Habeas Corpus, Torture and December 5th - (Supreme Court case)

[annabanana]

If you care about the right to a fair trial, If you care about torture being done in our name, If you want to strike a blow against rendition. . and this administration "DISAPPEARING" people..

Spend 6 mins & 22 seconds listening to Michael Ratner. He's one of the lawyers who will be arguing for the Right of Habeas Corpus in front of the Supreme Court on Wed. Dec 5th. (The audio tapes will be released.)
http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=650&thisview=item


Please help me keep this kicked and visible!

[SpiralHawk]

1. k and r

This will be a biggie.

How sad for the nation that the Supreme Court is packed with republicons who are loyal not to America but to the republicon's perverted, fear-filled and fascisitic "homeland."

[annabanana]

2. "Freedom isn't Free" - Lord how I hate the mindless way this

phrase is thrown around in RW circles. Ask one of these yahoos "What is Freedom?" and you get a blank stare. They think it's because they don't get stopped at the border between Kansas & Nebraska.

[mmonk]

4. That's why I'm fearful.

This has a change the course of history potential.

[annabanana]

3. kick. . . . . . n/t

[SpiralHawk]

5. Torture and Totalitarianism may be republicon "values," but they are un-American

Support America. Impeach the corrupt cabal of republicon homelanders and their stinking un-American "values."

[Time for change]

6. There is almost nothing more important than this IMO

These are crimes against humanity.

And this could well be the end of our democracy if it's allowed to continue.

[pat_k]

14. The courts don't have the last word. Neither does Congress.

Congress cannot pass law to "restore" that which is inviolate under U.S. Federal law. They can only enforce by impeaching Bush and Cheney for violating our laws and our rights.

No court can take away that which is inviolate. Should SCOTUS render a treasonous verdict on Habeas -- as the felonious five did in Bush v. Gore -- the Congressional duty to impeach and remove the offending Justices would be added to their duty to impeach and remove Bush and Cheney.

If Congress fails to carry out their duty to impeach, or if they impeach, and there are too many fascist minions in the Senate to remove, then it will be up to us to pass judgment on THEM with our votes.

The last word is ours.

Nothing can take that from us. We surrendered NONE of our sovereign authority to any institution we created. We gave NO party to our common contract the power to usurp or surrender our authority.

How we treat people who are in the custody of the state and the processes by which they are committed to state custody are the test of our commitment to the sanctity of human dignity and the inalienable right of every person to equal treatment under the law. We prohibit violence or outrages on personal dignity against any person in U.S. custody. We prohibit the arbitrary seizure and indefinite commitment of any person to U.S. custody. Bush and Cheney refuse to acknowledge these laws. Even if we did not know they were violating these laws (and we do know it) their refusal to acknowledge the law in and of itself makes impeachment imperative. Allowing them to continue to hold power is a surrender of our identity and moral authority as a nation.

We "hire" Members of Congress to do three things: 1) put our will into law; 2) keep watch on the people we "hire" to execute and apply the law; and 3) "fire" the "bad apples." Lawmaking is perhaps the least critical of the legislative functions. Words on paper don't make things happen. People make them happen. If corrupt government officials are allowed to corrupt the existing body of law, making new law for them to corrupt is meaningless.

Given the damage a corrupt official can do in a short period of time, swift action is required to protect the sanctity of our Constitution and the integrity of our government. The higher the office, the greater the potential harm, and the more urgent the need for action.

The courts cannot act swiftly because they have no independent authority to intervene. Our criminal justice system has independent authority to intervene when official abuses are violations of law, but meeting the high burden required to minimize the chance of wrongfully convicting limiting the civil rights of an innocent person takes more time than the integrity of our government can afford.

We gave Congress the duty, and the power, to remove corrupt officials from office. Impeachment and removal of a government official by Congress can be so swift and sure (no appeal) because the priority is to protect integrity of our government. Public service is a privilege, not a right. Removal from office is not a punishment, it is a defensive action.

