Wendy Sherman: “My first amendment deals with the enemy combatant doctrine, and what the bill does is that it provides that none of the…”

“My first amendment deals with the enemy combatant doctrine, and what the bill does is that it provides that none of the funds in this act can be used to detain for more than 30 days anyone apprehended on U.S. territory solely because that person is identified as an enemy combatant. That is to say, detention of over 30 days of anyone apprehended in the United States would be done under our regular criminal law. Now, first let us talk about what this amendment is not. This amendment does not try to protect our privacy. There will be incursions into our privacy in this war on terror, but it is one thing to say the government may know something about what we are doing or reading. It is another thing to say that the executive branch alone can incarcerate any of us permanently, and that is the wrong that this amendment addresses. Second, this amendment is not about those apprehended on foreign battlefields or on any foreign territory. It addresses only those apprehended on U.S. territory. Third, this amendment does not authorize any Federal agency to do anything. It is a limitation amendment, and so by its terms, it prevents the use of funds to detain someone for over 30 days.”