Recently the Constitution took a severe beating in Congress as part of the 'war on terror'

I can’t imagine John Chafee or Lincoln Chafee casting votes like these. Sadly, in 2006 Rhode Islanders replaced Senator Lincoln Chafee with Sheldon Whitehouse.

Courtesy: glossynews.com

(RICHMOND, R.I.) - The Senate approved the indefinite military incarceration of suspected American citizens. No evidence, charges, trial or other aspects of due process would be required.

You might be suspected of being an “insurgent” depending on your ancestry or your physical appearance. (Recall the shameful incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II.)

Rhode Island’s Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse each voted, not once but three times, to endorse this violation of the fourth, fifth and sixth amendments.

They opposed attempts by Senator Mark Udall (D,CO) and by Senator Diane Feinstein’s (D, CA) to delete this unconstitutional authority from the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1867).

Then, on Dec. 1, they voted to approve the entire bill.

In addition on Nov. 29 Senators Reed and Whitehouse had also helped defeat an amendment by Senator Rand Paul (R, KY) to repeal the 2002 authorization for Bush’s unconstitutional war against Iraq.

I can’t imagine John Chafee or Lincoln Chafee casting votes like these. Sadly, in 2006 Rhode Islanders replaced Senator Lincoln Chafee with Sheldon Whitehouse.

Rod Driver studied engineering and mathematics at the University of Minnesota, receiving a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1960. He worked at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque for six years before taking a teaching position at the University of Rhode Island for 30 years. Rod says he became a 'peacenik' in 1951 (thanks to a few weeks on Pariss Island). He became particularly active in opposition to U.S. wars in Indochina and U.S. involvement in overthrowing governments and supporting dictators in Latin America and Iran. As the Vietnam war was winding down Rod began paying attention to the abuse of Palestinians - enabled with U.S. weapons and dollars, which has never stopped. Rod is the founder and president of the non-profit Justice First Foundation.

In Rhode Island Rod was an elected delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1986, Then he was elected a state representative for 10 years. At this time he is not in office. You can write to Rod Driver at this address: rod@roddriver.com