----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Guthrie" <kathyguthrie@fcnl.org>
To: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@optonline.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:11 PM
Subject: Anti-Torture Legislation in Senate: August Action Needed - FCNL
Anti-Torture Legislation in Senate: August Action Needed
Speak out to stop torture! The August congressional recess is an ideal
opportunity to contact your senators while they are home from
Washington. Urge your senators to support the McCain amendment (#1557,
as modified) to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2006 (S. 1042).
Torture -
* is inhumane;
* doesn't reflect our country’s moral values;
* undermines human rights standards worldwide;
* creates legions of enemies of the U.S.;
* brings danger of retaliation on U.S. troops and travelers abroad; and
does not work - it does not produce reliable intelligence information.
ACT NOW
Write or call your senators in their district offices nearest you. You
can find your senator's district contact information here:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/utr/1/ANYREXSDNB/OMIREXSHNZ/
Tell them to send a message loud and clear to the U.S. military that no
intelligence information is worth spoiling our country’s
long-standing moral position that the we in the U.S. do not condone
torture, ever. Urge them to support Sen. McCain's amendment.
Below are some talking points that you can use in your message. You may
also want to identify yourself as part of your community (where you
live, your occupation) and include a sentence about why you care about
this issue. The more specific you can be, the better.
* I am deeply appalled to know that my government condones and
participates in torture. This must be stopped.
* I urge you to support Sen. McCain’s amendment to the
National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2006) requiring that U.S. armed
forces must observe the humanitarian standards in international,
national and military law - the Geneva Conventions, the U.N. Convention
Against Torture, our own U.S. Constitution, and our
military’s effective rules governing military interrogations.
* Civilized cultures treat all human beings with dignity. The rule of
law must be recognized as governing the behavior of our troops and
agents overseas. Torture by U.S. agents is morally wrong. It puts our
soldiers overseas in danger of retaliation. It doesn’t yield
reliable intelligence information because those being tortured will say
anything, true or not, to make the torture stop.
* Please, make it clear that the U.S. does not and will not condone the
use of torture.
BACKGROUND
Sen. McCain's amendment #1557 provides a clear directive to the
military that torture is an unacceptable technique to use for
intelligence gathering anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstances.
Sen. McCain (AZ), himself subjected to more than five years of torture
as a POW during the Vietnam War, introduced the "Uniform Standards
for the Interrogation of Persons Under the Detention of the Department
of Defense." The amendment provides that: (1) all U.S. military
interrogations must be governed by the Army Field Manual on
Intelligence Interrogation; (2) no interrogation technique may be
included in the manual that would constitute torture or cruel,
inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment prohibited by the
Constitution, laws, or treaties of the U.S.; and (3) all U.S. military
detainees must be registered
with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In addition, Sen. McCain plans to introduce a second amendment to the
Defense Department authorization bill. Amendment #1556 (printed but not
yet introduced - wording under scrutiny as of this legislative action
alert) would prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
punishment of persons under custody or control of the U.S. government.
The amendment uses the definitions of the U.S. Constitution, the Geneva
Conventions, and the U.N. Convention Against Torture.
For more information, see Sen. McCain's statement in support of
amendment #1557 (under the heading "Congressional Action"),
as well as other background information about the use of torture:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/utr/1/ANYREXSDNB/BKLWEXSHOA/
Reminder: August 6 and 9 this year mark the 60th anniversary of the
U.S. atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Download
the FCNL flier as a resource to help your community remember the
civilians who lost their lives in the bombings and to say "never
again.": http://capwiz.com/fconl/utr/1/ANYREXSDNB/IGFOEXSHOB/
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________________________________________
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phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330
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