The American Freedom Agenda (AFA) is a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 organization established in March 2007 by disaffected libertarian

Libertarianism

Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

-oriented conservatives demanding that the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 return to its traditional mistrust of concentrated government power. It describes itself as "a coalition established to restore checks and balances

Separation of powers under the United States Constitution

Separation of powers is a political doctrine originating from the United States Constitution, according to which the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the United States government are kept distinct in order to prevent abuse of power. This U.S...

 and civil liberties

Civil liberties

Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...

 protections under assault by the executive branch." It was founded by Bruce Fein

Bruce Fein

Bruce Fein is a lawyer in the United States who specializes in constitutional and international law. Fein has written numerous articles on constitutional issues for The Washington Times, Slate.com, The New York Times, Legal Times, and is active on the issues of civil liberties...

 (chairman), Bob Barr

Bob Barr

Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...

, David Keene

David Keene

David A. Keene , President of the National Rifle Association as of May 2, 2011, was the chairman of the American Conservative Union, from 1984 to 2011. Additionally, he is the managing associate at the Carmen Group Lobbying, a lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C...

 and Richard Viguerie

Richard Viguerie

Richard Art Viguerie is a conservative figure, pioneer of political direct mail and writer on American politics...

.

The ten points of the American Freedom Agenda pledge are:

• No military commissions except on the battlefield.
• No evidence extracted by torture or coercion.
• No detaining citizens as unlawful enemy combatant
  Unlawful combatant
  An unlawful combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a civilian who directly engages in armed conflict in violation of the laws of war. An unlawful combatant may be detained or prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action.The Geneva Conventions apply in wars...
  
  s.
• Restoring habeas corpus
  Habeas corpus
  is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
  
   for suspected alien enemy combatants.
• Prohibiting warrantless spying
  NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
  The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...
  
   by the National Security Agency
  National Security Agency
  The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
  
   in violation of law.
• Renouncing presidential signing statement
  Signing statement
  A signing statement is a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law. They are usually printed along with the bill in United States Code Congressional and Administrative News ....
  
  s.
• Ending secret government by invoking State Secrets Privilege
  State Secrets Privilege
  The state secrets privilege is an evidentiary rule created by United States legal precedent. Application of the privilege results in exclusion of evidence from a legal case based solely on affidavits submitted by the government stating that court proceedings might disclose sensitive information...
  
  .
• Stopping extraordinary rendition by the U.S.
• Stopping threats to prosecuting journalists under the Espionage Act of 1917
  Espionage Act of 1917
  The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
  
  .
• Ending the listing of individuals or organizations as terrorists based on secret evidence.

Timeline

On March 20, 2007, Ron Paul

Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...

 became the first presidential candidate to sign the American Freedom Agenda Pledge. The group labeled presidential candidate Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...

 "unfit to serve as president" when he failed to sign the pledge.
Steve Kubby

Steve Kubby

Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who...

, a former candidate for the Libertarian Party

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

 nomination for President, has also signed the pledge.

On October 15, 2007, Paul introduced House Resolution 3835, the "American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007" before Congress, which sought to legislate the aims of the American Freedom Agenda. The measure, which is co-sponsored by Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich

Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....

, has had no action since November 15, 2007.