It's time to set things right

One of the darkest days of my life occurred in September of last year. It was the day Congress gutted our habeas corpus protection in the hope it would earn them a few votes (At least Judas demanded a few pieces of silver). Now we have a chance to set things right by repealing this abomination.

It's not going to be easy. We'll have to defeat both authoritarian-minded Republicans and more than a few "serious minded" Dems, for whom driving big trucks, smoking huge cigars, and owning large caliber, long barreled firearms isn't enough; they have to gut our Constitution too, lest their old fraternity buddies think they are pussies.

Here's what Christy has to say about it:

We can take a step in that direction this morning. Please take some time to call your elected representatives and tell them that you want to see the full restoration of habeas corpus. And that actions speak much louder than words — so you would like action on this now. If you happen to be represented by Sen. Pat Leahy, Sen. Chris Dodd, Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Jack Murtha or Rep. Ike Skelton, please be certain to make calls to these gentlemen, as their action on this issue is critical to the restoration of our nation’s constitutional principles. Sen. Leahy has put together something on his website to help lobby Senators — a direct phone call carries more weight than an e-mail, but it doesn’t hurt to double up a bit. Please take some time to make the three calls to your elected representative: your call as a constituent — or even as a concerned American — could make all the difference in moving things forward.

Katymine provided some numbers for the capitol switchboard, which you can use to phone toll free — the two bills in question on restoring habeas are H.R. 1416 and S. 185. Encourage your representatives not just to vote for these bills, but also to sign on as co-sponsors. Standing up for the Constitution and the rule of law is important — we need to make certain they know we want action, not just lip service. Here are the toll-free phone numbers:

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

Please, make a few calls today — your nation, your constitution and the rule of law are depending on you.

So get off your butts and start dialing or punching digits or whatever it is the kids do these days.

And buy Glenn Greenwald's book too.