LIFE,
LIBERTY and the
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

LIBERTY

· Civil Rights & Threats to the Constitution
· National Security & America's World Standing

Civil Rights and
Threats to the Constitution

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln said, "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. Our present is piled high with difficulties. We must think anew and act anew - then we will save our country."

These words are as true today as they were then. Today we stand at another crossroads, no less pivotal than the Civil War.In our names, the U.S. government pursues policies that reject two hundred years of American values and traditions.

The country that once fought wars for human rights, now strips away the rights of its own citizens.

The country that once fought wars to end torture, now uses torture as a standard method of wartime intelligence gathering.

The country that once fought wars to stop humanitarian abuses now fights a war in which innocent civilians are maimed or die by the thousands each week.

And yet despite this clear betrayal of America's soul, and of all we historically have represented to the world, the voices of opposition have been weak, fearful, and apologetic.In order to "secure the blessings of liberty" to future generations, as promised in our Constitution, the USA PATRIOT Act must be repealed, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 must be repealed, and the Writ of Habeas Corpus must be restored to its preeminent place in American jurisprudence.

As a civil rights attorney, I feel strongly about this, and I make this Pledge to you:

As your representative in Congress,

I will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, by standing up for the rule of law and by educating my fellow members of Congress as to the consequences of denying liberty in the name of security.

National Security and
America's Standing in
the World

We must reject the prevailing mantra, touted by the government and the media, that says we can no longer afford freedom and decency if we are to protect ourselves from terror. That is the counsel of cowards. We can be strong on terrorism without being strong on torture.

Germany and Japan in World War II, and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, threatened our very national existence in a way that terrorists cannot, yet we resisted the temptation to give up our values and sell our soul.

This is not to say that the terrorists are not a real danger or that we shouldn't make every effort to protect ourselves and ultimately destroy their ability to hurt us. Rather, it is to say that saving our country from terrorism does not require, as the Bush Administration insists, that we give up the rights and freedoms that make our country worth saving.

We foiled many a terrorist plot before we had the USA PATRIOT Act.

We must return to the values and virtues that have always made our country strong and attracted allies to our endeavors:

The value of good old fashioned American know-how in the sciences and technology that always kept us one step ahead of our enemies (e.g. the Manhattan Project)

The virtue of an open society that allowed this kind of know-how to flourish (e.g. landing on the moon)

The American commitment to generosity and fair play in the international arena (e.g. developing the Marshall Plan, signing on to the Kyoto Protocol, honoring the Geneva Conventions).

We need to make sure that our ports are tightly controlled by Americans. Our ports are one of the most vulnerable links in the chain of our security against terror. If weapons of mass destruction are ever smuggled into this country, it will be through these ports. That is why we can no longer privatize foreign or domestic security, handing over our safety to for-profit corporations who are not the least bit accountable to "we the people."

In a post-9/11 world, we can no longer ignore vulnerable sites - our ports, water supply, electrical plants, nuclear plants, subways and the like.

Americans have always been courageous. When there is a threat, the goal should be to respond with courage, confidence, and common sense -- not to react in fear.

With regard to national security and America's standing in the world, I make this pledge to you:

As your representative in Congress,

I will support

· tried and true methods of diplomacy and containment over reactionary wars of conquest and aggression,

· public accountability in international relations over corporate profiteering, and the

· setting of priorities consistent with both our vital interests and the interests of other countries who are, or could be, our natural allies in resolving world conflicts.