Habeas Corpus, 1215-2006

On October 17, 2006, Habeas Corpus died in Washington, D.C. after a long, losing battle against George W. Bush. Habeas Corpus had fought off Bush since 2001, and recent pressure applied by Congress proved to be too much. Habeas Corpus was pronounced dead late in the morning.

Habeas Corpus was born in 1215 with the historic signing of the Magna Carta, a document that was prompted by a massive English uprising against the King. The King, being cornered by the angry peasants, was forced to sign in to law basic human freedoms that would be given to all citizens. Habeas Corpus was among those provisions.

For centuries, Habeas Corpus resided primarily in England, and it survived numerous tyrannical attempts on its life. In mid Sixteenth Century, however, Habeas Corpus began spending time in England's American colonies. By 1776, Habeas Corpus had become a permanent resident of the newly formed United States during the American Revolution.

When the United States officially separated itself from England and won its freedom, the Bill of Rights was drafted. Habeas Corpus played at least a part in nine of the first ten amendments, and was a central figure in the establishment of the basic rights for the new American republic.

The first great challenge to Habeas Corpus came during the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln was forced to suspend it in his efforts to help the Union win the war. Once victory was complete, Habeas Corpus returned to action as an integral part of American society and the US justice system.

Habeas Corpus continued to work uninterrupted for nearly 140 years before Bush came to power and began fighting against Habeas Corpus following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Soon, Habeas Corpus was growing weaker and weaker as hundreds of terrorists and terror suspects were arrested, rounded up, and put in secret and not-so-secret detention centers around the world.

Despite attempts by Bush to utterly destroy Habeas Corpus, the fight went on for nearly five years. When Congress got involved by passing the Military Commissions Act of 2006, Habeas Corpus took a blow it would never recover from. Mere weeks later, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 was signed by Bush, and Habeas Corpus died quietly.

Habeas Corpus is survived by freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful gatherings, common sense, and human dignity. Following the death of Habeas Corpus, these rights could also fall to the same fate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Think it's funny? It's not. This is serious. Our rights as Americans are being curtailed by a very small number of people in power. Do what you can to protest while you're still allowed to. Raise your voice. Write as many letters as you can. Protest with every last ounce of strength. Do something to stop this tyranny before it goes too far.