conservative right demanding Congress reclaim its war powers?
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Although an increasing number of lawmakers have been calling on Congress to pass a new AUMF for Afghanistan, Paul has largely been alone in his mission to put a deadline on Congress for a vote.
Paul did appear to strike at least a partial deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) about an hour after initially issuing his threats to delay the NDAA passage, with McConnell guaranteeing Paul four hours on Tuesday to state his AUMF reasoning on the Senate floor, the Washington Post reported.
Senate leaders have agreed not to try to end debate early, and have agreed to four hours of debate under my control to debate these wars.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 12, 2017
However, that wasn’t enough to get Paul to back down, with the senator later reiterating his plan to “continue to fight, and if necessary, object, to continue this debate, secure a vote, and force Congress to do its duty.”
The war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 as a US response to the September 11 attacks, is the longest war in US history.
(ANTIMEDIA) Washington, D.C. — After 16 years at war, one U.S. senator appears to have had enough. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul sat on the floor of the United States Senate Monday night to protest the lack of oversight regarding the U.S. government’s foreign policy.
As the legislative body attempts to push through the $692 billion Defense Authorization Act, the Republican senator is trying to block the bill from moving forward until his colleagues are forced to vote on an amendment that would put an end to the 2001 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force.
Late Monday evening, the Senate passed a motion, to a vote of 89-3, which allowed the legislation to proceed. While the motion limits procedural debate on the legislation, Senator Paul was guaranteed four hours to be able to make his case on Tuesday.
A full vote on the NDAA could come as early as Wednesday morning, which means there is still time for your voice to be heard.
Paul wrote on Monday:
As Congress takes up the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will insist it vote on my amendment to sunset the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force.
Why?
Because these authorizations to use military force are inappropriately being used to justify American warfare in 7 different countries. Sunsetting both AUMFs will force a debate on whether we continue the Afghanistan war, the Libya war, the Yemen war, the Syria war, and other interventions.
Our military trains our soldiers to be focused and disciplined, yet the politicians who send them to fight have for years ignored those traits when developing our foreign policy.
The result? Trillions spent in seemingly endless conflicts in every corner of the globe, while we find ourselves 16 years into the war in Afghanistan wondering what our purpose there even is any more, or if we’ll ever bring our troops home.
If we don’t get this rudderless foreign policy under control now, we’ll still be asking the same questions another 16 years down the road.
It’s time to demand the policymakers take their own jobs as seriously as the men and women we ask to risk it all for our nation.
You can contact your senators by calling (202) 224-3121 if you wish to stand with Rand to help put an end to the needless wars and U.S. occupation of foreign nations.
Tonight, the Senate is attempting to move forward with the Defense Bill. I am seeking an amendment to end the AUMF in Afghanistan and Iraq.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
I will object to all procedural motions and amendments unless and until my amendment is made in order and we vote on these wars
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
An attempt was made to run the clock on the bill overnight. I objected and am now sitting on the floor of the Senate to stop that
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Tonight I sit silently to protest the thousands of American soldiers who have died over the past decade in these wars.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
We have been there for 16 years. It is time for them to end. It is time for Congress to vote on whether or not they should end.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
The Senate is now in a quorum call, unable to act because of my protest. This is why I sit on the floor, in silent protest.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
I will continue this protest and these objections for as long as needed to ensure Congress do its duty, and vote on ending these wars.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
I sit for our soldiers young and brave. Sent to fight in distant lands in our forgotten, forever war
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Hypocrites, they pretend concern over our constitutional duty to declare war and then block any vote on ending any of our 7 current wars
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
I sit nearly alone, but that’s fine. I’ll fight by myself if need be. This is too important pic.twitter.com/PRymNnafi8
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
Where is the anti-war left demanding the wars end? Where is the constitional conservative right demanding Congress reclaim its war powers?
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 11, 2017
The Senate attempted to shorten debate & move forward without consideration & debate on my amendment to end our AUMF in Afghanistan and Iraq
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 12, 2017
Senate leaders have agreed not to try to end debate early, and have agreed to four hours of debate under my control to debate these wars.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 12, 2017
I will continue to fight, and if necessary, object, to continue this debate , secure a vote and force Congress to do its duty.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 12, 2017
Creative Commons / Anti-Media / Report a typo
(ANTIWAR.COM) Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) has blocked a motion by majority leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) to advance the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the massive military spending bill, saying that the bill should instead face debate and possible amendments. This sets the bill back for 6 weeks, at least.
In particular, Sen. Paul is seeking two amendments, one which ends NDAA authorization for indefinite detention of suspects, and another related to the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), something that was added to the House version but later quietly removed by the Speaker.
