Habeas Under Attack

I haven't written much about the Habeas Corpus controversy.

In a nutshell, the conservatives are trying to legislate it's removal for "foreign detainees", removing any protections that were put in place by the Supreme Court decision of last year.

Firedoglake has an in-depth post on the subject, including this brief, well-said description of exactly what habeaus is:

Here is why: if you are arrested under false or bogus charges, or without any charge whatsoever as reason for your detainment, you have a right to petition a court to ask that the charges against you be detailed and justified under the laws of this country. The state must justify its right to hold you under the law, or you must be set free -- they cannot hold you without just cause.

Habeas Corpus is the most important legal protection against tyranny. It's a right that should cross national lines, applying to any human being. The very concept that individuals can be protected, by the law of the land, from the tyranny of government is a fundamental right.

For the United States government to legislate the removal of habeas from any person is not only immoral, but sets back the cause of human rights to which we have been a guiding light for the past 250 years.

And, incidently....it also sets precedent which can be used against you.

BTW, here's a handy little list of DEMOCRATS who voted to remove habeas corpus:

Kent Conrad - North Dakota
Joe Lieberman - Connecticut
Mary Landrieu - Louisiana
Ben Nelson - Nebraska
Ron Wyden - Oregon

Some of the usual DINO's that should be expelled from the Democratic party.