Current Event- January 7

President Obama (source: huffingtonpost.com)

          The U.S. Bill of Rights states that a person cannot be held responsible for a crime without proof, that everyone has the right to a court trial, and that you are innocent until proven guilty. America, being the free country that it is, holds these laws among others as its most basic, or at least it used to. Just on New Years Eve, President Obama signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which, among other things, allows the military to imprison any American citizen without  trial or attorney upon suspecting them to be involved in terrorist acts. For much of the American public, this was quite frightening.
           Since 9/11, Americans have lived in fear of terrorism. Airport security is nearly impossible to get through, people are always on the lookout for suspicious activity, and racism against people of middle eastern backgrounds has elevated to an entirely new level. American Law enforcement have an awful reputation for racism, so it is easy to see how many could live in fear of being imprisoned for something they never took part in.
           The NDAA was created to help fight the war against terror, but it is actually causing terror itself. The Law stated that someone could be imprisoned for simply looking suspicious, which would strike a bit of fear in everyone. This doesn't just affect middle eastern people; it affects everyone. Anyone could be held in a cell for the rest of their lives, and we would never know. How is that fair to anyone?