Torture is a Moral Issue

From the good people at the "National Religious Campaign Against Torture"

Torture is a Moral Issue: Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved -- policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable. Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation. What does it signify if torture is condemned in word but allowed in deed? Let America abolish torture now -- without exceptions. Endorse the statement today:
www.tortureisamoralissue.org


Late last year, the House of Representatives passed important anti-torture legislation as Section 327 of H.R. 2082, the Intelligence Authorization bill. Section 327 would require all elements of the intelligence community, including the CIA, to abide by the restrictions in the Army Field Manual while conducting interrogations. The Army Field Manual prohibits torture and many of the "enhanced interrogation techniques" being used by the CIA.

Unfortunately, some Republican Senators have threatened to obstruct passage of H.R. 2082 as long as it contains Section 327 (the anti-torture provision). Passage of Section 327 is one of the most important actions Congress can take to stop U.S. sponsored torture. We need to do everything we can to win passage of Section 327 in the Senate. Defeating the attempts to block H.R. 2082 or to strip Section 327 from the bill will take 60 votes. We need your help.

The best information we have is that the Senate could vote on this in the first two weeks of February. We ask that you - in the last two weeks of January:

* Contact - by phone or by email - your Senators to express your support for Section 327 of H.R. 2082. You can contact your Senators by calling the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or you can look up their direct lines and their email addresses at
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.