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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2012
10:00 AM

CONTACT: Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Amy Ferrer, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Associate Director, (413) 582-0110, media@bordc.org

Michael Maharrey, Tenth Amendment Center, Communications Director, (213) 935-0553,media@tenthamendmentcenter.com

Leaders Unite Across Party Lines to Defend Constitution from NDAA

Transpartisan leaders from across the country work to restore due process

WASHINGTON - February 22 - In the first few weeks of 2012, at least six jurisdictions have enacted local resolutions opposing the military detention provisions of the controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed into law by the president only a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, legislation to nullify the NDAA has been introduced in legislatures of several states from coast-to-coast, with a Virginia bill passing the House of Delegates 96-4 last week.

Concerns about NDAA detention provisions transcend political party, ideology, and geography, and representatives in these diverse jurisdictions have stood up to resist an ongoing bipartisan assault on constitutional rights by federal officials. While a debate about the scope of the NDAA’s potential abuses continues to distract congressional policymakers, who voted without realizing the law’s terrifying implications, their counterparts in state and local governments are proving more conscientious, proactively acting on their oaths of office to defend the Constitution.

This Thursday, Feb. 23, a diverse group of state and local elected leaders from both major political parties, representing various parts of the country, will address their shared concerns about the need to restore due process in the wake of the damage wrought by the NDAA. These women and men have answered the call for all levels of government to actively work to restore vital limits on dangerous—and profoundly un-American—federal powers.

What:           A conference call to brief journalists about national momentum across local and state governments to repeal or nullify the NDAA’s detention provisions
 
When:         Thursday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST)
 

 
Who:           Speakers will include the following:
  • Naomi Wolf, author, journalist, former consultant to Vice President Al Gore
  • Bruce Fein, attorney and former Justice Department official under President Reagan
  • Missouri State Representative and former US Marine Paul Curtman (R)
  • North Carolina State Senator Ellie Kinnaird (D)
  • Washington State Rep. Matt Shea (R)
  • Northampton, MA City Councilor Bill Dwight (D)
  • El Paso, CO County Commissioner Peggy Littleton (R)
Sponsors:    Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Tenth Amendment Center, and Demand Progress

About the Bill of Rights Defense Committee

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) is a national non-profit grassroots organization formed in 2001 to 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, visithttp://www.bordc.org or call (413) 582-0110.

About the Tenth Amendment Center

The Tenth Amendment Center is a national think tank that works to preserve and protect the principles of strictly limited government through information, education, and activism. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of state and individual sovereignty issues, focusing primarily on the decentralization of federal government power as required by the Constitution. The Tenth Amendment Center, in conjunction with the Rhode Island Liberty Coalition, drafted the Liberty Preservation Act, now spreading across the country at both the state and local level." For more information, visithttp://tenthamendmentcenter.com/about/ or call (213) 935-0553.

About Demand Progress

Demand Progress is a grassroots organization with more than one million members which works to promote civil rights, civil liberties, and progressive government reform.  It helped lead the organizing effort in opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act, and has generated more than 200,000 emails to Congress and President Obama in opposition to the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA. For more information, visit http://demandprogress.org.

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BORDC's mission is to promote, organize, and support a diverse, effective, national grassroots movement to restore and protect civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Our purpose is to educate people about the significance of those rights in our lives; to encourage widespread civic participation; and to cultivate and share the organizing tools and strategies needed for people to convert their concern, outrage, and fear into debate and action to restore Bill of Rights protections.
Bill of Rights Defense Committee Links:
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