A Letter to My Senator—"National Defense"

Well, I couldn't help myself. I usually try to stay out of politics. Then I woke up to this news. The National Defense Authorization Act sounds like a nice name. Hey, our government is defending us!

Maybe not...

So, I just had to write a letter to my senator, Mr. Orrin Hatch.

Here it is:

Up front I need to admit that I'm not the most politically savvy guy. I've always been more focused on the arts than on the contention of our (seeming) empire. And rarely have I made contact with my local government. However, I woke up this morning to news of the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. From what is being said, it would allow (among many other provisions) the military to detain United States citizens without trial, if they are deemed a threat to national security. 


If this is true, it literally makes me sick to my stomach. I was raised believing that no matter what I had the right to a trial by a jury of my peers. 


With the abuses we've witnessed recently by police against people's right to assemble, the atrocities of the "War on Drugs," the slashing of arts and sciences in schools, and now this, I'm really worried about my value as a citizen and the rights it should include. 


In closing, I'm poor, have had a few driving tickets, and a wild youth: Other than that, I try my best to be a good man and citizen. 


Please help me believe in my country again. Oppose nonsense that makes the poor and the disenfranchised enemies to their own government.


Sincerely,


Nick West