They are:

The notice includes more information on the legislation, talking points on the issue, and more.

The Session of Calvary Presbyterian Church of San Francisco has approved an overture to the General Assembly on the torture issue. The church’s web site contains the overture itself, a summary of where they are the process of getting it to the General Assembly, and a memorandum with links to some very helpful sources.

A number of knowledgeable people are urging that we all pay attention to this in-depth look at the meaning torture in our world today.  You can see it -- or read transcripts  -- on the PBS website >>

Peter Sulyok, former Coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, offers this comment:

It was well done and made the factual connections detailing how much direct orchestration came from on high, especially fellow Presbyterian Don Rumsfeld, and the torture/abuse did not appear to be the isolated creations of MPs without guidance. To the extent that the program had access to experts, it appears that besides being against international law and therefore criminal activity, torture simply doesn't produce trustworthy testimony to warrant its cruelty and inhumane barbarous actions.

I'm glad it is available on line as well. I recommend it even more now that I've seen it.

A new book edited by Kenneth Roth and Minky Worden
[10-17-05]

A timely and provocative new anthology, Torture is the first book to critically assess torture from a global human rights viewpoint. International law has categorically outlawed the practice, yet the global debate around torture—the legality of its use, the extent of its use, its effectiveness—has intensified in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Revelations of torture and degradation at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities have galvanized both proponents and opponents of torture, and underscored how imperative it is to tackle the question head-on.

Sixteen original essays from leading commentators take an unflinching look at one of the most urgent issues of our day.

Ray McGovern, a co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity who now works for Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC, asks "Where do American religious leaders stand on torture? Their deafening silence evokes memories of the unconscionable behavior of German church leaders in the 1930s and early 1940s."    More >>

We are happy to note, though, that the Presbyterian General Assembly in 2004 issued a strong statement condemning the use of torture, and calling for "efforts ... to ensure that such torture and abuse do not occur in the future."   More >>

The White House on Friday threatened to veto a $440.2 billion defense spending bill in the Senate because it wasn't enough money for the Pentagon and also warned lawmakers not to add any amendments to regulate the treatment of detainees or set up a commission to probe abuse.

In a sense, for human rights, we can gauge the progress of our society by assessing what has been settled and what is in open dispute. So, today, what are we to make of the fact that torture is controversial?

So asks Norman Solomon, author of the new book War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.
More on the book >>

Read his essay >>

Legislation seeks to prohibit inhumane treatment of prisoners

When last seen on the Senate floor on July 26, there were a slew of amendments pending or introduced. A few had already been considered.

A listing of amendments having to do with torture or treatment or treatment of prisoners is below.

If the Defense Appropriations bill is brought up, some of these amendments could instead be offered to that bill.

If the Defense Authorization bill is brought up, there may be a shortened list of 10 - 12 amendments offered by Democrats and Republicans.

Please call your senators and ask them to support any amendment to prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of persons under the custody or control of the United States Government.

Interrogation of prisoners

Sincerely,

Erik Gustafson
Executive Director
Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC)
www.epic-usa.org

Sen. John McCain, decrying new allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq by U.S. soldiers, on Sunday backed an amendment to force the American military to live up to its international obligations under the Geneva Convention and "not engage in torture" of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCain (R-Ariz.) was responding to complaints by Army Capt. Ian Fishback and two sergeants, who all served with the 82nd Airborne Division. Their description of routine harsh treatment of captives in Iraq parallels the abuse caught in photographs at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad and was contained in a Human Rights Watch report issued Friday by the advocacy group.

He said he and Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), another committee member, were proposing an amendment to a defense bill, which would require the military abstain from torture in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Read the report in the LA Times
Or find it on TruthOut.org

September Mobilization

Three Days of Actions
for Peace & Justice in D.C.

Saturday, September 24
Massive March, Rally & Anti-war Fair
Gather 11 AM at the Washington Monument

The Washington Post reports that two soldiers and an officer with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division have told Human Rights Watch of systemic detainee abuse and human rights violations at U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, recounting beatings, forced physical exertion and psychological torture of prisoners, the group said.

The organization’s 30-page report describes an Army captain's 17-month effort to gain clear understanding of how U.S. soldiers were supposed to treat detainees, and depicts his frustration with what he saw as widespread abuse that the military's leadership failed to address. The Army officer made clear that he believes low-ranking soldiers have been held responsible for abuse to cover for officers who condoned it.

