An Appalling Anniversary

 

Today marks the seventh anniversary of prisoners from the War on Terror being brought to Guantanamo Bay Cuba – GITMO.  Except for about 14 high profile prisoners, most of the detainees are low level Taliban foot soldiers or men or boys simply picked up or turned in as a result of bounties handed out by the U.S. Government in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. 

 

Beginning today Witness Against Torture, a group founded mainly by Catholic Christians following in the footsteps of Dorothy Day and the biblical call to perform the Works of Mercy, will begin a 100 Days Campaign to call on Barak Obama to close down the prison camp at Guantanamo, end torture and indefinite detention, and stop extraordinary rendition by the U.S. Government. Although President Elect Obama has said on a number of occasions that he will close the prison there will be tremendous pressure on him not to do so. 

 

The campaign will begin on January 11 with a silent procession of people wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods, followed by a vigil, and a nine day public fast that will conclude on inauguration day, January 20^th.  From January 21 through April 30 the 100 Days Campaign will have a continued presence in Washington D.C. sponsoring vigils, films, discussions, and a speaker series, and through lobbying and creative action. 

 

By the end of the campaign, Witness Against Torture hopes to have a definitive response, time frame, and plan from President Barack Obama on the closing of Guantanamo and the end to all U.S. sponsored torture.  If you would like to participate in the campaign in any way you can go to

www.100dayscampaign.org or talk to a member of St. Peter Claver Parishioners for Peace and Justice.

 

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.  And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak,

and they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly. (John 19, New American Bible)

 

 

“ I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through with that.  I've said repeatedly that America doesn't torture.  And I'm going to make sure that we don't torture.  Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world”

~Barack Obama, November 16, 2008

 

“If it were up to me I would close Guantanamo, not tomorrow but this afternoon.....Essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America's justice system.....and it's causing us more damage than any good we get for it.”

~Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, July 10, 2007

 

“No word is more poisonous to the reputation of the U.S. than Guantanamo. Fundamental justice requires a fair legal process before the U.S. detains people for significant periods of time, and the President and Congress have not provided one.”

~Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, former 9/11 Commission, September 9, 2007

 

                                                                                  1/11/09 Issue 2