R.I.P. Habeas Corpus
On Tuesday, October 17, 2006, another nail was pounded
into freedom's coffin when President Bush signed the Military
Commissions Act into law. Within the Act, the 800-year tradition
of Habeas Corpus -- the right of the accused to face their accuser
in court -- was essentially eliminated.
While much of the mainstream media glossed over
this news with a disinterested yawn, one brave commentator made
no bones about the magnitude of this treachery. Watch MSNBC's
Keith Olbermann at http://tinyurl.com/yk6osh
as he comments on this appalling development. If you do nothing
else, WATCH THIS VIDEO! It will make your blood
boil, to say the least.
In another video from MSNBC's "Countdown,"
Olbermann interviews Jonathan Turley, Professor of Constitutional
Law at George Washington University ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=P25QkFZ-0zk
). Turley points out that even giving "material support"
(such as a donation) to an organization that has been deemed "terrorist"
can get you designated an enemy combatant as well. And who determines
which organizations are associated with terrorism? The president
alone.
We are no longer standing at the precipice of a
tyrannical dictatorship -- we've stepped off the edge. The United
States is gleefully skipping down the same path as the former
Soviet Union, China, and Nazi Germany. "The Most Free Country
on Earth" is now merely a phrase of propaganda, not reality.
Still don't believe it? Check out our "Police
State" page at www.jpfo.org/policestate.htm
. We're constantly adding new articles -- too many, we believe
-- that document our slide into a tyrannical, dictatorial regime.
Articles like this:
FBI Director wants ISPs to Track Users
http://tinyurl.com/yhoxqs
Tracking your movements on the internet? Is this
what our country is about -- quietly acquiescing as the American
Stasi monitors your communications?
IT IS NOT!
America is about the Bill of Rights, that document
which specifically states that there are rights upon which the
federal government _cannot_ infringe. The Military Commissions
Act essentially guts the Bill of Rights, and it is up to us, The
People, to demand that our government follow its own charter.
JPFO is constantly exhorting our supporters to celebrate
Bill of Rights Day each December 15. But is that enough? EVERY
day should be Bill of Rights Day. When we think about our rights
once a year (or less), we suffert.
Send this alert to everyone you know, regardless
of political affiliation. Celebrate Bill of Rights Day on December
15 (we have many ideas which you can use at http://www.jpfo.org/your10rights/bord.html
). But most importantly, demand that your rights be respected.
There are only 56 days until December 15, Bill of Rights Day.
Will you celebrate its true spirit ... or the hollow farce our
government wishes to make of it?
Remember, if you don't defend your rights, don't
complain when you lose them.
- The Liberty Crew
