Get word out regards stopping US torture now. Top 3 actions:

1. sign PHR petition on US torture, share broadly

Link http://brokenlives.info/?page_…

2. help these videos go viral

Link http://brokenlives.info?page_id=9

3. help fund next steps: join us, empower us

Link https://donate-phr.org/05/acco…

Physicians for Human Right recently released a study involving real human beings who have been the recipients of torture committed by the United States. The report can be found through this link: Broken Laws, Broken Lives.

Just a quick sample below the fold:

Beatings During Arrest, Transport, and Initial Custody

Many of the most severe injuries from beatings that the former detainees reported were sustained shortly after they were arrested. All seven of the men who were detained in Iraq (hereafter referred to as “the Iraqi former detainees”) recounted experiencing violent treatment during their arrests, some of which involved severe physical assault on their family members as well as destruction or looting of their homes.

The beatings inflicted on detainees at US facilities at Bagram and Kandahar in Afghanistan were particularly intense, and included beatings with sticks and fists, kicks to the stomach and genitals and blows to the head. As a result, Haydar, who was held at Kandahar before being transferred to Guantánamo, lost three of his teeth and Rasheed, who was held at both Bagram and Kandahar facilities, lost consciousness and was hospitalized. Similarly, all former detainees held at Guantánamo reported that the most intense and widespread physical beatings they experienced at the facility took place during transfer and shortly after arrival there.

The Iraqi former detainees also reported severe beatings during the first days and weeks of detention at facilities including one at Baghdad International Airport. Hafez, who was held at a US facility at Baghdad International Airport and Abu Ghraib for over seven months, was forced to the ground and beaten severely on his legs and back, causing his lips, forehead, and nose to bleed; he also reported being stripped and having his chest and pubic hair ripped out by hand and being simultaneously beaten, hit, and choked while being doused with cold water.

While physical evidence of beatings often may not be detectable in later medical evaluations, findings from bone scans of six of the former detainees as well as scars and lesions visible during physical examination are consistent with the history of beatings described by the victims.

Get word out regards stopping US torture now. Top 3 actions:

1. sign PHR petition on US torture, share broadly

Link http://brokenlives.info/?page_…

2. help these videos go viral

Link http://brokenlives.info?page_id=9

3. help fund next steps: join us, empower us

Link https://donate-phr.org/05/acco…

Through the efforts of many high profile bloggers and ActBlue, the netroots are not prepared to "forgive and forget" on something as fundamental to who we are and what we believe as the craven, unprincipled FISA capitulation that expands the powers of the Government to spy on you, and gives communications companies get out of jail free cards on illegal activities both now and retroactively (nullifying many pending lawsuits), so long as they are being asked nicely by the Bush Administration in its pursuit of brown people terrorists.

On the right is one of the ads – this one set to run in the Washington Post and targeting Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, one of the chief architects of this "compromise" (and praised here by Senator Leahy for his efforts on this very issue… the same Senator Leahy who has announced his opposition to the bill when it comes over to the Senate, but in the same statement describes his stance on retroactive telco immunity this way:

My interest is not in harming telecommunications carriers.  I would have supported indemnification by the government or substitution of the government for them in these lawsuits.

…and sounds unlikely to fight to stop this travesty of our civil liberties from becoming law).

And now – to add insult to injury – Barack Obama has jumped on the wiretapping bandwagon, tossing out a so-halfhearted-its-patronizing throwaway comment about how he’ll try to have the retroactive immunity removed, before going on to pronounce his pleasure with the bill and his intent to vote for it in the Senate.

To support the effort to hold these politicians accountable, click here. To tell Senator Obama what you think of this betrayal of our basic, fundamental principles, and his turning back the clock to the ugly days of freewheeling government wiretapping of the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., click here.

Just got this press release from the Brattleboro Police:

20 June, 2008

Responsible officer: Gene Wrinn, Acting Police Chief

The Brattleboro Police Department has been working with law enforcement agencies in the Windham County area, including the Windham County Sheriff’s Department, the Vernon Police Department, and the Vermont State Police in response to persons in the area representing themselves as a hate-motivated anti-black group.  Law enforcement agencies have been active in responding to the needs of the community and proactively investigating all leads.

On 18 June, 2008, police investigated a hate-motivated act of disorderly conduct on Elliot Street in Brattleboro which was reported to police in a timeley fashion.

“Timely fashion” must mean it was still going on when it was reported.   For those not so familiar with Brattleboro, Elliot Street is in Brattleboro’s downtown – close to the “Harmony Lot” parking area (where there have been reports of problems with [unrelated] illegal activities in the past).  Elliot Street is also home to at least four bars or pubs, including McNeill’s.

Within hours, the suspect was identified, located, and issued a citation to appear in Windham District Court to answer the charges at a later date.

Officers of the Brattleboro Police Department received further information that revealed that the person cited into Windham District Court for the Hate Motivated Disorderly Conduct had, in fact, committed other crimes.

Officers from the Brattleboro Police Department and the Windham County Sheriff’s Department obtained two court-ordered search warrants, which were served in Guilford on 19 June, 2008, around midnight.  As a result of the ongoing investigation, the male was arrested and lodged at the Brattleboro Police Department and held on $5,000 bail.

The Brattleboro Police Department reminds all citizens that we will vigorously investigate all reported acts of racism or crimes of hate.  Vermont statutes indicates that: any crime motivated by the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestery, age, service in the armed forces of teh United States, handicap, sexual orientation, or gender identity shall be subject to enhanced penalties for the underlying crime.

I guess the lesson for anyone who thinks it doesn’t happen here is that it is happening here.

