# National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396 "2011-12-07T18:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/1 "2011-12-07T18:51:10Z")
Seems to me this says the military can arrest me and hold me indefinitely on the governments say-so? Bye-bye habeus corpus and all that. [Wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012) [Forbes link](http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/12/05/the-national-defense-authorization-act-is-the-greatest-threat-to-civil-liberties-americans-face/) What say the Dope? Are we losing what little rights we still have, or is this just a fart in a whirlwind that will never pass Constitutional muster with the Supremes? Should I go back to stockpiling weapons and ammo? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/2 "2011-12-07T18:55:21Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > What say the Dope? [Answers can be found here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=633373) [And here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=633611) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NotreDame05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90ced4/32.png) [@NotreDame05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotreDame05)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/3 "2011-12-07T19:07:08Z")
I have read the actual provision and it does not permit indefinite detention. Rather, it authorizes the president to permit the U.S. to hold certain persons until hostilities have ceased. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/4 "2011-12-07T19:07:12Z")
How silly of me. My students were all atwitter this morning about random Facebook postings, and I didn’t see anything on the front page. My bad. Mods, please kill this abomination. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/5 "2011-12-07T19:16:01Z")
> [@NotreDame05](#): > > I have read the actual provision and it does not permit indefinite detention. Rather, it authorizes the president to permit the U.S. to hold certain persons until hostilities have ceased. Well since our current hostilities are indefinite, as in not defined by a declaration of war, I would say the provision does indeed allow indefinite detentions. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/6 "2011-12-07T19:28:40Z")
> [@NotreDame05](#): > > I have read the actual provision and it does not permit indefinite detention. Rather, it authorizes the president to permit the U.S. to hold certain persons until hostilities have ceased. As **WillFarnaby** says, there’s no guarantee that hostilities will _ever_ cease. See the Senate’s recent refusal to officially end the Iraq war. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2012/605396/7 "2011-12-07T19:55:29Z")
Closed at the OP’s request.