Senator Christopher Dodd is going to stop by the Frog Pond tomorrow between 3:30PM (eastern time) and 4:00PM. He will be here to talk about the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. This act (.pdf) would help repair the damage down by the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Here are some of the provisions of Dodd’s bill.
- Restores Habeas Corpus protections to detainees
Narrows the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants
Bars information gained through coercion from being introduced as evidence in trials
Empowers military judges to exclude hearsay evidence they deem to be unreliable
Authorizes the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to review decisions by the Military commissions
Limits the authority of the President to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and makes that authority subject to congressional and judicial oversight
Provides for expedited judicial review of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to determine the constitutionally of its provisions
If this sounds good to you, you can become a co-sponsor of the bill (again, see ad at left). Dodd makes his pitch here.
Did you know that last year President Bush signed a law that dishonors our obligations under the Geneva Conventions and allows unreliable statements gained by torture or coercion to be used as evidence against defendants. This is just one more nail in America’s international reputation, that has already suffered terribly because of the Bush war of choice against Iraq. The international good will toward America that existed after the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001 has been squandered by the Bush Administration.
Chris Dodd is seeking to restore America’s moral authority and rebuild international respect for our country. Earlier this month Chris Dodd introduced a bill that would stop President Bush’s troop escalation in Iraq, and now he has introduced legislation that overturns the sham trials and admissibility of tainted evidence made possible by the Military Commissions Act. Read the legislation:
Sen. Dodd is asking for citizen co-sponsors of the bill, so please visit the link below and sign on!
Thanks!
I encourage everyone to become a co-sponsor, either by using the funky new ad (at left) or by following the links above.
Senator Dodd is an announced candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Senator Dodd is a veteran of the Army Reserves, and he is fluent in Spanish from his time with the Peace Corp in the Dominican Republic. He was elected to Congress as a Watergate baby in 1974. He is probably best known for his work with early education, health care reform, and his tireless work enacting the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, probably Clinton’s single greatest piece of domestic legislation.
In introducing The Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 (.pdf) he is trying to do exactly what the bill purports to do. This is not some kind of Orwellian doublespeak like Healthy Forests or Clean Skies. This is the real deal. This bill looks to restore the human rights of people in U.S. custody and restore a proper balance between the three branches of government.
Sen. Dodd is obviously a very busy man. And he is doing us a great honor by setting aside an half-hour of his valuable time to discuss The Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 with us. So, here is what I would like the Booman Tribune community to do. Take a look at the bill (.pdf). And please pre-prepare a question for Senator Dodd. When he arrives at 3:30PM eastern time tomorrow, you will be prepared to cut and paste your question into the thread where he will have time to read and respond. Please only ask one question and do not hog the thread. Some of his aides will be around to answer further questions or clarify any follow-up questions.
We’ve done Q & A’s with candidates before and it didn’t work very well because users would pepper them with questions. Try to come up with one question that you will be happy with. If you are a lawyer it might be a legal question (Dodd received his legal degree from the University of Louisville School of Law). If you are an activist it might be another question. If you are Jose Padilla, ‘hey, how’d you get internet access?’
This is a pretty big deal for me. When I started this blog I never thought that two years later I’d have a Presidential contender showing up to answer questions. And he is only doing it here. Not in orange, not in blue. So, please be respectful and polite. And let’s make sure he has some good questions!!
