“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States.”

With his right hand in the air and his left hand on a Bible, these words were uttered by George W. Bush to William Rehnquist, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, so as to be sworn into the office of president of the United States.

The Constitution that the president swore to uphold defines our country. It sets the rules by which we conduct ourselves. It is the document we hold up to the world as the pinnacle of freedom.

But on Oct. 17, President Bush signed Public Law 109-366, which takes away the most basic of freedoms guaranteed us by the Constitution: the right to appear in court. As I understand this bill, on just the word of the president or the secretary of defense, a person can be imprisoned indefinitely while being denied any opportunity or avenue to challenge detention.

There is no defense. It is their word and no one can oppose them.

All of us need to remember not only the 3,000 who died on 9/11, but also the more than 1 million American soldiers who have given their lives so that we might have the freedoms the Constitution guarantees us.

John West, Lewiston