White House Pushes to Kill Anti-Torture Bill; Here's What YOU Can Do
To refresh your memory, over strenuous objections and prolonged lobbying by President Bush and Vice-President Cheney, the Republican-dominated Senate delivered a searing rebuke to the White House by voting, 90 to 9, to ban the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in US government custody. The legislation was introduced by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a US Navy Captain who was a Vietnam War prisoner for over five years.
The Senate bill, with the amendment attached, now moves to the Congressional Conference Committee, where the Senate and House versions of the bill are reconciled, and sent to the President for signature. The House version did not contain an anti-torture amendment. President Bush, who has never once vetoed a bill, has threatened to veto the entire defense spending bill if.....well, he's required to stop torture and abusive degradation of US prisoners.
The bad news is that I received first word today, from two sources, that the Conference Committee, and Congressional leaders of defense appropriatons committees, are receiving intense White House pressure to kill the amendment before the bill reaches the President's desk. This despite the fact that the Senate voted unanimously to stop "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in US government custody.
Per Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), "...the Administration is attempting to bury the law in the House by persuading the House Republican Leadership to act behind the scenes to delete the anti-torture provisions."
Here's what you can do to voice your opinion on this starkly moral issue.....call and/or write NOW to the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the Subcommittees on Defense Appropriations.
To call these Senators and Representatives, simply dial the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121, and ask to be connected to one of these legislators:
Senators -
-- Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Chair, Appropriations
-- Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), Ranking Member, Appropriations
-- Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), Chair, Defense Appropriations subcom.
-- Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Ranking Member, Defense Appropriations subcom.
Representatives -
-- Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Chair, Appropriations
-- Rep. David Obey (D-WI), Ranking Member, Appropriations
-- Rep. Bill Young (R-FL), Chair, Defense Appropriations subcom.
-- Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), Ranking member, Defense Appropriations subcom.
To email any (or all) of these legislators, simply click the above links for each of Senators' and Representatives' offices, and follow their email instructions. .
Also, please join me in signing Senator Kennedy's online petition declaring that "It's wrong for the current House Republican leadership to turn that historic body into a rubber stamp for the Administration's abhorrent position on torture. I call on my Congressional representatives to take a strong stand against torture, just as the Senate has."
Torture and abuse are immoral, no matter what the context. Stand today with our entire US Senate, and say NO to the Bush/Cheney doctrine of torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading abuse of US prisoners.
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Related Articles -- The Bush Era Ends - Only Nine Senators Vote to Torture More Prisoners.
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-- Bush Approval Ratings Lowest Ever Recorded by CBS News
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Comments
This is why democrats don’t win!!
At least republicans stick together when they vote…democrats who voted for Bush’s torture bill should be ashamed of themselves
1.) Carper from (De)
2.)Tim Johnson (SD)
3.) Mary landrieu (LA)
4.) Frank Lauutenberg (NJ)
5.)Liebermann (No suprise here)
6.) Menendez (NJ)
7.) Bill Nelson (Fl)
8.) Ben Nelson (NE)
9.) Mark Pryor (AR)
10.)Jay Rockefeller (WV)
11.) Salazar (Co)
12.) Debbie Stabenow (MI)