There are Members of Congress who believe they can escape the duty that falls solely on their shoulders by claiming they must wait for SCOTUS to weigh in. But SCOTUS already weighed in on torture. There was never any doubt that Geneva applied to Gitmo, but Bush supporters and appeasers refused to acknowledge it until SCOTUS ruled. When the court confirmed that Geneva applied it was a confirmation that three years of War Crimes had already occurred. Rumsfeld v. Hamdan didn't make Bush and Cheney War Criminals. They already were. The Justices who supported their intolerable claims did nothing but confirm their status as accomplices.

Whether or not we can make impeachment by the 110th Congress a reality; whether or not SCOTUS issues rulings grounded in law or ones grounded in fascist fantasy, the fight will continue. Some will lobby the 111th Congress to impeach and declare Bush and Cheney guilty "in absentia." Some will fight to impeach the felonious five (yes, even posthumously) for their treasonous Bush v. Gore edict. Some will fight to impeach ANY official in the executive or the judiciary who subscribes to the fascist fantasy of a unitary authoritarian executive.

As long we have faith in our fellow Americans and know that Our Word is sovereign then "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth"

[pat_k]

15. P.S. . .

Sorry for the wandering post. I accidentally posted when I thought I was previewing/editing. And then left it sit until it was too late to change.

The gist of it all is that I reject the notion that our constitutional democracy can be wiped away.

At least it can't be wiped away by a corrupt Supreme Court or a derelict Congress. It can't be wiped away as long as there are Americans who know THEY are the bosses and who keep kicking Members of Congress in the ass (or kicking them out) until we get a Congress that is capable of actually carrying out it's duties -- i.e., rehabilitate existing members or elect new people capable of effectively serving as our voice; our watchdogs; our enforcement agents.

Clearly, Congress has been derelict. They have allowed our Constitution to go into breach. They've forgotten what their job is. Too many Americans have forgotten what we "hired" them to do. Too many Americans believe they must submit to the authority of "experts" or "professionals," even when what the "experts" are saying violates basic moral principles and common sense.

The Constitution is in breach but that is not the end of our democracy. The terms of the contract are unchanged. The contract exists; it is enforceable. Our constitutional democracy can't be wiped out as long as there are Americans who commit to the terms, remind others what the terms are, and do whatever they can to help us confront violations -- past and present -- as a nation and enforce the terms by going after the violators.

[Time for change]

22. Agreed

Congress is derilict in their duty if they don't impeach. If they won't impeach for the numerous crimes of Bush and Cheney, then the impeachment clause in our Constitution has no meaning.

[annabanana]

7. kick. . . . . . (need some recs). . . . .n/t

[midnight]

8. Thanks anna, I will kick this. Go Michel.

[DearAbby]

9. Kickin this n/t

[warren pease]

10. Disgusting that this is even in question almost 900 years after the Magna Carta. n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

11. I care.

K & R

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R

[annabanana]

13. bedtime kick. . . . .n/t

[annabanana]

16. breakfast kick. . . . n/t

[mmonk]

17. The canary in the mine shaft for a generation

unless there is courage to impeach should the verdict be unconstitutional.

[SpiralHawk]

18. Today is Monday. WEDNESDAY IS DEC. 5 - KICK

KICK, KICK, KICK

[spanone]

19. kick

[annabanana]

20. Check out this post in "Veterans" group..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x7792

I Will Never Leave Guantanemo"

[mmonk]

21. Thanks

[bcoylepa]

23. thanks for this

one of my good friends represents a few detainees - the job that these professionals are doing is amazing and is taking a toll on them personally= we all owe them a huge thanks for their commitment to the constitution and our support in any way possible - pass it on.

[annabanana]

24. kicking again. . . . n/t

[SpiralHawk]

25. kique -- as the French might very well say if...

they were ill-educated republicon morans dedicated to Totalitarianism and greed and and unable to use their own language.

[annabanana]

26. It's tomorrow.... n/t