Amnesty International USA---call Congress today

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: This message is critical: call Congress today
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 04:20:51 -0700
From: Amnesty International USA <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
To: xxxx




Call Congress now!



Because the America we believe in leads the world on human rights.

Call Congress now!


Dear xxxx

The direction America will take on human rights could be decided this week.

10 days ago, President Bush launched an all-out assault on justice, rule of law and human dignity. In the name of national security, the President proposed new legislation that would authorize indefinite detention, unfair trials and immunity for people who may have inflicted torture or cruel treatment on people in detention. This is not the America we believe in. The America we believe in leads the world on human rights.

Amnesty International believes those who commit crimes like the 9/11 attacks should be brought to justice. But we cannot sacrifice our soul to do so. The President's proposal would renounce the very principles we are fighting for: justice, rule of law, and human dignity.

What are we doing about it? This week, Amnesty is mobilizing thousands across the country to call their Senators and Representatives. Please join us. It will only take 3 minutes, and each call makes a huge impact.

Here is all the information you need:

Call the Congressional switch board at 202-224-3121 (or lookup your officials info) and ask to be connected with your Senator or Representative’s office. You can also call 1-800-AMNESTY and our operators will patch you through. Let the person on the phone know that you are a constituent.

If you don't have much time, tell them this one thing:

* By supporting Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, the Supreme Court has upheld international law calling for fair trials and prohibiting torture and other cruel and degrading treatment. I urge the Senator to maintain this ruling by rejecting any proposals that would weaken the Geneva Conventions, allowing for unfair trials and ill-treatment of people in detention.

If you have time, ask your Senator or Representative to vote against any proposal that would:

* Authorize unfair trials that would allow the accused to be convicted on the basis of secret evidence;
* Allow for the use of interrogation techniques that amount to torture or ill-treatment;
* Undermine the fundamental right of judicial review through habeas corpus proceedings for anyone in detention;
* Codify a broad definition of "unlawful enemy combatant" that would grant expansive power to the Executive to detain people;
* Establish retroactive immunity for individuals who may have committed torture and other war crimes.

After you've made your call, tell us how it went here.

Thank you for your time.

Suha Debousseh
Project Manager, Denouce Torture Initiative
Amnesty International USA

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