Pushback on Presidential Power-grab

With your help, PFAW has pushed election reform to the forefront of the congressional agenda – now we need to push the Constitution and the Bill of Rights there, too. We can do it. Thanks to all our hard work, a well-crafted bill by Senator Barack Obama to end deceptive practices at the polls is moving forward – and so is a good start by Representative Rush Holt to address voting machine problems before the 2008 elections. And we are anticipating the introduction of other important legislation from Sens. Clinton and Feinstein, House members Conyers and Millender-McDonald, and others. We all have more work ahead to make sure the best election reforms pass – but I am writing today to enlist your support in another important struggle. We need to leverage our democratic power to restore constitutional protections that have been methodically undermined over the past six years. The Bush administration – sometimes unilaterally, sometimes with the complicity of the Congress – has weakened the constitutional and legal principles that protect Americans’ privacy and freedom from abuses of power. Voters said no to unaccountable government in November – and you told us to make our constitutional liberties a top priority this year. We’re with you. Last September, when the Senate joined the House and voted to allow the President to strip prisoners in the “war on terror” of their habeas corpus rights, I said: “Some senators probably supported this measure because they were worried about being perceived as soft on terrorism. But capitulation doesn’t make them look strong. If they want to win the votes of people who are worried about security, they had better show that they know how to stand up and fight. Unfortunately for our democracy, too many of them have failed to do so today.” Well, their chance to take a stand is coming, and PFAW is going to need you to help us convince Congress that energetically protecting Americans – and the Constitution – is patriotism in action. We plan to fight to: Restore Due Process: The loss of the centuries-old human right of habeas corpus – the right not to be locked up without cause, indefinitely – is a stain on American history. The current state of law, giving President Bush power traditionally wielded by absolute monarchs, must be reversed. Sen. Dodd has introduced legislation to restore habeas corpus and other due process rights – we’ll work with him and others to pass a strong bill. Protect Privacy: A government that spies on its own citizens is on a dangerous path. There are promising signs that House and Senate leaders are reinvigorating congressional oversight of administration excesses like warrantless spying on citizens. We will push for full use of congressional investigative powers – and to make sure that oversight hearings lead to legislation. It’s time to put some teeth back in checks and balances. Stop Silencing Whistleblowers and Scientists: This administration and its allies have tried to intimidate and silence everyone from war critics expressing their political views to government scientists trying to avoid politics. We will push to protect free speech and government transparency, two essential tools of democracy that have been under attack. Legislation to protect whistleblowers and stop censorship of government scientists is expected to move in this Congress, and we’ll mobilize support when it’s needed. These battles will not be easy or quick. Fear is a powerful motivator. And because much of the public doesn’t understand the cost of giving into that fear, too many elected officials see no political consequence to acquiescing. Please keep an eye out for the kind of actions I have outlined in this letter. We will be counting on you to help us make the right choice easier for our leaders to make. That is what democracy is about. Sincerely, Ralph G. Neas President, People For the American Way