Dear Friends of NRCAT,
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture is working actively on a number of fronts to stop U.S. sponsored torture. We now have staff people to make us more effective, but our strength lies in what you can do. With Congress in full gear for the next few months, NRCAT has three important requests of you.
1. Send an email to your Members of Congress and tell them to stop the CIA "enhanced interrogation techniques" program.
On July 20th, President Bush issued an Executive Order on the CIA's interrogation techniques for U.S.-held detainees. The order made clear that the program of "enhanced interrogation techniques" used by the CIA will continue. The military, under the Army Field Manual, is prohibited from using interrogation techniques that violate the Geneva Conventions. The CIA is not subject to the limits of the Army Field Manual. T wo administration officials told the Washington Post that under the new Executive Order "suspects now in U.S. custody could be moved immediately into the 'enhanced interrogation' program and subjected to techniques that go beyond those allowed by the U.S. military ."
To stop U.S. sponsored torture, the CIA should stop the enhanced interrogation program. Please click here to send an email to your senators and representative, telling them to stop the CIA enhanced interrogation program -- stop the torture -- stop cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of all detainees. You may also wish to send a letter or call their Washington offices. The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-225-3121
2. Sign Up for Spotlight on Torture
Rory Kennedy’s HBO documentary “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” received the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Non-Fiction Film last weekend. If you have not had a chance to sign up your congregation to show this powerful and challenging film between October 21 and 28, please do so by close of business on Friday, September 14. If you sign up online by Friday, you should receive the DVD and supporting materials by the end of September. If you are unable to sign up by Friday, but do so by the end of the month, you’ll receive the DVD and materials in mid-October. For more information, visit the Spotlight information page.
3. Help NRCAT "win" $100,000
We have 48 days left in the Peace Primary, a special fundraising effort provided by the Ploughshares Fund. NRCAT is one of 12 organizations invited to participate in a project in which visitors to the Peace Primary web site during the months of September and October are encouraged to make financial gifts between $10 and $1000 to one or more of the selected organizations.
The organization receiving the most money between September 1 and October 31 is awarded a gift of $100,000 in addition to the funds contributed to the organization during the month. For those committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, the Peace Primary provides an opportunity to increase the capacity of NRCAT to bring the moral and religious voice to an issue that has tarnished the moral fabric of the U.S.
If you are able to contribute during the week of September 10, your gift to NRCAT will be matched up to $1,500 with funds given by two contributors to the Peace Primary. Thank you for any contribution you are able to make. Please also consider telling your friends about the Peace Primary.
Thank you for all you do to end U.S.-sponsored torture.
Sincerely,Linda Gustitus, President, NRCATRichard Killmer, Executive Director, NRCAT
LINKS:
Send an email to Congress: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2162/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12733
NRCAT Spotlight on Torture page: http://www.tortureisamoralissue.org/spotlight.aspx
Peace Primary Website: http://www.peaceprimary.org/
National Religious Campaign Against Torture: www.tortureisamoralissue.org
