Dear Representative Kildee

Dear Representative,

I’m writing you today as your constituent, to urge you to cosponsor the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 and the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 , both of which were introduced on Thursday by Representative Jerrod Nadler. These bills would restore the right of habeas corpus to the almost 400 detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and other noncitizens held in U.S. custody without trial. The Restoring the Constitution Act would also undo much of the damage done by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA).

The passage of the MCA was a dark moment in our nation’s history, and some of it most egregious effects are that it:

• Strips detainees of the right to challenge their indefinite detention through a writ of habeas corpus;
• Limits the ability of citizens and noncitizens to rely on the Geneva Conventions to challenge abuses committed by U.S. government officials;
• Allows for evidence obtained through torture and coercion to be used in military commission prosecutions in some instances; and
• Drastically widens the definition of “unlawful enemy combatant,” and, denies noncitizens who are or might be classified as unlawful enemy combatants from having a fair hearing.

These provisions blatantly violate our obligations under domestic and international law and need to be repealed. Please show your support for the rule of law and human rights by co-sponsoring or supporting the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 and the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007.

Your support is critical to ensure that justice is served for the Guantánamo detainees and, as importantly, for the American public and our respect for the rule of law.

(text from: Center for Constitutional Rights, you can send an e-mail to your Congressional Representative too...
http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp