Whereas, the Constitutional privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus has been impaired by the Military Commissions Act adopted by the 109th Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006;

Whereas, this Act abolishes a privilege fundamental to the rule of law;

Whereas, the Writ of Habeas Corpus has been abridged in a fashion unprecedented since its establishment over 800 years ago;

Whereas the Writ of Habeas Corpus is fundamental to the fight against terrorism and tyranny, the respect of the individual, the rule of law and of human rights;

Whereas, this fight must involve the preservation of fundamental rights of all humans and of the rule of law, which are the bases of democratic societies, the very values that terrorists and tyrants seek to destroy;

Whereas, democracy being fragile, Benjamin Franklin's declaration that "those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" is as applicable in the Twenty-first Century as it was in the Eighteenth Century;

Therefore, let it be resolved that the Democratic National Committee proclaims its unwavering support for the fundamental rights and privileges guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, including the Writ of Habeas Corpus, and for the preservation of such rights and privileges as an essential protection against terrorism and tyranny;

Be it further resolved that Democratic National Committee urges all Democratic members of the 110th Congress to support bills before Congress which would undo the damage to the rule of law and to the fundamental rights and privileges of the US Constitution effected by the Military Commissions Act by restoring the Writ of Habeas Corpus

See also: http://democratsabroad.org/