This is distressing...an American peace activist, Scott Parkin, has been detained in Australia as a threat to national security: Question over activist's deportation - National - theage.com.au. The only reason people can come up with is that he has led or participated in a number of anti-war rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.

Meanwhile, back in these parts, it's apparently legal to detain U.S. citizens now with no need for the messiness of indictments or trials. For all I know, Padilla is a complete scumbag. Or not. No indictment has occurred, no judge has heard evidence.

He's been imprisoned entirely on the dictat of the President. There is nothing to prevent the President, then, from arbitrarily imprisoning citizens without recourse to indictment or trial. Now, some will argue that the guy was caught at O'Hare allegedly planning to do some nefarious deed. Allegedly. Fine, present the evidence, indict him, and hold him for trial.

For your entertainment, read this essay from the 1992 and the US Army War College The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012. I know, it can't happen here, we have a system of laws...except when the President can decide not to follow them.