True Majority and ACLU – 2005-02-08 22:57:09
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/edit/index.php?op=edit&itemid=2313
Stop ‘Mr. Torture’
Darcy Scott Martin / TrueMajority
WASHINGTON (January 27, 2005) — Alberto Gonzales duly renounced torture during his Senate confirmation hearings. But, excuse me, this does not erase his frightening record of supporting torture! As the top White House attorney, he opined that our country should not be bound by laws or agreements such as the Geneva Conventions that prohibit torture. This opened the door to the Abu Ghraib disaster.
As if this weren’t enough, Gonzales refused under intense questioning to explain his role in the development of the Bush administration’s policies on interrogation and torture.
That is why yesterday, even under immense pressure from the president and Senate leadership, eight members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against recommending Gonzales to the full Senate — just two votes shy of an outright rejection.
Our country can surely find an attorney general whose record is not fundamentally at odds with our values of decency and compassion — and who’s willing to answer basic questions about his record.
• If you’d like to send a message (text below) to your senators urging them to oppose the Gonzales nomination, click here.
• For more information on the Gonzales nomination, click here.
Here’s the message that we will send to your senators:
Dear Senator:
I’m sure you and I agree on the qualities we’d like to see in our nation’s attorney general: honesty, compassion, decency, and respect for the rule of law.
Unfortunately, President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, seems to lack these basic qualities. First, you have to question the compassion and decency—not to mention the respect for the rule of law—of anyone who would ever argue that our nation should allow torture. As you know, this is what Gonzales did as the White House’s top attorney.
Then, later, during his Senate confirmation hearings, Gonzales brought his honesty into question by refusing to explain his role in the development of the Bush administration’s disastrous policies on interrogation and torture.
Our great country deserves a great attorney general, and Alberto Gonzales does not fit the bill. Please vote against him.
Sincerely,
(We’ll put your name and address here.)
Darcy Scott Martin is TrueMajority’s Washington Liaison
Demand Full Disclosure and Investigation of Bush Administration Torture Policies
Matt Howes / ACLU
Senate leadership is trying to steamroll the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, but your senators still have an opportunity to demand that Gonzales appoint an independent special counsel to investigate the development and implementation of US interrogation and torture policies and to fully release all torture-related documents.
Until senators get those commitments, they should oppose voting on the Gonzales nomination. They cannot fully exercise their constitutional duty to “advise and consent” on the Gonzales nomination until they have critical information on his record on torture and until a commitment is made to an independent investigation. Otherwise the Senate would be setting up a situation where Gonzales would be investigating matters in which he himself participated.
Last week, members of the ACLU Action Network generated tens of thousands of letters to Congress in support of freedom and equality. We need to keep up the pressure and ensure Congress commits to accountability and responsibility for the torture and abuse of prisoners.
America is a land of laws and we cannot let the actions at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay cripple our credibility and moral standing at home and abroad. Let Congress know that you consider the use of torture to be a grave injustice that needs to be stopped.
Take Action!
• Urge your senators to oppose voting on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales until the Bush Administration agrees to full disclosure of torture-related documents and Gonzales commits to appoint an outside special counsel to investigate the use of torture and relevant policies.
• Click here for more information and to take action!
Matt Howes is the ACLU’s National Internet Organizer, ACLU
