Letters to the Editor
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LEFT, RIGHT UNITE FOR RON PAUL'S NEW AFA BILL
THANK YOU for this article and for helping to inform others about Ron Paul's campaign. An example of how Paul is drawing support from the anti-war, pro-civil liberties left, as well as libertarians and the right, can be found in the enthusiastic reception for his new American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007, introduced in Congress recently. That bill would:
* Restore the right to habeas corpus by repealing the Military Commissions Act;
* Halt warrantless eavesdropping and spying on American citizens by requiring federal intelligence gathering to be conducted in accordance with the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA);
* Give Congress the ability to challenge the President's monarchical use of "signing statements" to avoid executing the nation's laws;
* Bar the use of evidence obtained through torture;
* Prohibit torture and arbitrary kidnapping and secret imprisonment;
* Protect the First Amendment rights of journalists who expose wrongdoing by
the Federal government "unless the publication would cause direct, immediate,
and irreparable harm" to national security;
* Prohibit the use of secret evidence to label groups or individuals as terrorists for the purpose of criminal or civil sanctions.
The bill is generating excitement and endorsements from across the political spectrum.
Naomi Wolf said: "There is no way to overstate how crucial this piece of legislation is. ... A groundswell of millions of Americans of all parties rising up to insist on passage of the AFA legislation means that we are awake -- we get it -- and that we assert that an alert citizenry, not a whipped-dog Congress or a violently abusive executive, decides what happens in this nation still. ... I will move heaven and earth to support the passage of this lifesaving agenda."
If Paul's campaign can bring left and right together with libertarians to restore our personal liberties and embrace a foreign policy of peace, then it will be a glorious day for America.