Reached by phone, Seattle congressman Jim McDermott fumed when he spoke about the new National Defense Authorization Act. Language included in the law, known as NDAA, codifies the practice of indefinite military detention without trial, further opening the door to indefinite detention of US citizens (in the name of fighting terrorists).
It passed the US House of Representatives on December 14 by a vote of 283 to 136, with McDermott casting the only “no” vote in all of Washington State’s congressional delegation. Even both of our US senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, voted “yes” the next day, when the US Senate passed it by a vote of 86 to 13.
NDAA’s passage has McDermott at a new level of agitation.
“If you give somebody the power, but don’t give anybody the chance to review it, you have simply done away with law,” McDermott says. He calls the worrisome provisions that allow for indefinite detention without trial “un-American, unconstitutional, and unnecessary.”
About a thousand Seattle constituents contacted him in the lead-up to the House vote, urging him to vote against the measure. But now that NDAA has passed—and now that President Obama has gone back on a previous veto threat and promised to sign it into law—McDermott is uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
“We’re stuck with this,” he lamented.
So what should people do?
“You know, sometimes I don’t have an answer,” McDermott said. “It is very, very, very troublesome to me that I have to say that to you, but I really don’t know what we can do at this point. I mean, it has been put into law.”
Senator Cantwell backed two failed amendments aimed at modifying the indefinite detention provisions but ultimately voted for NDAA. Her spokesperson would not explain her thinking to The Stranger, saying only: “Senator Cantwell supports a strong national defense that protects Americans from terrorism while safeguarding the civil liberties that are vital to our freedom.”
“You know, we’re all elected and we do what we think is best for the people that we represent,” McDermott said. “I can’t speak for anybody else. But it’s hard for me to understand how people would not see this… Giving the president the right to detain people indefinitely without review erodes what we as Americans say we are.” 
Love ya, Jim, but you might try spending some energy corralling other legislators into sharing your position, rather than just spotlighting your position. That would help us vote for you again not just because of what you believe but (for once) because you might actually get shit done.
Congress is still making crap up as they go along and they were not wright about it when it all started and they were not wright for ten years of war and ten years after the facts it’s the same crap? Oh the CIA and George junior tricked us?
Some believe it’s better to be part of a team then be wright and then there are people like Jim who feel it’s better to be wright then part of the wrong team.
Liberty and Justice For “ALL”.
Good work Jim. I do believe it’s a useless law and it just let’s congress make more stupid mistakes.
For the knifes that break and the bullits that fall short my speacial love
@1 may I say: get a clue? How many years does one spend in an institutional milieu WITHOUT “sharing your position” with those around you? You think this guy might “FOR ONCE” get something done? Maybe I should inspect your lunch. I think you might be getting poisoned… ^..^
Umm! Seems some are missing the point!
After 9-11 all so called patriots sat up and said “the only way the terrorists can win is if we let them change our American freedoms and way of life”.
Taking the poop that fell out of there mouth and holding it up we conclude that phrase from counter strike has been made very very obvious.
TSA,Immigration, The great wall of America, Trade restrictions , The multi-billions striped for tax payers and sent over seas, war upon war and all this from people who framed Iraq with WMD’s and framed Vietnam with some similar B/S.
If it is a win its not for the American people and it’s not a win for the American politypiggys so like so often in counter strike “Terrorists win” and we should not be waiting for the next round as it will get much worse as that is what your government Is seemingly able to do at the highest cost.
So who are the terrorists?
Congrats to McDivot for being on the right side of an issue for once. Too bad he’s so marginalized and ineffective that he’s worthless as anything other than a seat warmer.
McDermott generally votes right, the trouble is, he doesn’t drive any movement.
Not too surprising that Obama did not veto it….He is truly the Manchurian Candidate from the military/financial/big pharma, etc, etc complex!!!!
But He`s soooo kewl and da bomb right?1?
Obama is shell shocked from having to deal with the Autistic congress that just screams incoherently as they loose control of their bodily functions for 4 years.
as well Obama has that wonderful advisory group of Dog the bounty hunter Hillary Rodham and the rest of the Mod Squad?
As for a seat warmer? its like wow how refreshing to find “one” member of congress ineffective and worthless.
sound exactly like something Pick Rerry would say.