The War on Torture

In Connecticut today, a statewide interfaith network of religious leaders--Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice-- working with with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, is calling on the state's Congressional delegation to take a firm stand against weakening the United States' commitment to Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

"Nothing less than the soul of our nation is at stake," said the Reverend Allie Perry, "not to mention the rule of law."

Senator Joe Lieberman--who might soon join forces with the Decider to serve as his official sidekick, the Moral Equivocator--has seized the opportunity to (somewhat) oppose President Bush's torture proposal. "I think McCain's got it right," said Lieberman. "I think we're probably in agreement in about 90 percent on how we should treat them."

But what Jolting Joe can't cut and run from--as Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith point out in their recent article on The Nation.com--are his votes to strip Guantánamo captives of the right to habeas corpus, and to confirm Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, essentially endorsing Gonzales' infamous torture memo.

If Lieberman sees supporting the Warner/McCain/Graham bill as a way to take an election year stand against Bush while posing as protector of our historical international obligations, he is dead wrong. As J. Wells Dixon of the Center for Constitutional Rights said, "The Administration and Warner bills...would authorize the life-long detention of more than 450 men who have been imprisoned in Guantánamo for nearly five years without ever having been charged with an offense or receiving a fair hearing. This is unconscionable. Every person detained by our nation must receive a fair hearing--one that does not rely on secret evidence or evidence obtained by torture or coercion--because fairness and due process are what America stands for."

In Connecticut, and across the nation, as candidates are forced to take a stand on such issues as torture, habeas corpus, and the separation of powers, we will learn who represents our finest traditions, and who would settle for a poor imitation which will further erode our historical role as a beacon for human rights.

Comments (3)

1. You know, with this torture issue the hamsters just might annihilate their own bullshit about who in this country is god fearing...

   And who is godless

   Posted by Will C. at 09/19/2006 @ 5:09pm

2. god i can't wait for november. i'm going to f*ck a lot that night, after we take back congress!

   Posted by darladoon at 09/19/2006 @ 5:10pm

3. Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/19/2006 @ 5:15pm

   She's a lesbian, FRANK....but maybe she'll let you watch.

   And I think poor DD is in for a major "post-coital" crash soon afterwards. I predict the Dems take the House, but I think about 4 months after the election (Feb 2007), a lot of people here are going to get REALLY depressed, frustrated, and angry....when the "bills of impeachment" don't start flowing.

   As far as THIS issue goes, look for more disappointment. Dem leadership know they can win on the BLATENT examples of abuse of prisoners and rights violations...but if they go TOO far, they start getting tarred as "wanting to protect the rights of terrorists" and their poll numbers will tank.

   Despite all the hoopla, the polls still show BIG majorities worry about domestic terrorism....and if Dems re-gain their old 1970s image of "soft on crime"....that's the ballgame for them!

   Posted by Mask at 09/20/2006 @ 08:58am