Objections to a swift decision on Alberto Gonzalez, stemming especially
from Sen. Kennedy's concerns about his responses to questions about
torture, have delayed the vote on whether to confirm him as Attorney General.
This gives us a momentary window in time to slow down or even halt the
confirmation, and to make the record of the truth about the
Administration's use of torture. SEE BELOW FOR HOW TO USE THIS MOMENT.
Gonzalez' responses to Judiciary Committee questions about the actuality
of torture were evasive, full of "I don't remember" in regard to a very
important and unprecedented memo he gave the President (a surprising thing
to forget) and on memos he received about it from lawyers in the Justice
Department.
And he explicitly repeated the Bush Administration's assertion that the
Geneva Conventions do not apply to people the Administration labels "enemy
combatants."
Even worse, he has not been willing to repudiate the definition of torture
that was so extreme that most forms of torture would be permitted.
The torture carried by YUS soldiers was not only at Abu Ghraib but also at
Guantanamo, in Afghanistan, and in many Iraqi locations -- plus foreign
prisons to which the US has "rendered" prisoners for the worst forms of
torture. And the methods used were not "only" the humiliations we saw at
Abu Ghraib, but beatings to death, near drownings (repeated again and
again), inserting burning matches into prisoners' ears, and the use of
electric shock,
FBI agents who witnessed what was happening at Guantanamo were horrified,
and called it illegal. So did the International Red Cross
This was not the aberrant action of a few sadistic soldiers. It was policy.
For factual backup from governmental documents, see the book review that
is the cover story in the NY Times Book Review today, Sunday January 23.
Or see the review article at --
http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=18893026&u=169225
In fact, Geneva provides for a special review of cases when a government
claims that people it captured were not governed by the conventions. The
Bush Administration, and the person it has named to "uphold" the law,
refuse to apply those provisions - even though US domestic law, as well as
international law, affirms Geneva.
This is a crucial moment. On Monday, I urge you to call one or two
Senators about this. - It has more powerful impact than writing, and takes
hardly more time.
Members of the Judiciary Committee who are somewhat likely to be either
crucial or responsive:
Sen. Arlen Specter (Rep-PA), committee chair
Sen. Leahy (Dem - VT), minority leader
Sen. Ted Kennedy (Dem - Mass.)
Sen. Russ Feingold (Dem - Wis.)
OR -call both your own Senators.
You can call 202/CA4-3121 and ask for any of these offices, then ask the
person who answers the phone to put you through to the staff member who is
dealing with Judiciary Committee confirmation questions. Get her/his name:
it might be useful to mention it a few time while urging or suggesting
what you would like the Senator to do..
If you are coming from a religious or spiritual commitment, or you are a
lawyer, or you are a veteran who is worried about how abandoning Geneva
could impact future American captives, PLEASE MAKE THAT CLEAR when you
reach the right staffer.
And then simply say: "Mr. Gonzales, whom the President nominated for
Attorney General, showed in the Judiciary Committee hearings as well as
his own previous actions that he will not take a clear stand against the
use of torture by US agents and forces, even though it violates US law and
all moral values. I urge you to vote against confirming him."
