Momentum: Hirono, Neal and Wyden Sign on to Constitution Act

H.R. 1415, the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, is a bill proposed in the House of Representatives to repeal many of the authoritarian, anti-constitutional features of the Military Commissions Act. If passed, some of the main acts of H.R. 1415 (and its counterpart in the Senate, S. 576) would be to:

1. Restore the right of habeas corpus for people detained by the U.S.
2. Narrow the definition of the MCA term “unlawful enemy combatant” to individuals who directly participate in attacks against the United States.
3. Let United States detainees invoke the ethical codes of the Geneva Conventions again.
4. Let U.S. detainees obtain a civilian lawyer for their defense.
5. Prohibit the use of evidence garnered through torture.
6. Prohibit the use of hearsay, upon the discretion of a judge.
7. Let juries know how statements were obtained from detainees.
8. Permit federal appeals courts to review the decisions of military commissions.

In short, if passed H.R. 1415 and S. 576 would restore respect for the Constitution and human rights to the government of the United States.

H.R. 1415 and S. 576 are gaining some momentum in the Congress. Last week, Representatives Anna Eshoo of California and Charles Rangel of New York added their formal support for H.R. 1415 by formally cosponsorsing the bill. Since then, Ron Wyden has cosponsored S. 576 in the Senate, while Rep. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Richard Neal have just cosponsored H.R. 1415 in the House of Representatives.

Have your members of Congress made a stand against all of the authoritarian measures of the Military Commissions Act named above? Or — like Neil Abercrombie, Yvette Clarke, John Conyers, Dennis Kucinich, Gwen Moore, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Louise Slaughter and Maxine Waters — do your representatives in DC bask in the glow of progressive political identity while committing the decidedly unprogressive act of sitting on the sidelines and letting the matter of constitutional liberties slip into irrelevance? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you can click here to find out for the House, or click here for information on Senate cosponsorship. Then, if your member of Congress is abrogating her or his duty to protect and defend the Constitution, get his or her contact information (House | Senate) and make that pesky democratic constituent phone call.