Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Habeas Corpus: Cornerstone of Liberty - Ed-Op
Habeas Corpus: Cornerstone of Liberty - Ed-Op
NOTE: This is page 2 of article~gr8fuldaniel
Following the passing of the MCA the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said that Congress and this president were "turning away from a centuries-old tradition that is a cornerstone of our Constitution, and our freedom."
This is no exaggeration. The MCA gives this government the ability to imprison "enemy combatants" indefinitely, deny detainees any court review, and to hand down convictions based on evidence extracted from torture. Even if you are comfortable with George Bush having this kind of power, can you honestly say you would entrust this level of power to Hillary Clinton? This kind of broad reaching, unregulated authority should not be entrusted to anyone.
Some of our leaders try to ease our worries by saying that abolishing The Great Writ only applied to a small part of the population, but we have to recognize that when habeas corpus is abolished for even a few, it is abolished for all of us. How would we prove we are not aiding terrorists if the government accused us? How could we prove our innocence when such a basic right has been eliminated?
This should scare us, and we should keep in mind that even during the war of 1812, while the city of New Orleans was under siege by British troops, a federal judge issued a writ of habeas corpus for prisoners taken by General Andrew Jackson.
We may face terrorism in this day, but we forget that this nation had many trials before, and this will not be our last. We cannot allow fear to manipulate us; when we do that, we let liberty slip away. Our freedoms are fragile, and in the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
It is an absolute disgrace that we are now fighting to restore a right that has its roots in the 13th Century. We should be ashamed at how much we have let fear erode our liberty. Call your Congressman and demand they restore habeas corpus.
NOTE: This is page 2 of article~gr8fuldaniel
Following the passing of the MCA the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said that Congress and this president were "turning away from a centuries-old tradition that is a cornerstone of our Constitution, and our freedom."
This is no exaggeration. The MCA gives this government the ability to imprison "enemy combatants" indefinitely, deny detainees any court review, and to hand down convictions based on evidence extracted from torture. Even if you are comfortable with George Bush having this kind of power, can you honestly say you would entrust this level of power to Hillary Clinton? This kind of broad reaching, unregulated authority should not be entrusted to anyone.
Some of our leaders try to ease our worries by saying that abolishing The Great Writ only applied to a small part of the population, but we have to recognize that when habeas corpus is abolished for even a few, it is abolished for all of us. How would we prove we are not aiding terrorists if the government accused us? How could we prove our innocence when such a basic right has been eliminated?
This should scare us, and we should keep in mind that even during the war of 1812, while the city of New Orleans was under siege by British troops, a federal judge issued a writ of habeas corpus for prisoners taken by General Andrew Jackson.
We may face terrorism in this day, but we forget that this nation had many trials before, and this will not be our last. We cannot allow fear to manipulate us; when we do that, we let liberty slip away. Our freedoms are fragile, and in the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
It is an absolute disgrace that we are now fighting to restore a right that has its roots in the 13th Century. We should be ashamed at how much we have let fear erode our liberty. Call your Congressman and demand they restore habeas corpus.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Academic Search
Here are some of the best research directories I learned about in my LIBR 325 class:
Librarians Internet Index (The best place to start)
BUBL Information Service
dmoz
Librarians Internet Index (The best place to start)
BUBL Information Service
dmoz
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