Today’s 8th Anniversary of Guantanamo.
Dear Peter,
One year ago, we were made a promise. We thought we’d finally be celebrating the closure of the Guantanamo detention facility and ending one of the most disgraceful abuses of power witnessed in recent American history.
Instead, today, January 11th we’ll mark the 8 year anniversary of Guantanamo’s opening. And the following week, our disappointment will deepen as we watch the administration’s original January 22nd deadline to close the prison come and go with no results.
During this time, all eyes will be on President Obama to see if he still stands firm in his commitment given these most recent setbacks.
The power of the press can help us send our message loud and clear – the Obama administration must follow through on its pledge to uphold justice in the face of terror.
When a man attempted to blow up a plane on Christmas Day, it took us down a familiar path that will surely test the Obama administration’s commitment and whether we’ve learned anything at all since 9/11.
After evidence surfaced linking the would-be bomber to Yemen, President Obama gave in to formal calls from senior members of Congress to indefinitely detain all Yemenis in Guantanamo, including those already screened and cleared for release.
This violation illustrates why Guantanamo is now being seen as a primary recruiting tool for terrorist organizations – its existence only fuels the use of terror and torture, and does not prevent it.
Sadly, this has not been the only indication that we’re failing to learn from misguided strategies of the past.
A poll recently surfaced that shows a majority of Americans actually favor the use of torture on the would-be Christmas Day bomber to extract information. Once again, we’re being asked to make that false choice between feeling safer and doing what’s right – and far too many are taking the bait!
It is critical that we push back now to sway the court of public opinion. Reverting to flawed tactics and disrupting our normal course of justice only takes us further away from the values that we’re fighting so hard to protect.
The cycle of torture and terror must end here now. We’ve come too far to fall back on failed policies that have only endangered our civil liberties and if anything, increased the risk to our national security.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll particularly be watching the administration like hawks and you’ll hear exactly what we think of their plans to get Guantanamo’s closure back on track. After a year in office, we’ve yet to see the Obama administration lay down any strong consequences for those most responsible for enabling and carrying out the acts of torture that Guantanamo was built upon. We expect that to change.
We need you, now more than ever, to be a voice of conscience – to help light the way back to the promise we had one year ago, because you understand that torture ends when justice and accountability begin.
Thank you for standing with us,
Njambi Good
Director, Counter Terror With Justice Campaign
Edit - Delete
Comments:
Posted on 12 Jan 2010, 6:46 by Scarlet LetterAs Requested
Spread Our Website Around Please. Those of you with the skills can copy and paste the link below.
www.cfcamerica.org
Good Morning, Evening from Citizens for Change, America
I want to tell you, my heart is low tonight thinking of all the oppression out there due to these laws.
I received an email today from a woman who is the girlfriend of a man who, at age 10 was accused of getting a little cousin to partake of some sexual activities with him.
Age 10. Now, nothing happened until he was 16 when he was arrested and charged. It took till he was 18 to be finally convicted.
At that time, he was given probation and put on the NATIONAL SHAMING REGISTRY.
Since he was branded a sex offender and unable to live practically anywhere, including at home because other kids were at home.. he ended up bouncing around from place to place, NEVER COMMITTING ANOTHER CRIME but eventually, having no where to live caused him to violate the sex offender registration rules for HAVING A PLACE TO LIVE.
So, now, at 23 years old.. you have this young man, boy, who is being totally intercoursed by the system and is in jail for failure to register because he cannot find anywhere to live with NO JOB OR NO FRIENDS.
This kid is about to kill himself.
I do not know if YOU can feel the pain, but I sure can.
If anyone in the southern pare of Michigan, knows a good lawyer who will actuall FIGHT for his client, who has NO money... please contact me, info@cfcamerica.org This kid needs help before he kills himself.. get this, the jail he is in feeds them JUST A BALONY SANDWICH.. FOR LUNCH AND DINNER. I hear they hardly have heat, and the first few days he was there, he was suicidal so they strapped him to a bed, naked, in a cold room and left him there. That is what his girl friend told me. He also has not seen a doctor and is suppose to be on medications, but NO doctor will come.
Again, this kid needs help, he is in Michigan. Somebody out there step up to the plate!
................
RETROACTIVE APPLICATION OF THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION LAWS
Unconstitutionally applying the sex offender registry requirements causes total segregation of the offender and his or her family from the rest of society.
Many persons who have served out all their sentences for a crime, many decades ago, are suddenly forced under threat of arrest to register and be placed on the national and state registries as a sex criminal even though they are an ex criminal who has changed their lives.
