Friday May 1, 2009, 12:40 pm
One Nation, Two Systems of Justice: Why Bush Must Go to Prison

Friday May 1, 2009, 12:41 pm
Tell President Obama: We need a non-partisan inquiry to make sure we don't repeat past mistakes

The recent reports on torture and President Obama's comments have set the wheels in motion—but we need your help to keep up the momentum towards a full reckoning on the United States' use of torture.

Human Rights First and other leading human rights organizations have created a joint petition that calls on President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry to evaluate the full cost of abuses, look at how we got there, and come up with safeguards so we don’t repeat the same mistakes. The U.S. needs to invest in a forward-looking strategy on intelligence gathering that gives interrogators training and guidance on which techniques work, and which techniques – such as torture — don't.

Momentum is on our side – please let the Obama administration know that the public wants the truth about torture. Our national security depends on it.

Subject: Learning from our tortured past

Dear President Obama,

We call on the President of the United States to establish an independent, non-partisan commission to examine and report publicly on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees in the period since September 11, 2001. The commission, comparable in stature to the 9/11 Commission, should look into the facts and circumstances of such abuses, report on lessons learned, and recommend measures that would prevent any future abuses. We believe that the commission is necessary to reaffirm America's commitment to the Constitution, international treaty obligations, and human rights. The report issued by the commission will strengthen U.S. national security and help to re-establish America's standing in the world.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Friday May 1, 2009, 12:48 pm
Torture? What About the Crime of Waging Aggressive War?In addition to investigating torture as a war crime it is imperative that we also examine the lies and deceit that led the United States to try
to remake the politics of the Middle East.

Friday May 1, 2009, 12:49 pm
Signed & noted..
Thanks Tom..

Friday May 1, 2009, 1:49 pm
thanks tom i hopehe do something about it

Friday May 1, 2009, 2:36 pm
Signed from home earlier.

Friday May 1, 2009, 2:52 pm
Action taken, thanks Tom

Friday May 1, 2009, 3:01 pm
Thank you for urging President Obama to set up an independent, nonpartisan inquiry on our past use of torture.
Noted. thanks Tom

Friday May 1, 2009, 3:03 pm
Signed and noted. Blue, I'm with you. Thanks so much, Tom.

Friday May 1, 2009, 3:28 pm
Action alresdy taken. Thanks Tom.

You have already participated in this advocacy campaign.

Friday May 1, 2009, 3:45 pm
all this will do is put the lives of our troops,politicians and american civilians in even more danger than they already are in..what about the attrocities al-queda/taliban do to american and alliance troops captured by them? waterboardeing would be a walk in the park compared to what our enemy does to our troops when they are captured..

Friday May 1, 2009, 4:01 pm
Signed , thanks !

Friday May 1, 2009, 4:09 pm
Noted with frustration. Thanks, Tom.

Friday May 1, 2009, 4:35 pm
signed sealed and delivered on a wing and a prayer ... the recent images were sickening ... where does human dignity begin and end i wonder ?
if we are the "Crown of Creation" then we need to act like we are worthy ...
hey it could just be me sounding off again... must be the stitches in my face pulling :-(
* Thanks again Tom for everything *

Friday May 1, 2009, 4:49 pm
Signed and I hope everyone will sign it too, he has so far refused to do anything about Bush and his cronies. It will take a huge amount to get anywhere with this. We can not let this go by without any recourse. It will set a precident for anyone who is in office to do as they please.
Thanks Tom.

Friday May 1, 2009, 4:52 pm
signed -although if it is done as badly as the 9/11 commission -I do not have much hope for prosecution or a fair investigation

Friday May 1, 2009, 5:54 pm
Noted and signed-thanks Tom.

