This week as a nation we learned more about our own country’s use of torture, authorized by extremists such as Vice President Cheney, President Bush, Secretary of State Condi Rice, and others throughout the Bush administration. The hundreds of pages released make several things horrifyingly clear:
– The torture program was worse than what most Americans know. As the report notes, it was “brutal.”
– The torture program was ineffective and provided no real intelligence information.
– The torture program harmed and damaged our reputation all over the world.
It was wrong from the start, but this report just provides more evidence of that.
The report also speaks to the importance of work led by PJALS co-director Nancy and Rusty Nelson, with so many long time PJALS members, to expose the role of Spokane psychologists Mitchell and Jesson in creating and promulgating these torture techniques in exchange for more than $80 million in contracts. (See Shawn Vestal’s latest coverage here)
Torture or complicity in torture has been a felony under U.S. law, and the United States has been party to treaties requiring that it prosecute whenever there is sufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction. Top officials involved in the torture reported on, including Bush and Cheney, have repeatedly and shamelessly admitted to authorizing acts of torture and asserted that they would do so again. They’ve made these confessions on national television.
Talk of “turning a corner” and “never again” is worse than useless rhetoric if accompanying the act of openly embracing lawlessness. Accountability for torture today is critical for stopping it tomorrow!
We demand: Prosecute Torturers!
On Monday at 5:00, join PJALS members as we gather at the Main Street entrance to RiverPark Square to hold signs and share leaflets to encourage other community members to make their voices heard too. RSVP or invite your friends here.
Please sign and share these 4 important petitions! Be part of the groundswell:
- DOJ: Prosecute Those Responsible for the Abhorrent CIA Torture Program! — already at 30,000+ — Center for Constitutional Rights
- Click here to call on President Obama to allow the U.S. Department of Justice to enforce our laws, and to immediately appoint a special prosecutor. — RootsAction
- Tell President Obama: It’s time to Fire John Brennan, head of the CIA and torture apologist! — Code Pink
- Accountability for torture today is critical for stopping it tomorrow: Investigate and Prosecute Torturers — ACLU