United Liberty

Former Congressman Bob Barr, David Keene of the American Conservative Union and Grover Norquist of the Americans for Tax Reform (all members of the Constitution Project) are getting behind a proposal that would move detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to a prison facility in Illinois.

Here is the statement from Barr, Keene and Norquist:

As it moves to close Guantanamo and develop policies for handling terrorism suspects going forward, the government should rely upon our established, traditional system of justice. This includes our system of federal prisons, which have repeatedly proven they can safely hold persons convicted of terrorism offenses.

We are confident that the government can preserve national security without resorting to sweeping and radical departures from an American constitutional tradition that has served us effectively for over two centuries.

Civilian federal courts are the proper forum for terrorism cases. Civilian prisons are the safe, cost effective and appropriate venue to hold persons convicted in federal courts. Over the last two decades, federal courts constituted under Article III of the U.S. Constitution have proven capable of trying a wide array of terrorism cases, without sacrificing either national security or fair trial standards.

Likewise the federal prison system has proven itself fully capable of safely holding literally hundreds of convicted terrorists with no threat or danger to the surrounding community.

The scaremongering about these issues should stop.

From Politico’s Arena on the Stimulus Package

Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform:

I notice that the question today is about the “recovery” plan. As I told the Bush folks when they were demanding support for their $750 billion “recovery” plan, it is only a recovery plan if it makes the economy stronger. The “million man march” wasn’t and the “stimulus” plan won’t. But credit for clever spin.

I would like to take this opportunity to call out the following Senators to explain their actions as a part of the “Gang of Ten,” and how their involvement in this legislation broke The National Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Saxby Chambliss, Johnny Isakson, Ben Nelson, Lindsey Graham, John Thune, and Bob Corker, what does this pledge mean to you? The Americans for Tax Reform is quite specific with the wording:

I pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the State of _________ and to the American People that I will:

ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and