The ACLU sent me a letter requesting that I ask all of you to sign a petition against torture.
Next week the ACLU plans to deliver a petition with 100,000 signatures to send a clear message to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that torture is un-American. The petition is online at:
http://action.aclu.org/tortureisunamerican
The petition will be delivered both to the Secretary of State and to State Department representatives at the Geneva meeting of the UN Committee Against Torture. The ACLU will be presenting a detailed and hard-hitting report in Geneva on prisoner mistreatment by the United States.
You can also help the ACLU comb through the recent document dump.
We also recently announced the launch of a powerful new Torture Document Search engine, which allows users to comb through more than 100,000 pages of government documents concerning the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo and elsewhere, all released under a Freedom of Information Act request by the ACLU.
This is the first time this important set of documents has been made publicly searchable online.
For more about the Torture Document Search and all the ACLU’s work fighting torture and abuse, go to: www.aclu.org/torture
When your kids ask you what you did to stop America from torturing people, you can tell them you signed this petition, that it was delivered to the Secretary of State, and that you helped document the atrocities.
What more can we do? Any ideas? Take the poll.
Done!
I joined the ACLU a while back. It’s probably about time to send them some more money.
Done! Torture is unAmerican!
I wish it were, but it the face of America right now. Thanks for signing Leezy.
My pleasure Booman. We cannot allow it to be the face of America. We are the only ones that can change that face. Thank you for bringing the petition here. I am like Tehanu. I get dozens of petitons in email every week. One wonders where it all goes when it reaches the White House. Probably straight to the shredder.
I must admit that I get so very many petitions, and all my signing and all my phone calls have done so little, that I haven’t signed any in about a month.
Thanks for getting me motivated again.
Done! But I have to admit, I think BushCo would be good candidates for their own extraordinary rendition program…if I thought that kind of thing were ever acceptable. Which it’s not.
Just sayin’.
I don’t have any kids but my family, my nephews know how I feel and how many petitions I’ve signed over the years..starting way back after W first got selected in 2000.
All we can do is not get discouraged-all though I would be the first to admit I’ve had bouts of that and just said fuck it to some petitions or writing emails-but as cynical as I have become we don’t really don’t have any choice do we? We can’t quit.
We have to keep sending emails, supporting Boston Joe and his Petals for Peace and all the other Internet actions that have sprung up, supporting Manny on immigration and marching or not buying on designated days, all doing what we can because if we do nothing how will we live with ourselves? That is really what it comes down to isn’t it?
I think the Internet has become the gathering place and first line of defense for investigative reporting and getting admittedly small groups of people to take action and try and effect change, but I believe our actions and reporting are starting to spread to the general public and getting at times to the MSM…instead of the other way around. I guess I’m feeling more optimistic today than usual.
Done. Thanks for posting this Booman. There is no way to make amends, but we can work to build a country where “never again” means something. A little document combing is a great way to get started.
I get sort of tired of signing all these petitions. Especially since all that happens is you get put on the organization’s email list and they email you once a week asking you to sign another petition (and send it to all your friends) and send them money.