Rollout! We Draw the Line in the Sand for the Next Administration
In just over two weeks both the ballots and the die will be cast for a new administration. Since we kind of saw this coming, the ACLU has been thinking a lot about what we want to see from the next administration. You probably guessed that it means the next guy moving into 1600 Pennsylvania will need to clean up after the former resident (and I think that it would be safe to say that the Bush administration did enough damage to warrant not getting its deposit back).
Our suggestions are broken up into actions for Day One, the First 100 Days and the First Year of any new administration. In total, it’s an exhaustive list of what the country would look like if we ran it. More to the point, it’s what the country would look like if we followed the lines of our country’s roadmap — the Constitution.
For starters, whoever wins on November 4 can close Guantánamo Bay, end the practice of extraordinary rendition and put a stop to all American use of torture his first day in office. Imagine getting all that done in one day (maybe even before lunch!). That’s the kind of power our new president will have. Frankly, it’d be a crying shame to waste it.
But it will take more than that to undo the damage that has been done. Our document is an 83-page list of bad policies, unfair rules, and other travesties that the next president will have the power to clean up. Just flipping through it really gives you a sense of just how much power the president has to change things, for good or ill.
Listen, it’s not that much to ask. After eight years of the Bush administration’s refusal to adhere to the rule of law and irresponsible policies there’s a lot of work to do but it needs to be done. Think of it like fixing the foundation on house after years of neglect. Rebuilding and reinforcing our Constitution will only make us safer and more resolute.
Oct 23rd, 2008 at 9:59pm
Just a few things:
It would be nice to ask the president to re-sign the Rome Statute, and to begin compiling recommendations on ratification to be sent to Congress. Another look should be given to the two additional protocols (1977) to the Geneva Conventions, now that Douglas Feith will no longer be a credible source of input. The complaints of the Committee Against Torture with respect to our domestic prisons need to be addressed -- especially with respect to prisoner abuse and supermax confinement.
The inmates at Guantanamo, Bagram and elsewhere who allege torture should be given full Istanbul Protocol exams. In those cases which justify it, complaints of torture or cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment should be lodged against all relevant government and military authorities. All detention, be it of "combatants" or civilians, should be brought into compliance with the international standards forbidding close confinement for more than thirty days, and requiring that all prisoners get at least 2 hours of sunlight per day.
I don't know how one would word this, but there is a vast network of prisons in Afghanistan that are in some legal limbo as to whether the prisoners are under direct U.S. control (their detention is controlled by the U.S. but the prisons are run by Afghans). Those prisoners all must be registered with the Red Cross, and the conditions of their detention need to be made humane.
Oct 24th, 2008 at 1:18am
the aclu should be sued for even using the word American. the aclu is more interested in fighting for rights of ILLEGAL Immigrants than fighting for americans you people are a disgrace,and should all be hung for treason!!! fuck you all!
Oct 24th, 2008 at 8:56pm
Dumb-ass redneck.
Oct 24th, 2008 at 8:57pm
Try reading the Constitution you stupid-ass redneck!
Nov 1st, 2008 at 4:12pm
Hello. This is for the first Anonymous.
I want you to know that the ACLU would be first in line to defend your civil rights, should the need ever arise.
There is nothing un-American about that.
As for the other tow, resorting to name calling is stupid. It accomplishes nothing.
Nov 19th, 2008 at 4:59pm
I am a Constitution voter. I uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. I believe in the freedom that i have in the U.S. I served my country in Vietnam, and am a 6 year vet. I am proud for what I did. I would do it again if need be. When you run down my country, then you're walking on the fighten side of me. I will always fight and defence the Constitution of the United States.
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