Chris Dodd's Fight to Restore Habeas Corpus

by Taylor Marsh

Chris Dodd is running for president as many of you already know. Well today on my blog he wrote a guest post as part of my candidate series. He focused on his fight to restore habeas corpus, which he's committed to restoring, with the help of Patrick Leahy and you. Here's part of the post. It's important.

... I've said it before but the issue is too important to not repeat here: I pledge that if elected I will restore the Constitution of the United States in my first hour in office. I won't wait until then to take action and I'm committed to leading to restore the Constitution from my place in the Senate. This week I am working with my colleague Patrick Leahy to restore habeas corpus and I'll need your help.

But first I want to tell you why the Constitution is something that I value so dearly and why I'm making restoring it a central part of my campaign for the presidency.

I was raised in a household were the rule of law was treated as the most important issue facing a government (my father, Thomas Dodd, was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials). Every day, I carry with me a copy of the Constitution of United States, given to me twenty-six years ago by my colleague Robert Byrd. And yet today, I am running for President on a platform of restoring the Constitution. I had never dreamed that the day would come when a candidate for our nation's highest office would have to campaign on restoring the balance of powers, the rule of law set forth in our most cherished document. ... .. ... ..

We have an opportunity to pass legislation this week which will reverse one of the most damaging parts of the Military Commissions Act and put us on a path towards restoring the Constitution.

We'll start at the top: restoring habeas corpus. This week's debate on the Defense Authorization bill will include a vote on the Leahy-Specter-Dodd Habeas Corpus Restoration Act as an amendment.

Congress will need to hear your voices as this debate takes place. I'll keep fighting, but Senator Leahy and I need you by our side. Sign up to be a citizen co-sponsor of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill.

Go to http://restore-habeas.org, add your name to the list of Americans who want their Constitution back, and tell your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. You can also call my colleagues in the Senate and tell your Senators that you want them to vote to restore habeas. The Senate switchboard is [phone]. ... ..

Senator Chris Dodd
Democratic candidate for president

You can read the rest of candidate Dodd's post, which fully explains his goals.

Oh, and one more thing. Chris Dodd will need your help to get the job done.

Restore habeas corpus.

Comments

[Sundialsvc4]

It is foolishness to assume that all of the more than 320 million people who are citizens of this country, and the more-than-a-billion people who are not, are all as clueless and ignorant as (say) Fox News portrays them.

Most assuredly, they are not.

And believe it or not, throughout American history this sort of fight against tyranny has been going on. Don't believe me? Here's a speech given by Adlai Stevenson in the 1950's:

"Let's face it. Let's talk sense to the American people. Let's tell them the truth, that there are no gains without pains, that there -- that we are now on the eve of great decisions, not easy decisions, like resistance when you're attacked, but a long, patient, costly struggle which alone can assure triumph over the great enemies of man -- war, poverty, and tyranny -- and the assaults upon human dignity which are the most grievous consequences of each.
[...]
The people are wise, wiser than the Republicans think.
[...]
That, that, I -- I think, is our ancient mission. Where we have deserted it, we have failed. [...] Better we lose the election than mislead the people, and better we lose than misgovern the people."

---

The enemy that we face now is WITHIN our gates, firmly but not inextricably entrenched within the halls of our own government.

Has this sort of thing happened to human beings before? Yes.

Can we actually do something about it? Yes.

[Janco54]

Chris Dodd is THE MAN! I hope whoever gets the nomination takes a good hard look at him for VP. He'd be a great addition to the ticket. Unfortunately anastasia is right - he doesn't have the "it" factor to get the big office.
Taylor, thanks for putting this front and center for all of us. It's one of the most important things being done right now.

[Raster]

One of the more depressing revelations as I reach 71 yo is how dispensable are the human and basic rights 'guarantees' in the US Constitution and how frequently the US Federal Courts fail miserably to lift a hand to protect them.

[Opus007]

Chris Dodd is my senator in CT. He is an intelligent, thoughtful and honorable man. He is the anti-Bush. All the focus goes to the top tier candidates and the second tier candidates are largely ignored. If we really want to change things in this country we have to stop allowing the media to force feed their picks for candidates.

[Lane Hudson - Huffpost Blogger]

Taylor:

Thanks for continuing the fight on this. It's one of the most important votes we'll have in this Congress.

Lane

[PerryWhite]

Did Tom Dodd support habeas corpus for the thousands of German prisoners held in this country during WWII?

[dobberdoss]

Taylor,

I wish i could be more positive but i firmly believe that for `Habeas Corpus` to return we most again spill blood just as our fore fathers did.

[MasterfullyInept]

How Capraesque can you get?I have chills.I never co-sponsored a bill before.

I want my country back!

[Oregonian37]

I'm a pretty solid Edwards' supporter but I sure am glad to know that Mr. Dodd is in there fighting for this country.

[Herrington]

With all due respect and plenty of it for Dodd, I have to wonder why Habeas Corpus isn't the centerpiece of every Democratic candidate's campaign. Without it, no lip service to equality before the law can be of any certainty. Without certainty of equality, inequality is a certainty.

[naschkatze]

That is the question.

[Nommo]

Ask average joe or jane what habeas is, and you will comprehend entirely why no one misses it.
The very best of luck to you Mr. Dodd, let us all hope that the quest is not lost on those who need it most.

[dadw5boys]

We all need it!
WITHOUT THE 4TH ADMENDMENT THE WHOLE BILLS OF RIGHTS IS USELESS TO ANY AMERICAN.
If they take you and hold you without charges and without access to a lawyer what good is freedom of speech or property rights?

[Nommo]

My point exactly.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Chris Dodd is yet another person who is imminently qualified to be president, but doesn't have the "it" factor that the public wants. Nor, does he have the media appeal so he doesn't get the air time.

He actually carries a copy of the Constitution with him on a daily basis. He reads it and respects it. He doesn't call it "just a goddamn piece of paper" as our dimwit bush did.

His father was a Nuremberg prosecutor. He was raised to serve the public. He has devoted years of his life to public service. Too bad - not sexy enough for today's voter.

[CSDofNM]

I may just have to vote for this honorable man.

Thanks Taylor, for bringing this to such a wide audience.

[naschkatze]

Sad, isn't it? I have to feel that it's not just that Dodd lacks "it" but that the candidates who really have something to offer are boycotted by the media and the Democratic establishment. So much of the Democratic Party hierarchy is ignoring this very fundamental legal idea which set our country apart from the rest when we were founded. I just received a poll from the DNC, and in the end I just decided not to return it because, as usual with polls, the topics were pre-drawn, and there was no question at all about our loss of civil rights or the destruction of the Constitution.

[Sundialsvc4]

Do not be so sure, oh cynical one.

[bloomster]

He is my Senator and I am damn proud of him!! Met him years ago - Good man!!