----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Guthrie" <kathyguthrie@fcnl.org>
To: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@optonline.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 2:09 PM
Subject: Torture Permission to be Slipped into Law? - FCNL
The vice-president of the United States is publically advocating giving
a U.S. government agency statutory authority to use torture. Supporters
of the McCain anti-torture amendment to the military spending bill have
no time to enjoy the amendment's overwhelming 90-9 bi-partisan passage
in the Senate. The amendment may be rendered meaningless by loopholes
under consideration in conference committee. We must act now, telling
Congress that no matter which government agency, no matter where, and
no matter how the president characterizes the circumstances, United
States forces do not ever have permission to torture or use cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your congressional delegation, including both of your
senators and your representative. Tell them that the McCain amendment
must not be altered during conference committee to lessen its
provisions. Tell them that every member of Congress has the
responsibility to make sure that U.S. moral values and sound military
principles are upheld by preserving the McCain amendment to the 2006
military appropriations bill, intact for the president's signature.
See FCNL's web site to find a sample letter and contact your members of
Congress directly:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=8170141&type=CO.
You will need to enter your zip code to see the sample letter.
BACKGROUND:
President Bush has threatened to veto the 2006 military appropriations
bill (H.R. 2863) because the Senate amended its version of the bill to
require that: (1) treatment of all Department of Defense (DoD)
detainees or detainees held in DoD facilities must follow the Army
Field Manual for Intelligence Interrogation; and (2) the U.N.
Convention Against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
(to which the U.S. is a signatory) governs all U.S. detainees. Here's a
link to the text of the amendment:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1567&issue_id=70.
The president's congressional allies were initially rumored to have
plans to strip the amendment from the bill. However, the lopsided,
bi-partisan vote in the Senate signaled a powerful political incentive
for the conference committee to retain the amendment in the bill.
Instead of working to strip the amendment, the administration and its
supporters have suggested revisions to the amendment that would water
it down to the point of meaninglessness. Vice-President Cheney proposed
his own "compromise" plan to Sen. McCain last week (week of
Oct. 10). The Cheney Plan would exempt the CIA from the provisions of
the anti-torture amendment. This plan is so shocking, it bears
repeating: the vice-president of the United States is publically
advocating giving a U.S. government agency statutory authority to use
torture. This proposal is especially dangerous in light of the
administration's support for moving all intelligence functions out of
the Pentagon and the FBI and into the CIA's portfolio.
Other proponents of allowing brutal treatment under some circumstances
have suggested other loopholes to the amendment, e.g., presidential
waiver (the president could, using his own judgment, waive the
prohibition in the interest of national security); geographic
limitation (torture would be prohibited only in certain locations, such
as on U.S. soil); or non-applicability of the amendment during
"classified" interrogations.
The president argues that the McCain amendment ties the president's
hands in his efforts to preserve national security in the
post-September 11 world. He also claims that as commander-in-chief, he
has the authority to determine the rules by which detainees in the
"war against terror" are handled. Human rights supporters
disagree, pointing to the U.S. Constitution, Art. I, sec. 8: "The
Congress shall have Power ... To declare War, grant Letters of Marque
and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and
Water." (emphasis added)
Human rights advocates reiterate that 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.
Here's a link to the FCNL website for further background information
about the use of torture:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=70.
_______________________________________
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________________________________________
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