Habeas corpus
Jun. 13th, 2008 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bktheirregularI'll boil it down.
The right to habeas corpus - the right to challenge the validity of my detention by the government and have that challenge heard - is not my right as an American citizen.
It is my right as a human being.
The government does not owe such an explanation only to its own citizens; it owes it to anyone over whom it exercises power - and you'd better believe that detaining someone is an exercise of power.
Habeas corpus, at its core, is meant to hold the government accountable. And the last seven years have proven beyond any shadow of doubt that governments NEED to be held accountable.
The right to habeas corpus - the right to challenge the validity of my detention by the government and have that challenge heard - is not my right as an American citizen.
It is my right as a human being.
The government does not owe such an explanation only to its own citizens; it owes it to anyone over whom it exercises power - and you'd better believe that detaining someone is an exercise of power.
Habeas corpus, at its core, is meant to hold the government accountable. And the last seven years have proven beyond any shadow of doubt that governments NEED to be held accountable.
