Commentary
If you think the gradual erosion of rights won't threaten yours, think again
by Hani HamdanHani Hamdan lives in Burnsville and practices dentistry in Lakeville, Minn. He is a contributor and editor of Engagemn.com and a source in MPR's Public Insight Network.
Shortly after 9/11, we began to see government increasingly overstepping its boundaries in the name of national security. First came the indefinite detention of non-U.S. citizens on non-U.S. territory; then the targeted assassination of U.S. citizens abroad; now, effective a few days ago, the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens, without due process, right here inside the United States.
Allow me to sidestep how colossally alarming this is and try to probe how and why we got this far. In my mind, the main reason many Americans fail to react to the gradual erosion of constitutional rights is that they do not see how the erosion affects them. Most people thought that these infringements concerned only Muslims, and that Muslim organizations such as CAIR should be the ones to fight for the rights their communities have lost.
At the present time, this assessment holds true to a large extent. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed into law refers to "terrorists," a term the government seems to think applies only to Muslims. In other words, I'm willing to bet my Toyota Prius that a terrorist non-Muslim group like the Hutaree Militia will still enjoy full rights to due process.
But the sometimes indifferent, sometimes supportive stance of Americans toward discrimination and phobia against their Muslim American compatriots is a sin for which everyone is poised to suffer. Here's why:
It serves us well to learn from the examples of other countries, the most familiar of which to me are Middle Eastern countries. There, at different times in the 20th century, laws were enacted criminalizing anyone who belonged to any of several Muslim organizations.
In the beginning, civic organizations that did not have Islamic inclinations thought they had nothing to fear. Soon enough, however, prison cells would teem with any and all politically active individuals, regardless of their ideology.
Politically inactive Arabs then thought they'd be spared. Little did they know that they would eventually lose most of their rights to due process and that their countries would become hotbeds for tyranny, torture, inequality and corruption. The elderly in those countries remember a time when free speech was respected and when pluralism was a reality of life. All of this was gone in their lifetimes. People of all religions and ideologies became victims of their dictatorships.
If you think you're immune to the gradual loss of liberty this country is undergoing simply because you're not Muslim or because you've "done nothing wrong," think again. The same underlying causes for the destruction of civil liberties abroad — money and corrupt politicians — are present here. Tyranny never happens all of a sudden. It sneaks up on you. It's been sneaking up on us for more than 10 years now.
When liberty is taken away, it is always done gradually.
Comments (7)
first off, wow, i pretty much had to give my ssn just to comment on this, i feel like a satelite jus zoomed in on me.
I pray that the american people wake up soon to what is happening here. Some days i feel that most of us are as ignorant and as insaine as the german civilians were during ww2. yes we need to protect ourselves from hostile forces in our country and around the world, but this (the forces being discussed) is a ploy. im a young white american, but i do fear a day will come in the US in which i will no longer be protected by my bill of rights. as i do not share the same ideals with our monopolizing capitalistic politicians and government. and that could one day be a problem for them..... or me.
im not a hippie, or a militant, or a bible basher, or an athiest, or anything to the extreme. im just someone with a lil bit of common sence and the ability to smell bs.
I agree completely with this analysis and warning and appreciate the warning that any "erosion of rights" threatens mine. We can be safe and secure without giving up our constitutional rights.
I agree with the article and the first comment
Mr Hamdan, thank you. You've identified the main problem with this act. Naomi Wolf discusses it in even more hair-raising detail: http://naomiwolf.org/2011/12/how-congress-is-signing-its-own-arrest-warrants-in-the-ndaa-citizen-arrest-bill/
5 men have been behind bars for almost two years in the Hutaree case with no trial. If you call that due process, then I would be more than happy to drive your Prius.
All people's civili liberties have been eroded during this period of time. All You have to do is call it Terroism and you rights are out the door.
How wonderful to hear some voices of sanity. I've felt like a voice crying in the wilderness for the past decade.
Not to turn this into a presidential rant but Ron Paul is the only candidate who seems to understand the excellent points raised in this article, IMO it's reason enough to vote for him. Think YOUR rights won't be taken away? Remember what Martin Niemöller wrote about Germany and the 30's and 40's:
"First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."
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