Many children are harmed in this. The children of Ex Offenders who experience the below, are then ostracized to the limit. Losing all friends, all interpersonal relationships. Many lose their homes as their parent is no longer able to find work. Lawmakers say, TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN, well what about all these children of ex offenders? This is precisely why the constitution strictly forbids ex post facto law.
If ever you hear a lawmaker or politician saying any of these words or phrases,
1. We must get tough on crime.
2. We must protect the children.
3. If it saves just one child...
4. We are willing to sacrifice a few, to protect the many.
5. These sex offenders deserve everything they get, they lost all rights when they ....
Then you know, that person is seeking political office or financial gain! NOT seeking to Protect the children or society.
_______________________
. I am glad to meet new friends, if you are going through hell with all this, let's talk... I always have an extra ear open!
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 12 Jan 2010, 23:01 by Mike LaMountain
Nothing compared to
The suffering and torture suffered by those detained and questioned in guantanamo bay is nothing compared to those who were in the World Trade Center on 9/11. I still remember watching the footage of people jumping out of the top floors to certain death just to escape the flames. So if someone deemed a terrorist has to drink a little water or get his fingernails ripped off to make sure that our mothers fathers brothers sisters sons & daughters never have to go through that torture again then I say make them talk. We here plenty of stories of those released from gitmo going right back to their terrorist ways so I say keep us safe, even if that means letting them rot for eternity. They are not Americans, they are enemy combatants who terrorized and tortured us and I personally did not forget. Make em talk
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 13 Jan 2010, 5:57 by Ground Zero
Geneva Convention
What many people do not know is that my son Michael LaMountain was so upset when the terrorists drove the planes into the world trade center that he made his way to ground zero on 9-11-01. He was 18 at the time and when he got there he could not process the carnage before his eyes.
I got a call a few days later from a worker of the american red cross. (thank you Clara Barton). The worker told me that I should be proud of my son for the work he did there. They had to pull him off the pile to have him rest after a couple days there. Mike witnessed NYPD and NYFD personnal looting the pile too. It gave him a new understanding of our public safety "hero's".
But MICHAEL. There is such a thing as the Geneva convention and how we treat prisoners. If we treat theirs with torture then what does that say to the civilized world? Do we want them to treat ours the same? You are entitled to your opinion. You earned the right to your strong feelings when you got on that pile at ground ero that day back on Septermber 11 2001. But this is about ideals that govern society as a whole. We can not let go of the ideals our grandfathers forged that protect prisoners of war. There is enough hatred in society already.
Dad.
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 14 Jan 2010, 17:26 by LM
Torture and our Constitution
Peter,
With an outlook like Mike expresses in his post he would probably also be OK with himself, his dad, you, or whomever else those in power deemed appropriate being picked up and after simply declaring them an enemy, torture them to have the real truth extracted and be fine with it. That is the way his heroes currently have it set to work.
It is odd how people can beat their drums for themselves and their position and disregard all other positions and viewpoints.
I'd love to hear his views on Muslims, blacks, foreigners and the Poor in general. I am sure it would be enlightening. I would also bet they all love Sarah. I can just sense it.
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 14 Jan 2010, 17:49 by Mike LaMountain
Muslims Blacks & Forigners
I have nothing against anyone who wants to live their life trying to be the best person they can be. I believe in live and let live and I also believe in live free or die. I do not believe in treating terrorists in any sort of manner other than making sure they never hurt anyone again. You think they are just going to send us an email telling us where to find osama bin laden or saddam hussein? You think they hesitate to chop off Americans heads and crash airplanes into our tallest buildings? They are in gitmo for a reason. Maybe when we release them you can let a few of them stay at your house. If one American life is saved or one terrorist action is adverted then I say make them talk, I don't care if you have to hookup jumper cables to their nipples. Who do I resent? Those with the holyier than though attitude, those who never worked an honest day in their life and act like the world owes them something just for them bestowing their presence on them. Those with the me me me and take take take attitude. Those who completely ignore the law just because they can get away with it. Those who kill and blame it on their religion. My lungs have been filled with the rubble left behind by these terrorists you would like to coddle. I've carried body parts in 5 gallon buckets. So if somebody deemed a terrorist, red white black or green has a bad day because they don't want to tell us their terroristic plans then so be it. I may be a lot of things but I believe in giving people a chance and letting their actions determine where they stand in my book. As far about me being rascist or treating the poor unfairly just go ask some of the puerto rican fellas or the homeless kids or maybe the peruvians I've given a job a chance and a place to call home if I treated them anything other than my equal.
_________________________________________________________________