Why MCA?

On Wednesday, March 21, join the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and millions of our allies throughout the U.S. in an overwhelming grassroots repudiation of the Military Commissions Act!
The Military Commissions Act (MCA):
- Legalizes the President's ability to name anyone in the world an "unlawful enemy combatant" and to detain them indefinitely, denying them basic rights, including due process of law, - Denies habeas corpus--the right for a detainee to challenge his or her detention before an impartial judge--to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen,
- Allows detainees to be convicted on the basis of secret and hearsay evidence, and testimony gained from the detainee through torture and coercion, and
- Permits the executive branch to ignore the Geneva Conventions.

The Message: Please phone both your Senators and your Representative (find their contact information here) and urge them to:
- Co-sponsor legislation restoring habeas corpus and other fundamental rights abolished by the MCA (see bill numbers below).
- Seek out Republican co-sponsors for legislation restoring habeas corpus.
- Hold hearings on legislation that would repeal key provisions of the MCA.
- Speak out publicly on the importance of a thorough restoration to our vanishing rights.

Proposed Legislation includes bills to restore or preserve habeas corpus and bills to partially dismantle the Military Commissions Act (MCA):
S. 576 (Sen. Christopher Dodd) and H.R. 1415 (Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Jane Harman), Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, would not only restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States, but would also do the following:
- Prohibit testimony gained by torture or coercion,
- Narrow the definition of enemy combatant,
- Reassert the Geneva Conventions,
- Provide for expedited judicial review of Military Commissions Act

Bills that would restore habeas corpus alone:
S. 185 (Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter), the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, would restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.
H.R. 1416 (Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Jane Harman), Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 (House version of Senate bill S. 185 above).
H.R. 267 (Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee), the Military Commissions Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, would restore the right of habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.
H.R. 1189 (Rep. David Wu), To Preserve the Right of Habeas Corpus, would restore the right of habeas corpus for all U.S. legal residents.

Make Sure Your Voice is Heard!
Click here for talking points and a link to a flyer you can print and distribute.
On Wednesday, March 21, 2007, call the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask the operator to connect you (24 hours a day) or call your legislators directly (find their Washington office phone numbers at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=303219523&url_num=3&url=http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/).
For more information about the MCA, click here.