The soldiers described violence against detainees held at Forward Operating Base Mercury, outside Fallujah, shortly before the notorious abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison began. These abuses included putting detainees in stress positions, exercising them to the point of total exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. And like soldiers accused at Abu Ghraib, these troops said that military intelligence interrogators encouraged their actions, telling them to make sure the detainees did not sleep or were physically exhausted so as to get them to talk.

He concludes: "Are we still looking at a ‘few bad apples’? Or at the cover-up of a hidden culture (or subculture) of torture? As the Pew Research Center poll suggests, an increasing number of Americans are beginning to ask: Who is protecting whom from what?"

A grassroots group of Presbyterians, concerned about the treatment of prisoners captured and held by the US and our allies since the 9/11 attacks, has established a Yahoo Group to facilitate communication and information sharing. Learn more at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/No2Torture/

In introducing this Yahoo group "No2Torture," the organizers say:

Your WebWeaver recently grumbled about the pressure on Senator Durbin to apologize for speaking the truth about America’s use of torture. If you’d like something a little livelier, check out the full-scale rant by Vietnam veteran John Cory, who opens with the elegant line, "Sometimes I get so angry I could just spit." 

But he offers three things the hapless Democrats might do to regain his trust and support – and that of many others. And he closes with a somewhat irreverent but very relevant version of the Lord’s Prayer.

OK, let’s get this straight. The United States, through various agencies including the armed forces, the FBI, and various intelligence agencies, has for a year or two used torture on many of the people it has detained for alleged involvement in terrorism. U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, of Illinois, has had the gall – or the guts – to say that’s what we’ve been doing. And he has been pressured to apologize. Even many of his Democratic colleagues have joined in the cry for an apology.

Details >>

And the administration that has concealed, condoned, justified, and quite possibly encouraged the torture ... Apologies? Not likely. Indeed, their technique seems to work just fine: When you’re accused of something serious, blame the accuser – for rudeness if nothing worse. The focus shifts to the faults of the accuser, and you’re clear once again.

The ancient Hebrews had a similar technique for dealing with sins: Find a goat, place the burden of all your sin and guilt on the goat, and slaughter it. The scapegoat. Many Jewish teachers, including Jesus, said that wasn’t a sufficient way to deal with sin. There had to be repentance and change on the part of the sinner. Of course many followers of Jesus got tired of that, and started placing Jesus himself in the role of scapegoat, who "died for our sins."

That still works for lots of folks. Including, apparently, some folks in High Places in Washington.

Robert Fisk has written: "We are all complicit in these vile acts of torture - but what can we do about it? If our government uses information drained out of these creatures, it is we who are holding the whips."   [6-22-05]

Thanks to readers/visitors/friends who have provided these items:
[6-8-05]

Amnesty International provides a number of reports on US betrayal of human rights, including specific reports on Guantánamo, and AI’s response to Pres. Bush’s dismissal of their criticisms.

Fox News interviews Amnesty's U.S. chief, William Schulz.
      Read the report by the Washington Post

Thomas L. Friedman says of Guantánamo, "just shut it down."

Shut it down. Just shut it down. I am talking about the war-on-terrorism P.O.W. camp at Guantánamo Bay. Just shut it down and then plow it under. It has become worse than an embarrassment. I am convinced that more Americans are dying and will die if we keep the Gitmo prison open than if we shut it down. So, please, Mr. President, just shut it down…

Carter Urges Closing Of Guantanamo Prison  Reported by the Washington Post, June 08, 2005
Former president Jimmy Carter called Tuesday for the United States to close its detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

And ideas for action ...

From the Rev. Betty Hale of Roxboro, NC
[6-8-05]

Actions

1. I think a groundswell of support for an independent commission is developing. We can follow that story (e.g. Carter Center report below) and write our congresspeople.

"Urge Congress to Establish an Independent Commission on Torture"

Also check the home page of Human Rights First

2. We can support Amnesty International financially.

3. We can subscribe to Sojourners' "SoJomail" and participate in action alerts such as the earlier "open letter to Attorney General nominee Alberto R. Gonzalez, asking him 'to denounce the use of torture under any circumstances.' " (did not seem to have the desired effect.... though maybe it did help get the earlier extreme interrogation memo substituted just before his confirmation hearing)

So there's an invitation!
What ideas can you add -- resources, actions, opinions ... just send a note to be shared here!