David Swanson / WarIsACrime.org – 2011-05-24 23:24:09

http://warisacrime.org/content/worst-bill-ever-congress-0

(May 23, 2011) — The “Defense Authorization” bill now before Congress, HR 1540, is arguably the worst bill ever considered likely to pass into law. It includes $118 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wars a majority of Americans wants ended. But that’s not why it’s the worst bill ever.

This bill also includes $553 billion for other military waste. That’s enough money to save and improve a lot of lives if it weren’t being dumped into the war machine. But that’s not why this is the worst bill ever.

The bill limits the President’s ability to implement the New START agreement unless there is full funding for the nuclear weapons complex, bars the retirement of nuclear weapons until two new nuclear facilities are completed, and bars further nuclear weapons reductions below New START levels unless approved by Congress. But that’s not why this is the worst bill ever.

* The bill invests heavily in a National Missile “Defense” system based in California and Alaska.

* This bill revives a second engine for the F-35 that the Pentagon has no use for.

* This bill bars any transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo.

But none of that is why this is the worst bill ever.

This is the worst bill ever because it gives presidents the power to single-handedly launch wars and to lock people up without trial.

This legislation, Section 1034 of the worst bill ever, undoes the limitations on one-man rule put in place by the US Constitution over two centuries ago. This is the biggest formal shift of power in our government since we’ve had a government.

We have military operations now in some 75 countries, and a significant war in Libya, all illegal under the US Constitution and the War Powers Act. But the worst bill ever will erase the War Powers Act, and the Constitution will simply be ignored.

Meanwhile the significant withdra wal that President Obama promised to begin in Afghanistan has been scaled back to a withdrawal of 2.5 percent of US forces

Call Congress today and tell your Representative and your two Senators:

Enough is enough!

End the wars!
Bring the troops home!
Convert the economy to peace!
And do not pass the worst bill ever!

Call toll-free 1-888-231-9276.