I submitted the following statement in support of the ACLU’s petition to restore habeas corpus to be delivered to Congress on June 26, 2007.
The preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence gives voice to the values at stake: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights.” Two sentiments bear pointing out: First, humans have certain rights that ought not be violated by any person or government. Second, that these rights apply to all humans, not simply the privileged or the citizens of a particular state. The moral vector here is the expansion of individual liberty to provide the maximum self-consistent freedom to the maximum number of people. However, we are faced under this administration with a contraction of freedom, a removal of liberty, a violation of rights, and a narrowing of the definition of those deserving of such rights. We must stem this regression and once again orient ourselves to the path of expanding universal human rights.