Bob Geiger reports on the…
…status of cosponsorship on the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, a bill by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would “…restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.” At that point, the legislation had 23 cosponsors — 22 Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont — and I thought I would check back in today and see who has stepped up to show leadership on this issue since then.
The current list of sponsors includes Washington state’s junior Senator, Maria Cantwell. But, surprisingly, Sen. Patty Murray is absent from the list.
That means it is time for a letter….
Dear Sen. Murray,
One of the worst pieces of legislation in the history of America was the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that removed the right of habeas corpus from millions. There is now a bill introduced by Sen. Specter called the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 that will reverse this abomination.
This is an extremely important piece of legislation. It restores habeas corpus to non-citizens (including some 12 million permanent residents who, under the current law, can be held indefinitely and with no legal recourse), and allows them to challenge arbitrary detention in the U.S. court system.
I was surprised to see that you are not a cosponsor of this bill.
Please cosponsor this legislation, and do whatever it takes to enact it into law. Lets minimize this ugly blemish on American history.
Yours,
Darryl
HominidViews
Click here to send your own letter to Sen. Murray. Or call the toll-free number at the U.S. Capitol at (800) 862-5530, or Sen. Murray’s office directly at (202) 224-2621, or send a Fax to (202) 224-0238.
(Crossposted.)
Weird, wonder if she has the flu or is stuck in meetings or something. Normally, Murray is all about this sort of thing.
I’ll write a quick note.
Tx Darryl.
This legislation is too important for Murray to not be on board…a little logrolling going on here perhaps?
This exchange between me and Proud Leftist is so good, I am going to post it in every thread on HA from now on. It destroys the Publicans’ stupid talking points – period.
“I’m working really hard to understand how President Bill Clinton’s actions act as justifcation for the righties. Read this fuckwads.
If your lame ass argument is that Bill Clinton was a bad President – which is what you say – and if your argument now is that the AWOL coward GW Bush is in someway comparable to Bill Clinton, what you are actually saying is that GW Bush is NO BETTER THAN CLINTON.
Does it hurt to be that stupid? I really want to know.
proud leftist says:
RES @ 18
You’ve hit it on the nose. The rightwing fringefucks consider Clinton to be the personification of evil–indeed, he is the devil incarnate in their twisted little minds. Nonetheless, their justification for all of the Bushites’ sins is, always, “well, Clinton did it, too.” Methinks they never studied logic.”
And what’s better, is that the rightie traitor keeps pointing out that this is true. Thanks MTR. Please keep proving my point for me.
The legislation was sponsored by a Republican. Patty Murray can’t move until she gets her marching orders from Scary Reid.
This is a perfect point why she is not a co-sponsor.
Wait a minute… She’s the dumbest one in the senate. She needs an interpreter.
5 kb
so “dumb” she crushed your last guy and will crush the next.
5
Unless you can persuade Mike! to run again. Then “crush” probably wouldn’t cover it.
re 7: Speaking of Mike?, have you seen the new ad that the insurance industry is running against trial lawyers?
Trial lawyers should respond by having an ad where a viewer is watcing the trailer of the ad and asks: “I wonder who the ‘Citizens against Higher Insurance Premiums’are?”
Then you could cut to a room full of “insurarnce industry ‘fatcats’ in 1890’s Monopoly Man suits smoking cigars, laughing, and saying: “And then after we get them to give up their right to sue, we’ll raise their rates, anyway!”
I hope they do exactly that.
@5 Why are Republicans against protecting individual liberty from the tyranny of the state?
Republicans ARE the tyranny of the state
We don’t need this bill. The Great Writ is a Magna Carta right and merely enforced by the Constitutional.
Pass all the stupid Military laws you want. Judges in American Courts will still have the power to command the prisoner be brought before them.
We need citizens to stand behind the law and demand all persons’ rights be respected.