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You mean besides suspend Habeus Corpeus (how ever it is spelled?). Or allow troops to fire into rioters in NYC?
Or a variety of other acts that I feel were directly in violation of the Bill of Rights?
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Greenhat,
Out of curiosity, what is your opinion of the current state of habeas corpus?
And let me preface this by acknowledging that the use of suspended habeas corpus in 1861 and 1862 goes far beyond what we are seeing with regards to the legal treatment of suspected terrorists. My understanding is that over 13,000 people were arrested under martial law during this time period. Interestingly, though, the arrests were primarily of any suspected disloyal citizens in the Union. Whether armed rebels or just loud protesters, as many probably were, the parallel to today's situation certainly exists.
President Lincoln has the great fortune of being credited with preventing the early collapse of the United States, and so history judges this decision well. While we are all (hopefully) grateful for the outcome of the Civil War, I must agree with you that this was a terrible precedent to set for the case of American liberty.
I know that the topic of recent habeas corpus rulings is currently being covered ferociously with respect to the Joseph Padilla case in another thread, but I was hoping you'd share your thoughts on the subject since the question immediately sprang to mind when I read your post.