It appears that the former president and the House have been able to pass legislation that shifts the battlefields against terrorism, al-Qaida and the Taliban from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen to the United States and its citizenry.

After President Bush declared war on “terrorism,” the Supreme Court ruled that, in addition to Osama bin Laden, American citizens can be treated as enemy combatants.

Next came National Defense Authorization Act, introduced on April 13, 2011, sponsored by Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., which passed the House and Senate.

The NDAA authorizes the president and the military to arrest Americans without charge, counsel or trial, and detain them for an indefinite periods if the military claims they are terrorists. This bill could be likened to the Salem witch trials, which arrested and detained fellow citizens accused as being witches.

During House and Senate deliberations of the NDAA, President Barack Obama threatened to veto it but later signed it, opening the door to the potential abuse of power taking place in Syria, North Korea and China.

To facilitate the NDAA, our own Sen. Susan Collins co-sponsored with Sen. Joe Lieberman the new Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which requires companies such as AT&T, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, to share with the military and the National Security Agency anything they want whenever they want.

The bill passed by the GOP-controlled House now heads to the Senate. Both Maine Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud voted against the bill.

It remains to be seen if Obama will carry out his threat to veto this bill.

Patrick Eisenhart

Augusta

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