Mystical Politics Paparazi: Torture Awareness Month

Illegal and Immoral

The recent revelations of the atrocities at Haditha have sparked comparisons to Abu Ghraib. Although both instances of the actions of our soldiers are truely a disgrace, there is one major difference.

Haditha as Rep. John Murtha has pointed out was the action of men under stress in a situation they were poorly trained for and should have never been subjected to.

The torture involved at Abu Ghraib as we have since found out is sanctioned and a matter of official policy by the Bush Administration. Torture, rendition and secret prisons are just a few of the things the Bush Administration will go down in history as being remembered for.

When Alberto Gonzales was nominated by Bush to be Atorney General, a grassroots coalition of blogs was formed. The Indy 500 Weblogs was an effort originating at Daily Kos and taken up by Newsfare, Dr. Laniac and others. We opposed the confirmation of Gonzales and as the name implies, there eventually were over 500 blogs listed in our cause. There were less than 100 when I joined and I have carried their links on this blog ever since. Our members still correspond by an email mailing list and is still very active (400 + blogs) in the opposition to all things Bush even tho their membership drive has ended.

There is a new effort unfolding in it's infancy dedicated to much the same goals as the Indy 500. This new organisation is Torture Awareness.org. I proudly carry the blogroll for this site much as I do for the Indy 500. With your help we can expand our membership to hopefully encompass as many blogs as the Big Brass Alliance or more. The BBA has over 1200 blogs in it's membership and continues to grow. I hope you join me in participating in the BBA as well as this new grassroots community at Blogs Against Torture. - fc

Torture Awareness.org

June 26th is the date that the United Nations has marked as the International Day in Support of Survivors and Victims of Torture. This year a coalition of human rights, civil liberties and faith organizations have declared June "Torture Awareness Month" in an effort to respond to the growing evidence that the United States government is engaging systematically in the use of torture and inhuman treatment as part of the "war on terror." We believe that the use of torture and inhuman treatment must end immediately and everyone involved in committing these abuses or fostering the environment in which they occurred be held accountable.

This website will provide you with action ideas and tools to help raise awareness in your community about the US government's use of torture and inhuman treatment. The month of action and education will culminate with special grassroots lobby efforts in Washington DC and around the country where we will urge Congress to pass legislation to stop the use of extraordinary rendition, or "outsourcing torture."

We thank you for your interest in participating in Torture Awareness Month. Your help is urgently needed.

Join now...

Thursday, June 1, 2006

Torture Awareness Month