Bill of Rights Defense Campaign

BILL OF RIGHTS Defense Committee - Working with communities to uphold the Bill of RightsWe the People
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December 13, 2011

NDAA v. the Constitution: Military detention for US citizens

On Bill of Rights Day, grassroots coalitions mobilize across the country to defend the right to trial

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WASHINGTON, DC — This Thursday, December 15, our nation will celebrate Bill of Rights Day, the anniversary of the ratification of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. Grassroots groups across the country will take action, both to celebrate the Bill of Rights and to resist the troubling National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by Congress on December 1.

The NDAA would give the US military the power to imprison US citizens indefinitely and without trial or any proof that they committed a crime.

What: The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) will host a press conference in advance of Bill of Rights Day events to discuss the NDAA and grassroots resistance to expanded military detention.

When: Wednesday, December 14 at 1 p.m.

Where: National Press Club (529 14th Street NW in Washington, DC), 13th Floor, Lisagore Room

Who: Speakers include:

  • David Cole, professor at Georgetown University Law Center; author of Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror
  • Bruce Fein, principal of the Lichfield Group; former Reagan administration Justice Department official
  • Sue Udry, executive director, Defending Dissent Foundation
  • Shahid Buttar, executive director, Bill of Rights Defense Committee

According to Buttar, "The NDAA threatens the First Amendment, as well as the Fifth and Sixth, and removes the judiciary from its constitutional role. It is blatantly unconstitutional and should be rejected by the White House and Congress to reflect the transpartisan concerns of the American people."

Grassroots coalitions in more than a dozen cities are holding anti-NDAA Bill of Rights Day events this week, including Boston, New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Tacoma, WA. A map listing the events, including time and place details, is available at http://bordc.org/ndaa/map.php.

Listen to the audio recording of the press conference.

About the Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Formed in 2001, The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) is a national non-profit grassroots organization. We defend the rule of law and rights and liberties challenged by overbroad national security and counter-terrorism policies. BORDC supports an ideologically, ethnically, geographically, and generationally diverse grassroots movement to protect and restore these principles by encouraging widespread civic participation; educating people about the significance of our rights; and cultivating grassroots networks to convert concern, outrage, and fear into debate and action. For more information, visit http://www.bordc.org or call (413) 582-0110.

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