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What Can You Do? 20/20 Vision has joined with a broad coalition – including MoveOn, Amnesty International, FaithfulAmerica, TrueMajority, and Win Without War - to demand that Alberto Gonzales, nominee for Attorney General, renounce torture. |
We enter a new year with images burned in our minds. The past weeks have brought vivid images from Asia of pain and suffering. We have seen villages destroyed and a death toll approaching 150,000. We have seen an administration react callously to the suffering of the survivors, and an American public that has banded together to find a way to help. If you've not already done so, we urge you to do your part.
But the Tsunami was not the only
nightmare in 2004. Last year will be remembered for the hellish images
that came out of Abu Ghraib in Iraq. The military's behavior ensured
that, for millions around the world, the United States is now
synonymous with the image of a man stripped of all human dignity,
dressed only in a black hood with electric wires poking out.
Now, one of the main architects of that policy has been nominated for Attorney General. Former White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales faces confirmation hearings beginning TOMORROW. Gonzales played a pivotal role in developing the Bush administration’s policy of abusive treatment of enemy detainees, in blatant disregard of the requirements of the Geneva Conventions on Prisoners of War. It is up to us to make sure that Gonzales unequivocally renounces torture as an instrument of US policy.
Won't you add your voice to this effort?
Spread the Word!With hearings tomorrow, it is crucial that Senators hear from us if we are to make sure that the US renounces the use of torture. Please forward this to your friends. It will take all of us to make a difference. |
Gonzales' record is appalling.. After more than a century opposing torture, the US has reversed course, embracing a practice considered inhumane and dangerous. Alberto Gonzales led the fight to bring torture back into the American arsenal. It is up to us to reverse that decision.
But we are not alone. Opposition to Gonzales is coming from unusual allies. A dozen high-ranking retired military officers took the unusual step on Monday of signing a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing "deep concern" over the Gonzales' nomination, marking a rare military foray into the debate over a civilian post.(1)
We must make sure that our government understands that torture is not a legitimate use of American force. Please sign the petition today!
THANKS!
Ron Zucker (2)(1) Dan Eggen, Gonzales Nomination Draws Military Criticism, Washington Post, Jan. 4 2005.
(2) Who, you might ask, is Ron Zucker. I'm the newest staff member at 20/20 Vision. You'll be hearing from me frequently, and I hope to get to know many of you. You can contact me personally by e-mailing me at ron@2020vision.org.