Friday May 1, 2009, 5:55 pm
noted and signed

Friday May 1, 2009, 10:33 pm
Greg Sargent says Obama invoked the demon: "I noted below that Obama's acknowledgment at his presser last night that the Bush administration authorized torture will prove powerful ammo for those calling for a probe into Bush's torture program. First up: Dem Rep Jerrold Nadler, who just told me in an interview that Obama's comments leave the administration only one legal option: Investigate, and if necessary, prosecute. 'President Obama said, "They used torture, I believe waterboarding is torture,"' Nadler said, speaking of Obama's comments about his predecessors. 'Once you concede that torture was committed, the law requires that there be an investigation, and if
warranted, a prosecution.' Nadler and other House Dems have already called on the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to look into potential torture crimes. Yesterday's comments from Obama, Nadler says, make it clearer still that this is the only legal path open to the administration - in part because Obama seemed to acknowledge that his predecessors had violated 'international law.'"Comments (7) | 19:12 BST

Saturday May 2, 2009, 2:16 am
Naturally I took action. If the USA allows political or security interests to take the place of The Constitution and Human Rights, the moral compass of the USA will be so tarnished that faith in a democratic state will be finished and so will the Republic of the USA!

Saturday May 2, 2009, 9:40 am
Dan, I understand your feelings but disagree. I believe that continued mistreatment and torture (there are no shades of grey in torture, it is or it ain't and this is) will bring about more retribution to our citizens on foreign soils than will ever increase their danger. The country of USA has held itself up as a model of moral superiority-frequently with no real justification for this siting our history of aggression against our own first people and those across the globe. We cannot do both--be the most moral nation (HUH!!!!) and torture even if we turn that torture over to other nations outside of our soil. As far as comparing our actions to other terrorist individuals or nations I do not see why such an argument would exist--torture is torture no matter who does it or for what made up justification. I do not see my role as a citizen of this country to bully and harm other nations and peoples.

Saturday May 2, 2009, 2:05 pm
Torture is an evil that the US and the UK have made respectable. Those who have done this should be brought to book. Aba, you have put this so well. How can torturing helpless people sold in most cases to US forces make US citizens or soldiers safer in the world? How can anyone in their right mind condone torture? No victim of torture I would imagine would condone it. So no one sitting pretty and in no danger of having to suffer it should be prepared to have that inflicted on another human being. The use of torture has made Americans more hated. And the vast majority of Americans do not deserve to be hated. They are appalled by what has been done in the last eight years. And if US soldiers weren't interfering in other countries, they wouldn't be captured by anybody, would they? It's not as if they are defending the homeland! They are invading and occupying other people's countries. Let them go home safe and sound.

Saturday May 2, 2009, 2:17 pm
I had to sign this petition, men in power must be held accountable for their deeds good or bad.

Saturday May 2, 2009, 5:21 pm
if you can save many american lives by this so called "torture" i say do it..these terrorists have alot of information and if it takes waterboarding to get it from them say do it to save my daughter,son,brother from getting killed by these extremists..times have changed the geneva convention is out-dated and we need to win this war any way we can...wake up people because waterboardeing is a walk in the park compared to what our enemy does to us.....!!!

Saturday May 2, 2009, 5:42 pm
noted & signed

Saturday May 2, 2009, 11:10 pm
Prison torture is the order of the day INSIDE America as well as outside.

To see a VIDEO of prison toruture inside the U.S., see our group at AIMI:

http://Care2.com/c2c/groups/AIMI

Plan to come to the Human Rights for Prisoners March in Atlanta on May 16

Sunday May 3, 2009, 8:24 am
A tit for a tat? I know the torture our troops face, but that does not justify us, being THE country everyone looks up too {or did} ,being right by doing so. We are so powerful as a nation. Can we not find a better way to get this info? And really, just what do these people know? I doubt they are informed of the kind of info, our government is seeking.

Sunday May 3, 2009, 8:26 am
But, yes, of course I signed. Thanks Tom.

Wednesday May 6, 2009, 9:04 am
You have already participated in this advocacy campaign.....noted

Saturday May 9, 2009, 1:08 pm
Republican Threatens Attorney General Investigate Bush and We'll Investigate You!