A note: I am biased.  Mike is a friend, and a really great guy and a lot of fun to jam with.  But that’s not why I’m posting this.  I’m posting this because he did an incredible job in today’s Brattleboro reformer of exactly just what is wrong with the current administration.

Quoted in full from today’s Brattleboro Reformer’s letters to the editor:

Time to stop giving Governor Douglas credit he doesn’t deserve

Friday, June 20

Editor of the Reformer:

With Gov. Douglas’ recent campaign stop in Windham County, it’s a reminder to take note of the Douglas spin machine.

Most recently, the governor announced last week, he would “release an additional $1 million into the traditional weatherization program.” The reality check on this is the governor trying to take credit for something he was originally against. This is a pattern those of us in the Legislature have gotten to know all too well, and we hope others are also catching on to this.

The governor didn’t mention this is the same $1 million increase in weatherization, appropriated by the Legislature as part of its fiscal year 2009 budget bill. He also didn’t mention that his original budget proposal had no increase for weatherization.

It was the Legislature who had the foresight to look ahead and see an energy crunch coming. We passed an energy bill in 2007 he vetoed, but in an election year, with energy costs soaring, he signed on this year.

In this instance, since the governor is trying to take credit, it was the Legislature who saw the need and provided for a $500,000 expansion of weatherization services in the fiscal year ’09 budget. We then added another $500,000 to the weatherization program as part of the economic recovery package put together in April.

Another example of the governor’s “bait and switch” tactic of taking credit for things he opposed, involves Prevent Child Abuse Vermont.

Once again, the governor’s budget zeroed out of his budget, funding for this effective group of mostly volunteers. They get a relatively small, but vital budget allocation to help administer programs around the state that work to help prevent abuse. As someone who has worked for this group, I can attest to its efficacy and need.

After the governor zeroed them out of his budget, they turned to the Legislature — and yes, we restored their funding. Yet, when they had their showcase event at the Statehouse to celebrate their good work, who steps in front of the cameras? That’s right, the same person who zeroed them out of his budget.

In the Legislature, we’ve seen up close, too many instances of this kind of behavior and it’s time we call the governor on it. From the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to the Bright Futures Child Development specialists — and much more, the Legislature has had to provide the leadership that should be forthcoming from our state’s chief executive.

If Gov. Douglas wants to tout his record, let’s put the whole record on the table. And, let’s stop letting this governor take credit he doesn’t deserve.

Rep. Mike Mrowicki,

Windham 5 District,

Dummerston, Putney, Westminster

Like many of you, I'm still steaming over the Dem rollover on FISA. Now, none of our delegation is supporting it (nor, might I add, doing anything bold to throw a wrench in the works), but there's something in Sen. Leahy's statement that's really infuriating (emphasis mine):

“With respect to the surveillance authorities, I believe the bill represents an improvement over the flawed legislation passed the Senate earlier this year. I applaud Representative Hoyer and Senator Rockefeller for their diligent work in negotiating this package. They added protections to the surveillance authorities that bring it closer to the bill the Senate Judiciary Committee reported last year. If the bill passes, I will work with the next administration to make additional improvements.

“I will continue to work to protect all Americans from the Bush-Cheney administration’s roll back of civil liberties of Americans and disregard for the rule of law. As the Supreme Court noted last week, ‘security subsists, too, in fidelity to freedom’s first principles.’ We can protect our security while honoring American values and respecting our freedoms.”

Two things:  the only “diligent work” Hoyer and Rockefeller have done is to”diligently work” to do the bidding of the telcoms, especially Rockefeller. Second, if Leahy is serious about “protecting our civil liberties”, why isn't he doing more anything to stop this? 

This bill simply did not need to happen. FISA is fine without the telcom immunity, and they owe this president,who is less liked than a thawing dog turd on a warm Vermont March morning –  nothing. Nada. And for those still inexplicably afraid of being labeled “soft on terror”… grow a spine. The public doesn't want telcom immunity, and you have nothing to lose opposing it, except, perhaps that yummy telcom money.

Very disappointing, Senator. Would it be that hard to go the extra mile and take a bold stance? What ever happened to “terrifying” Bush?

Let him know about it: (802) 863-2525 

So this afternoon I got an email about how the House D's, led by Steny Hoyer, are planning on rolling over for Bush and the telcos on the FISA bill, so the first thing I did was to call Peter Welch's office. Now that I'm home I was all set to post that people should call Peter's office and demand that he oppose it (J.D. beat me to it) and here's the press release I just got:

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 6304, the FISA Amendments Act:

“I simply do not believe any president, especially this president, should have unilateral or unchecked authority to conduct surveillance without judicial oversight.  Congress has an obligation to protect our national security without sacrificing basic rights provided in our Constitution. 

“While this compromise reflects improvements over previous flawed proposals, it is a compromise I will not support.  I have consistently opposed any legislation that grants retroactive immunity for telecommunication companies that cooperated with the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping.  Regrettably, this latest proposal fails to hold the administration and the companies accountable for their actions.  The American people deserve to know exactly what happened and they deserve to know who is accountable.  This bill fails that test.”

Background:

On November 15, 2007, Welch supported and the U.S. House passed The Responsible Electronic Surveillance That is Overseen, Reviewed, and Effective (RESTORE) Act, H.R. 3773, despite opposition by the Bush administration and House Republicans.  This legislation refused to give retroactive immunity.

In August, 2007, Welch voted against both a temporary FISA extension offered by the House leadership (H.R. 3356) as well as a compromise version supported by the White House (S.1927), which passed the U.S. House.

I think this is great news. I still think people should call Peter Welch and thank him for taking a principled stand on this bill. He's been favored by House leadership, but that hasn't stopped him from standing up for civil liberties and the views of his constituents.

Thanks, Peter!