That great patriot Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
I disagree with Ben only in that I believe everyone deserves both liberty and safety.
And we really can have both. We must have both.
Fortunately, to that end, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and some other good guys are preparing a bill to restore the rights of Habeas Corpus and due process that were swept away with the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
We all need to push for passage of this bill.
From the American Civil Liberties Union:
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We have seen five years of lost liberties all in the name of keeping America safe. You and I know that we can keep America safe and free at the same time. We can uphold the liberties outlined in the Constitution, while at the same time ensuring our government is diligent in keeping us secure.-----
Today, you can begin restoring the Constitution and American values. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and several other senators are getting ready to introduce a bill to fix the Military Commissions Act, a law that stains our nation's legacy as the standard-bearer for the protection of human rights, undermines American values of due process and removes important checks on the president's power.
Help restore lost liberties -- tell your senators to co-sponsor Senator Dodd's bill today.
We are asking you to continue to stand with us right now and over the coming months as we campaign to rebuild our fundamental freedoms and ensure that Congress and the courts restore our Constitution and the rule of law.
You will hear more from us during the coming months on all the ways that your efforts can support this campaign.
Take the first step now by supporting Senator Dodd's bill.
In their last hours before adjourning last year, Congress passed and the president signed the Military Commissions Act. In doing so, they cast aside the Constitution and the centuries-old principle of habeas corpus, which protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. Congress also gave the president the power to decide by himself who is and who is not an enemy, and to strip individuals of their right to due process under the law.
Join us in keeping America Safe and Free -- tell your senators to restore due process.
Senator Dodd's bill restores due process and the Constitution’s habeas corpus rights for detainees being held indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. It enforces the Geneva Conventions as the law on how we treat people. And it holds government officials accountable so that due process violations and torture stop, and never happen again.
When nearly 400 men are held indefinitely and without charge at Guantanamo, that’s un-American. But when our own government admits that more than 100 of them shouldn’t even be there, and that no more than a few dozen will ever be charged, that is an affront to our Constitution and is a stain on our nation. Adding insult to injury, just yesterday the U.S. refused to sign onto a U.N. treaty that would prohibit governments from holding people in secret detention.
Ask your senators to end indefinite detention without due process.
Senator Dodd's bill is only the beginning of our efforts to restore habeas corpus and due process.
We've got a long battle ahead of us to restore the Constitution and reverse the damage done by the Military Commissions Act. You'll be hearing more about this campaign in the coming weeks, but you can take a first step today by contacting your senators and asking them to co-sponsor Senator Dodd's bill.
Thank you for getting involved.
Remember, there's currently nothing stopping George W. Bush from declaring you an enemy combatant with no legal rights.
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