Emergency Action Today! Stop the Senate Stealth Amendment on Detainees!

[Sapphire Blue]

An email from the Center for Constitutional Rights (http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp)...

Emergency Action Today! Stop the Senate Stealth Amendment on Detainees!

Dear Friends,

As allegations of secret CIA torture facilities around the world dominate the headlines and the detainees at Guantánamo Bay continue their hunger strike, the Center for Constitutional Rights has received word that Senator Graham of South Carolina is planning to introduce an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction and prohibit them from even hearing arguments against indefinite detention not only from Guantánamo detainees, but from anyone who has the misfortune of finding themselves at any U.S.-run facility anywhere, even within the United States. Do not let this happen! STOP THIS ASSAULT ON THE CONSTITUTION: WRITE YOUR SENATORS NOW BY CLICKING HERE: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1500

PLEASE ALSO CALL YOUR SENATORS RIGHT NOW {Capitol toll-free number: 1-800-426-8073} and urge them to vote against the Graham amendment. And please circulate this message widely.

The following Senators are particularly important on this vote.

Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI) [phone]
Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) [phone]
Susan Collins (R-Maine) [phone]
Pete Domenici (R-NM) [phone]
Bill Nelson (D-Fl) [phone]
Arlen Specter (R-Pa) [phone]
Mike Dewine (R-Oh) [phone]
Brownback (R- KS) [phone]

Senator Graham’s amendment would destroy the historical separation of powers established in our Constitution by endorsing unfettered Executive authority and undermining the rule of law fundamental to our Nation’s values.

The Graham amendment would formalize the lawless policies of the Bush Administration and result in the continued torture of prisoners held in U.S. custody.

It is no secret that vast abuses have taken and continue to take place at Guantánamo and other U.S.-run facilities. It is just these abuses that the historic writ of habeas corpus is designed to prevent. As the United States Supreme Court noted, this kind of abuse of power “has been considered oppressive and lawless” since the Magna Carta.

The Graham Amendment will only serve to reinforce the growing perception that the United States has become an enemy of human rights. The Graham Amendment is a last minute sneak attack upon the integrity of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and will destroy the little amount of good will we have achieved as a result of the decisions of the Supreme Court and lower courts.

Please join CCR in urging Senator Graham to drop this ill-advised proposal. Instead Senator Graham should let the courts complete the judicial inquiry that the Supreme Court mandated and he proposes to abort.

Sincerely,
Ron Daniels
Executive Director, The Center for Constitutional Rights

To read more about CCR’s work, click here: http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Done. Thanks for the 'heads up'.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. done

[Nikki Stone 1]

3. Thanks for the heads up--recommended

kdls

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. and done

:)

[Ian David]

4. Done! n/t

[Nikki Stone 1]

6. kick

:kick:

[belle]

7. kick

[Sapphire Blue]

8. kick... only takes a minute to sign... or call (toll-free)

Thanks!

[Sapphire Blue]

9. ...

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

16. ...

:kick:

[Marie26]

10. Sen. Lindsay Graham?

Didn't he also write the anti-torture amendment with John McCain? How could he oppose torture, and also oppose judicial review of the treatment of prisoners? :shrug: Republicans are an odd bunch.

[Sapphire Blue]

12. Yes, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Here's the text...

http://talkleft.com/grahamhabeas.pdf

[Marie26]

13. Isn't this unconstitutional"

Can the executive branch tell the judicial branch what to do? Republicans couldn't just forbid the courts from hearing, say, abortion cases. Or pass a law overturning Roe v. Wade. Isn't this the same thing?

[Sapphire Blue]

14. The CCR website touches on that issue......

Senator Graham’s amendment would destroy the historical separation of powers established in our Constitution by endorsing unfettered Executive authority and undermining the rule of law fundamental to our Nation’s values. The Graham amendment would formalize the lawless policies of the Bush Administration and result in the continued torture of prisoners held in U.S. custody.

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1500

[drm604]

15. I have the same question.

It strikes me that if the legislature could do this, they would be totally unfettered and could do anything they wanted (lifetime terms, huge pay increases, etc.) just by removing jurisdiction from the courts.
If this were to pass my guess is that anyone who wants to challenge the detentions would start by challenging this. Once the courts threw this out (and I'm nearly certain they would) then the detentions could be challenged. It's basically a waste of time and money and is probably being done just to make it more difficult to challenge detentions. You'd have to pursue two different lawsuits (one after the other, not consecutively) all the way up to the Supreme Court, which could take years.

[texpatriot2004]

11. Done nm

[RepublicanElephant]

17. so what is graham's problem? photos in karl rove's desk from...

...that wild party a few years ago?

what is his major-league, protect-our-troops-from-torture problem?