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Is the Christian Coalition Actually FOR TORTURE?
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by One Citizen
The Christian Coalition is endorsing "Sparky" Gonzales while
numerous Human Rights Watch organizations condemn him.
That's
right, the Christian Coalition actually wants you to PRAY so
that the Administration can continue to torture prisoners.
-One
Citizen
* * * "Mr. Gonzales helped to open the door to abuses
that have undermined discipline in the military, put American
fighting men and women at
greater risk, and denied the United States the moral high ground." (excerpt
from abbreviated article below) attribution
Bush
Administration nominees Alberto Gonzales and Condoleeza Rice both indirectly infer that the White House is against torturing
prisoners. But because they both define a prisoner of war as a different
legal entity than a "detainee", they leave it wide open
for mass misinterpretation much in the same way that they inferred
that Saddam Hussein was directly responsible for the terrible
acts of 9/11/01. The fact of the matter is that Saddam Hussein
and the Bush Adminiatration would both use torture on people
never charged with a crime nor given the opportunity to seek legal
counsel. All we have to do is pick someone- anyone - up and
classify them as a "detainee".
As a matter of fact, the controversial Gonzales memorandum drew
a strong objection the day after it was issued from Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell. Powell argued that by declaring the conventions inapplicable,
we would “reverse over a century of U.S. policy and practice in
supporting the Geneva Conventions and undermine the protections of
the law of war for our troops, both in this specific conflict and in
general".
But the memo stood. And so if you're a detainee, its okay
to torture you and keep you from talking to a lawyer until they squeeze
something
out of you, or until someone (or everyone) feels as if there's
nothing more to gain. The problem isn't that it doesn't just violate
the Geneva Convention, though. Torture is morally wrong.
Furthermore, it jeopardizes our troops and violates international law,
as well as the spirit of the Constitution of the United States
regarding basic human rights.
But maybe that's just my opinion. I happen
to strongly disagree with the Christian Coalition on this one.
Hey!
There are patriots who are against torture who are actually
speaking out, probably jeopardizing their positions by disagreeing
with the Bush Administration! Don't let them do all the heavy lifting....
You're
not really going to just sit on your hands and
let your Senator vote for Gonzales anyway, are you? Theyve scheduled the
vote probably tomorrow.
Click here to help
them to tell your Congress to put a stop to this unAmerican travesty today.
"NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The
first Hispanic Air National Guard officer appointed as an adjutant
general in the United States and two Hispanic Stanford Law School
professors joined Human Rights First in announcing today that
they are formally opposing the nomination of Alberto Gonzales
to be Attorney General of the United States. The announcement
comes just two days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is
expected to vote on Gonzales' nomination. (italics
added) -oc
"Opposition to a presidential nominee is a rare
step for our organization - a step we have only taken once before
in our 27- year history," said Michael Posner, Executive Director
of Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human
Rights). "Mr. Gonzales is a talented and experienced lawyer. He
has an inspiring personal history. But Mr. Gonzales helped to open
the door to abuses that have undermined discipline in the military,
put American fighting men and women at greater risk, and denied
the United States the moral high ground."
Posner added that a matter of particular concern
is Gonzales' advocacy of the position that the President has power
as Commander-in-Chief to ignore laws passed by Congress.
"Disputes about the constitutionality of laws
and treaties of the United States are matters for the courts to
decide," Posner added. "The U.S. Constitution ensures that
no one, even the President during wartime, is above the law.
That is an
important reason why we are urging the Senate to reject Gonzales'
nomination."
Hispanic military and legal leaders also announced
their opposition, urging Senators to not fall prey to concerns
about being labeled anti-Hispanic.
"Like Judge Gonzales, I know what it feels like
to be the first Hispanic to be named to an important leadership
position in this country," said Major General Melvyn Montano (Ret.
USAF National Guard), a Vietnam veteran who served 45 years in
the military, including 18 years in a command position. "I welcome
the prospect of more Hispanics serving in leadership positions
in the government, and I respect Judge Gonzales' inspiring personal
story. But given Gonzales' record, senators who are afraid to vote
against his confirmation for fear of being labeled 'anti- Hispanic'
are doing themselves and their constituents a grave disservice."" attribution
* * *
That's right, the Christian
Coalition actually came out of their longstanding silence on the
subject of torture! Here's what they think
about the Bush Administration's nominee for Torturer Attorney...
the following is lifted directly
from their website or click here to
get it straight from them.
Christian
Coalition Action Alert
President Roberta Combs
Thursday, December 2, 2004
Christian Coalition Urges
Activists to Call Senators and Urge Support for Judge
Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General
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Christian Coalition
of America is calling on Christian Coalition activists
to contact their United States Senators to urge them
to vote to confirm Judge Alberto Gonzales as the new
Attorney General. Left-wing groups are already forming
a coalition to defeat this highly-qualified man to
be America's top law enforcement officer. On the other
hand, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and
advocacy organization in the United States, the National
Council of La Raza, has endorsed President George W.
Bush's nomination of Judge Gonzales as Attorney General.
President Bush nominated this week another Hispanic
to be his new Commerce Secretary, Carlos Gutierrez,
the chief executive officer of the Kellogg cereal company,
who was born in Cuba.
Roberta Combs, president
of Christian Coalition of America said, “Like Mr.
Gutierrez, Judge Gonzales is a great example of
the American success story. He was one of eight
children of Mexican-American migrant workers. He
earned a Harvard law degree after serving in the
United States Air Force and worked in the private
sector for a number of years before he served as
counsel to Governor George W. Bush in Texas. He
was a justice on the Texas Supreme Court. He has
been serving as White House counsel to President
Bush. President Bush has promised to nominate to
the federal courts, including the Supreme Court,
strict constructionists who will not legislate
from the bench. Judge Gonzalez has served as President
Bush's key individual in seeking just such nominees
to the federal courts, which now number over 100
confirmed federal judges.”
Christian Coalition believes
that Judge Gonzales will serve with excellence
just as the current Attorney General, John Ashcroft,
has done during the past four years. As a justice
on the Texas Supreme Court, he was opposed to judicial
activism and recognized that the role of the judiciary
should be very limited. As Attorney General Ashcroft
did so successfully, Judge Gonzales will protect
Americans from terrorism while not squelching the
rights of Americans. Please call the U.S. Capitol
switchboard (202)-224-3121 or you can go to http://www.cc.org/contactcongress.cfm and
urge your two Senators to vote for Judge Alberto
Gonzales to be confirmed as Attorney General.
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Please keep the above issue
in your prayers. Through prayer great and mighty
things can be accomplished.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michele Ammons 202-549-6257 or 202-479-6900
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-One Citizen
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