Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:11:36 GMT From: "Patrick Leahy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Carole Wilson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Restoring Habeas Corpus -- Your help needed before Thursday #message { overflow:auto; visibility:hidden } #yiv1215572977 ,#yiv1215572977 P,#yiv1215572977 TD,#yiv1215572977 TD P,#yiv1215572977 TD UL,#yiv1215572977 TD BLOCKQUOTE,#yiv1215572977 BLOCKQUOTE { color:black;font-family:Verdana, "Trebuchet MS" , sans-serif;font-size:10pt;} #yiv1215572977 A:link {color:#003366;} #yiv1215572977 A:visited {color:#003366;} #yiv1215572977 A:active {color:#0000FF;} #yiv1215572977 .bodybold {font-weight:bold;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text bold */ .bodybold10px {font-weight:bold;font-size:10px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text bold at 10px */ .bodybold11px {font-weight:bold;font-size:11px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text bold at 11px */ .bodybold12px {font-weight:bold;font-size:12px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text bold at 12px */ .bodybold13px {font-weight:bold;font-size:13px;} #yiv1215572977 .bodybold14px {font-weight:bold;font-size:14px;} #yiv1215572977 .bodybold15px {font-weight:bold;font-size:15px;} #yiv1215572977 .body8px {font-size:8px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body9px {font-size:9px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body10px {font-size:10px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body11px {font-size:11px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller * .body12px {font-size:12px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body14px {font-size:14px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body16px {font-size:16px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .body18px {font-size:18px;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making text smaller */ .bodyunderline {text-decoration:underline;} #yiv1215572977 .bodyitalic {font-style:italic;} #yiv1215572977 .none {list-style-type:none;} #yiv1215572977 .titleitalic {font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold {font-weight:bold;}#yiv1215572977 /* this is for making title text bold */ .titlebold10px {font-weight:bold;font-size:10px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold11px {font-weight:bold;font-size:11px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold12px {font-weight:bold;font-size:12px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold13px {font-weight:bold;font-size:13px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold14px {font-weight:bold;font-size:14px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold15px {font-weight:bold;font-size:15px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold16px {font-weight:bold;font-size:16px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold17px {font-weight:bold;font-size:17px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold18px {font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold19px {font-weight:bold;font-size:19px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold20px {font-weight:bold;font-size:20px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold21px {font-weight:bold;font-size:21px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold22px {font-weight:bold;font-size:22px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold23px {font-weight:bold;font-size:23px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold24px {font-weight:bold;font-size:24px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold25px {font-weight:bold;font-size:25px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold26px {font-weight:bold;font-size:26px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold27px {font-weight:bold;font-size:27px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold28px {font-weight:bold;font-size:28px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold29px {font-weight:bold;font-size:29px;} #yiv1215572977 .titlebold30px {font-weight:bold;font-size:30px;} #yiv1215572977 .flashtitle {font-family:Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;font-size:18px;}#yiv1215572977 /* Used for Advocacy Campaign titles */ .monospace {font-family:Courier, monospace; Dear Carole, Urge your Senators to restore habeas corpus today! Of the many assaults on our civil liberties and American values that transpired when the Republicans held complete control of our government, one of the last was also one of the worst. Many of you may recall the hasty passage of the Military Commissions Act in the weeks leading up to last year's election, a bill that set new rules for trying detainees, in particular those currently being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Even a Supreme Court dominated by Republican-appointed justices had found the Bush Administration's Guantanamo setup to be unconstitutional. This bill, rushed through a rubberstamp Republican Congress, was the Bush Administration's way to keep court review in the future to a minimum. The passage of this bill was a profound mistake, and its elimination of habeas corpus review was its worst error. Like the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the elimination of habeas review was a reflex driven by fear and is another stain on America's reputation in the world. Righting this wrong is one of my top priorities, and on the first day of this Congress I joined with Senator Arlen Specter, the Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, in introducing the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 (S. 185). This bipartisan bill already has 17 cosponsors, but it faces a crucial vote in the Judiciary Committee this Thursday so we need your help. Please e-mail your home-state Senators today and urge them to protect our fundamental liberties by supporting the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act. The Great Writ of habeas corpus traditionally guaranteed every person the right to challenge government detention before a fair and independent court, to protect against the unlawful jailing of people and depriving human beings of their most basic liberties. Enshrined in our Constitution in Article I, Section 9, the Great Writ was of primary importance to our founders -- it is one of the only rights guaranteed in the main body of the Constitution and it is so fundamental that it dates back to the Magna Carta. Unfortunately, the Military Commissions Act crossed this line by eliminating this right for any non-citizen who is unilaterally asserted to be an "enemy combatant" by the Bush administration. Such unchecked power to deprive people of liberty is anathema to the principles of our great nation. But the Military Commissions Act barred the assertion of habeas rights from more than just the several hundred individuals held at Guantanamo Bay: It gives President Bush the power to lock up any one of the more than 10 million lawful permanent residents based on his unilateral assertions and deprive such US residents of their constitutional rights to have an independent judge determine whether such detention and deprivation of their liberty and livelihood is lawful. These draconian rules would apply to legal residents who are in the US, living lawfully with their families, contributing to our economy and our society and serving in the military. Considering the history of our nation's founding and the basic rights that we have held dear for more than two hundred years, there is only one word that can be used to describe this suspension of the Great Writ of habeas corpus: un-American. That is why I hope that you will e-mail or call your home-state Senators today and urge them to support the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007. The Habeas Corpus Restoration Act is our first chance to reverse one of the Bush Administration's many assaults on our civil liberties -- and it's critical that we act now. We all want to make America safe from terrorism, but turning us into a state that can "disappear" its own residents does not make us safe. And it certainly violates the values that we have held dear for centuries. The elimination of basic legal rights undermines, not strengthens, our ability to defeat terrorists. It is from strength that America should defend our values and our way of life. It is from the strength of our freedoms, our Constitution, and the rule of law that we can prevail. We can ensure our security without giving up our liberty. I will keep fighting for this issue until we restore the checks and balances that are fundamental to preserving the values that define us as Americans. And I hope you'll take just a minute, today, to join me in speaking out -- before Thursday's Judiciary Committee vote. Please help me restore a fundamental American right by urging your home-state Senators to support the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act Today! Sincerely,
Patrick Leahy U.S. Senator Email Your Senators | Contribute Today! Paid for by Leahy for U.S. Senator Committee, Inc. PO Box 1042 Montpelier, VT 05601 --------------------------------- Invite your friends & family to join Leahy for Vermont today! Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Leahy for Senate. This message was sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from Leahy for Senate, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line). --------------------------------- Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and always stay connected to friends.