Rally in Washington to Restore Habeas Corpus!
Eight months ago, the 109th Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the President signed it into law.
The bill [pdf] suspended habeas corpus for non-citizens deemed "enemy combatants" by the President. Such people can now be detained in prison indefinitely because the government need not bring any formal charges against them in court.
The stakes are high. This bill attacks one of the cornerstone principles upon which this country was founded. And it will not secure us from future terrorist attacks:
As Senator Patrick Leahy said last year, “Passing laws that remove the few checks against mistreatment of prisoners will not help us win the battle for the hearts and minds of the generation of young people around the world being recruited by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.”
Thankfully, legislation being sponsored by Sens. Leahy and Specter would restore habeas corpus. You are invited to join this growing dissent by coming to Washington, D.C. for a rally and lobby day on June 26th. Also, sign our petition to restore habeas corpus, which we will hand deliver to your members of Congress.
And please watch this video in which Keith Olbermann eloquently calls for habeas to be restored: