On the 9/11 Anniversary: Urge Congress to Reject Policies Based on Fear - FCNL

Legislative Action Message

On the 9/11 Anniversary: Urge Congress to Reject Policies Based on Fear - FCNL Printer-friendly version of this alert Read this alert online at http://www.fcnl.org/action/lam0907.htm Yesterday, President Bush asked Congress for sweeping new authority to legalize the use of military tribunals at the Guantanamo Bay prison and prevent U.S. officials from facing criminal charges for violations of certain parts of the Geneva Conventions. In a dramatic speech, the president also acknowledged that the CIA has maintained and will continue to maintain secret prisons around the world. He insisted on a continued need for “alternative methods of interrogation” which are more brutal and inhumane than is permitted under law. The president and his advisors are seeking to use the fifth anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, to rekindle fears in the nation of the dangers of new attacks and to generate political support for continued spying on people in the U.S. and for broad new presidential powers. But responding to the attacks of September 11 by undermining the rule of law in the United States is not the answer. FCNL believes Congress should: reject any effort to revise the War Crimes Act to remove violations of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions as a war crime punishable under U.S. law; insist that any legislation that codifies the rules and procedures for military commissions be based on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ); and require the U.S. government to comply with current laws banning sweeping warrantless wiretaps. Around the country, thousands of people working with FCNL and other organizations will be coming together in a 9/11 Call for Freedom from Fear and an appeal to Congress to reevaluate the failed policies of the “war on terror.” Already, groups have planned events in more than 20 states. Take Action Today Please distribute materials from the 9/11 Call for Freedom From Fear campaign this weekend and joining with the lobbying effort on Monday, September 11. We urge you specifically to call on Congress to ensure that: U.S. law continues to outlaw degrading, humiliating treatment of detainees and outrages on their personal dignity, U.S. detainees are tried under rules that safeguard protections for justice in the trial and punishment of all detainees, and U.S. agencies are prohibited from wholesale invasions of personal privacy. You can use FCNL’s website to find a sample letter and contact your members of Congress directly. Background Read FCNL's letter to the Senate urging senators to reject policies based on fear. Find out more ________________________________________ Join FCNL and colleague in the Nationwide 9/11 Call for Freedom from Fear. Five years after 9/11, it’s time to invest in peace. Contact Congress and the administration. Order FCNL publications and "War is Not the Answer" campaign bumper stickers and yard signs. Contribute to FCNL. Subscribe or update your information to this list. To unsubscribe from this list, please see the end of this message. Subscribe to other FCNL legislative, policy, and action alert lists. ________________________________________ Friends Committee on National Legislation 245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795 fcnl@fcnl.org * http://www.fcnl.org phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330 We seek a world free of war and the threat of war We seek a society with equity and justice for all We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled We seek an earth restored.