Make yourself heard

There is a great appeal before us, brought by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. It is a call to restore law and order to the United States of America.

You can send a letter to every Senator and to President-elect Obama calling for the following:


Let President Obama and Congress know that we expect them to undertake the following

SEVEN STEPS TO RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW AND PROTECTING OUR CONSTITUTION:

1."STATE SECRETS" DOCTRINE. Limit the application of the "state secrets" doctrine in order that the courts will once again provide a meaningful check on abuses of power and violations of law by members of the Executive Branch.

2.VIOLATIONS AND TERMINATION OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS. Make clear what process must be followed before any US treaty obligations are violated or terminated by any member of the Executive branch or by Congress. Congress should also reaffirm its commitment to treaty obligations forbidding aggressive war and torture by repealing the Military Commissions Act.

3.UNCONSTITUTIONAL SIGNING STATEMENTS. Limit the effect of "signing statements" by enacting legislation that (1) instructs the courts they are not to consider signing statements when determining legislative history; (2) prohibits the President from issuing any statement that purports to limit any part of the legislation as being advisory or that purports to assert any authority by the President to determine the scope or applicability of the legislation; and (3) provides that no one can rely upon signing statements as a defense for a violation of the law.

4.ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW. Authorize, designate, and assign special prosecutors to investigate and prosecute violations of the law, particularly for involvement in felonious warrantless wiretapping, torture, and kidnappings of people in the so-called "extraordinary rendition" program.

5.CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT OF A CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF WAR. Reassert Congress’s vital constitutional role and forbid, by a criminal statute with severe penalties, any attack against another nation, except in cases of actual or imminent attack of the US by that nation or as permitted under the United Nations Charter and the Constitution, absent explicit authorization by Congress.

6.ASCERTAINMENT AND DISCLOSURE OF THE TRUTH AND PREVENTION OF FUTURE ABUSES. Appoint a select committee, similar to the Church and Ervin Committees, or an independent, non-partisan Truth Commission, charged with investigating illegal conduct or other abuses of power by the Bush Administration, disclosing such misconduct to the American people, and making recommendations concerning reforms that will prevent or deter similar misconduct in the future.

7. REPEAL THE MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT.

Here's the link.

Here's Mayor Anderson's post with explanations and footnotes.

You know what to do.

Just signed on myself.
--the BB