fire in wire

Another Amnesty member has had his letter published in a local newspaper. Sam Proctor's letter about torture and Americanism ran today in the Lincoln Journal Star. The letter follows:

Who we are

In his State of the Union address, President Bush talked about a range of issues facing our nation and the world. One problem that the president didn't mention, however, was torture - a brutal and internationally condemned act that is still being perpetrated by agents of the United States.

The president did say that the United States is measured by who we are and how we treat people. And though he has publicly condemned torture, President Bush and his administration have narrowed the definition of torture, educated interrogators on how to avoid prosecution and looked for ways to override international law on issues of torture.

This silence on torture came despite the fact that roughly 40,000 people signed a petition asking him to address the issue. Silence despite the fact that the administration has committed itself to the "non-negotiable demands of human dignity." Silence despite the Eighth Amendment, despite the Geneva Convention and despite the fact that torture is un-American.

Sen. John McCain put it best when he said on the Senate floor, in regard to torture: "This isn't about who they are. This is about who we are."

Sam Procter, Lincoln

Post your comments on the Journal Star's website, here. Great letter, Sam, and thanks for your help.

Another letter ran today, this one not from an Amnesty member. It was in the Omaha World Herald, and it is in support of keeping Guantanamo Bay detention center open without trying the detainees held there. It follows:

Keep Gitmo running

The U.N. Human Rights Commission said last week that the United States should close its prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and either set the detainees free or bring them to trial.

The United States should not close the camp or set free the detainees at this camp or any others.

I do not understand why some news organizations make detainee claims of abuse so believable and do not show or mention the abuse that the detainees heap upon their captors. That includes spitting on them and pelting them with fecal matter. Some detainees who have been released have been caught for doing the same thing they had been captured for originally.

The Human Rights Commission's 53 member nations include Saudi Arabia, China, Sudan and Cuba - countries that allow their citizens little say in how they are governed.

Bonnie M. Simon, Omaha

If you feel so inspired, write in to the World Herald in response to Ms. Simon's letter. All we ask is that, if you do, please send us a draft beforehand at amnesty@unl.edu. We'd be happy to help you fact-check and shorten/lengthen your letter.

*Also, please see below the post regarding AI-UNL secretary Sarah Beringer's original letter in the World Herald. The post has been edited to include the negative response that was published in that paper only days later.

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter is committed to activism and education on campus and in the Lincoln community.

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