Paul’s protest is expected to delay the NDAA vote through at least the August recess, meaning a vote is unlikely until September. While this gives plenty of time for amendments to be debated, it’s not clear the Senate leadership will allow that no matter how much time they’re given.
Indeed, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. John McCain (R – AZ) was critical of any delay on any grounds, insisting the bill and its huge spending increase are a “solemn obligation” for the Senate to pass without delay. Other Senators have repeatedly been angry with Sen. Paul for not getting their way on bills, but the military spending bill is such a large one it’s likely to be particularly unpopular to debate, as quietly slipping it through is the way these things usually go.
READ NEXT: The US Army Says It Doesn’t Know What It Did with $1 Billion in Weapons
By Jason Ditz / Republished with permission / ANTIWAR.COM / Report a typo
Amid heightening tensions with China and in the wake of accusations Russia somehow interfered in the election, U.S. Congress has instructed intelligence agencies and the Pentagon’s Strategic Command to assess the ‘survivability’ of Chinese and Russian leaders in the event of an above- or below-ground nuclear strike.
Under ordinary circumstances, such a review could be considered routine, but — given President Donald Trump’s ratcheting up of hostilities with China and the Democratic establishment’s scapegoating of Russia for its own shortcomings — it seems more an indication the U.S. could be preparing for war.
Interestingly, the plan for this analysis came buried in the 2017 NDAA, which former President Barack Obama signed into law two days before Christmas — timing almost certainly intended to deflect attention from several unsavory measures buried in the law’s pages.
This review, had it garnered attention, surely would have set off further debate on the perilous provocation to war with nuclear capable nations.
According to the NDAA, reviewers will perform “an identification of which facilities various senior political and military leaders of each respective country are expected to operate out of during crisis and wartime” and, additionally, the “location and description of above-ground and underground facilities important to the political and military leadership survivability.”
“Key officials and organizations of each respective country involved in managing and operating such facilities, programs, and activities” will also be identified by analysts.
Bloomberg reports, “Under the little-noticed provision in this year’s defense authorization measure, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Strategic Command — which plans and would execute nuclear strikes — will evaluate the post-attack capabilities of the two nuclear powers. The law mandates a report on Russian and Chinese ‘leadership survivability, command and control and continuity of government programs.’”
READ MORE: Former CIA and NSA Officials Just Joined Forces & Debunked the Russian "Hack" Conspiracy Thoery
Strategic Command will also evaluate how Chinese and Russian plans relate to the post-nuclear deployment plans of the United States.
“Our experts are drafting an appropriate response,” Strategic Command spokesman Navy Captain Brook DeWalt told Bloomberg in an email, adding, “it’s premature to pass along any details at this point, we can update you further at a later date.”
Written before Trump took office, the planned analysis nevertheless aligns with the president’s statement the U.S. nuclear arsenal should be strengthened — despite his stated goal of rapprochement with Russia.
In December, he told MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe, “Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” And in a brazen tweet the same month, Trump declared, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.”
On Friday, Trump ordered Secretary of Defense James Mattis to “initiate a new Nuclear Posture Review to ensure that the United States nuclear deterrent is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st-century threats and reassure our allies.”
Ohio Representative Michael Turner, who sits on the House Armed Service Committee’s Strategic Forces panel, told Bloomberg via email the U.S. “must understand how China and Russia intend to fight a war and how their leadership will command and control a potential conflict. This knowledge is pivotal to our ability to deter the threat.”
China and Russia, he continued, “have invested considerable effort and resources into understanding how we fight, including how to interfere with our leadership’s communication capabilities.
“We must not ignore gaps in our understanding of key adversary capabilities.”
While posturing about Russia being responsible for hacking and otherwise manipulating either the election or the U.S. populace has subsided since Trump took office, the president has intensified hostilities with China over trade, as well as maritime territorial issues in the South and East China Seas.
Russia and the U.S. ostensively possess some 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons — but Moscow has reportedly spent a great deal of time and money upgrading and improving its arsenal, where the U.S. has not.
Assessing the plans of world leaders in the event military action turns nuclear indicates the use of these weapons remains a viable option.
“Nuclear leaders in Russia and China ‘plan to direct nuclear forces from inside command bunkers buried deeply beneath the earth or deeply inside mountains,’ said Bruce Blair, a Princeton University research scholar on nuclear security policy and co-founder of Global Zero, a group devoted to eliminating nuclear weapons,” Bloomberg reports.
With a cascade of contentious executive actions coming nearly every day since Trump took the oath of office, vigilance — particularly concerning bellicose exchanges between the U.S. and China or Russia — is an absolute imperative.
