Call To Action, Obama's Orders

The Counter Terror With Justice campaign and Amnesty International volunteers were on the National Mall yesterday, gathering 100 Days petition signatures before the inauguration and wearing orange and holding signs on the parade route.

I took this picture of JD with my phone, sorry it’s kinda pixely. It was great meeting so many people from around the country who want GTMO closed, torture ended and accountability for abuse. (Reminded me of the GTMO Cell Tour.)

We’ve been hearing for a few days now that President Obama would act quickly to address some of these points, but I didn’t think about how I’d feel when the time came. Now I’m getting a sense. My Aunt just forwarded me this, from ABC News: “Torture, Gitmo, and the Treatment of Detainees: President Obama’s Three Executive Orders for Thursday.”  If this article is correct, these orders would, quote:

  • close the detainee camp at Guantanamo Bay within a year and establish a process by which the U.S. government figures out what to do with the remaining detainees;
  • establish new rules on interrogation methods moving forward;
  • establish new guidelines for the treatment of detainees moving forward.

I have mixed emotions. I’d be thrilled to see such profoundly positive movement on these issues from President Obama, especially so quickly, but I’m already steeling myself for what will be probably be harder than getting to this point:

  • getting the details of the above right;
  • making sure illegal practices stop not just at GTMO, but also at Bagram, CIA sites and other US facilities in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere;
  • ending rendition
  • ensuring accountability for torture and other illegal US interrogation and detention practices and policies—whether under Bush, Clinton, or anyone else.

Right now, the best thing we can all do is let President Obama know that we support and care about efforts to bring US interrogation and detention practices and policies in line with international law.

To that end, please take a moment to:

and 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • celebrate. We’ve all put a lot of hard work into this campaign—please give yourself a pat on the back. Have some orange juice. You’ll need a recharge for the fight ahead. Get that orange gear washed, ironed up and ready to go.

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17 thoughts on “Call To Action, Obama's Orders

  1. It looks like when they want to stop the war in sri lanka. But will there be any one alive there on the day the war stops?. Please provide food and medical aid for them as soon as possible. whats happening ? No media coverage in Jaffna and almost zero reports from there. I can feel they are undergoing like whats happening in palestine.
    Rumours are telling the Sri Lankan gov using israel tactics, carpet bombing and cluster bombs in jaffna. Major human tragedy and total media blackout as bad as gaza. President of USA and UN sec gen are needed. While thinking and trying to save, kindly arrange and send them food and medical aid before they die. It's a major humanitarian crisis.

  2. It looks like when they want to stop the war in sri lanka. But will there be any one alive there on the day the war stops?. Please provide food and medical aid for them as soon as possible. whats happening ? No media coverage in Jaffna and almost zero reports from there. I can feel they are undergoing like whats happening in palestine.
    Rumours are telling the Sri Lankan gov using israel tactics, carpet bombing and cluster bombs in jaffna. Major human tragedy and total media blackout as bad as gaza. President of USA and UN sec gen are needed. While thinking and trying to save, kindly arrange and send them food and medical aid before they die. It’s a major humanitarian crisis.

  3. What worries me most is the accountability issue. I feel confident that Obama is sincere about ending torture and closing gitmo, but I think that a lot of times people tend to forget and forgive all the horrible actions that some people did, once those people are not in power anymore.

  4. What worries me most is the accountability issue. I feel confident that Obama is sincere about ending torture and closing gitmo, but I think that a lot of times people tend to forget and forgive all the horrible actions that some people did, once those people are not in power anymore.

  5. Hi Dorit,
    The accountability issue worries me most as well. It's up to all of us to make sure it stays on the agenda. Please take sign our petition to President Obama: http://www.amnestyusa.org/100days
    Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to post a comment!
    In solidarity,
    Zeke

  6. Hi Dorit,
    The accountability issue worries me most as well. It's up to all of us to make sure it stays on the agenda. Please take sign our petition to President Obama: http://www.amnestyusa.org/100days
    Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to post a comment!
    In solidarity,
    Zeke

  7. Hi Dorit,
    The accountability issue worries me most as well. It's up to all of us to make sure it stays on the agenda. Please take sign our petition to President Obama: http://www.amnestyusa.org/100days
    Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to post a comment!
    In solidarity,
    Zeke

  8. Hi Dorit,
    The accountability issue worries me most as well. It’s up to all of us to make sure it stays on the agenda. Please take sign our petition to President Obama: http://www.amnestyusa.org/100days
    Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to post a comment!
    In solidarity,
    Zeke

Comments are closed.