From United for Peace & Justice: On Oct. 8, the U.S. Senate took a stand against torture, voting 90 - 9 for an amendment sponsored by Sen. John McCain banning cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees. The amendment, attached to the Defense Appropriations Bill in the Senate, now faces a battle in the joint House/Senate conference committee, the committee that will negotiate the final language in the bill. The House version of the massive military spending bill doesn't include any language banning torture.
The White House, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, is aggressively opposing the amendment. If it were to pass, the CIA would be forced to stop holding an unknown number of prisoners in secret detention centers abroad. Even worse, Cheney is requesting the conference committee to adopt language that would legally authorize human rights abuses and torture by CIA operatives and continue the practice of secret detention centers.
McCain and other amendment supporters would rather pull the amendment than have it weakened.
We can't let that happen. The Bush Administration should not be given the right to run more Abu Ghraib torture centers, where Arabs, Muslims, or others are denied basic rights granted to other human beings.
United for Peace and Justice urges you to call members of the House/Senate conference committee to express your disgust that the Bush Administration wants to give the CIA carte blanche to torture people. Demand that the House and Senate Conference Committee bring the McCain amendment to the floor AS IS - and with NO CHANGES.
Call members of the House/Senate Conference Committee
Members of the House and Senate Conference Committee are listed below. If your Senator or Representative is listed, call their office. If your Senator or Representative is not listed, call one or more of the members marked with *.
Senate Republicans:
* Stevens, Ted (AK)-202-224-3004 - voted against McCain amendment
* Cochran, Thad (MS)- 202-224-5054 - voted against McCain amendment
Specter, Arlen (PA) - 202-224-4254; Dominici, Pete (NM) - 202-224-6621;
Bond, Christopher (MO)- 202-224-5721 - voted against McCain amendment
McConnell, Mitch (KY)202-224-2541; Shelby, Richard (AL) - 202-224-5744
Gregg, Judd (NH) - 202-224-3324; Burns, Conrad (MT) - 202-224-2644
Democrats:
* Inouye, Daniel (HI), Ranking Member - 202-224-3934
* Byrd, Robert C. (WV) - 202-224-3954; Leahy, Patrick (VT) - 202-224-4242
Harkin, Tom (IA) - 202-224-3254; Dorgan, Byron (ND) - 202-224-2551
Durbin, Richard (IL) - 202-224-2152; Reid, Harry (NV) - 202-224-3542
Feinstein, Diane (CA) - 202-224-3841; Mikulski, Barbara (MD) - 202-224-4654
House Republicans:
* Young, Bill (FL-10) - 202-225-5961; Hobson, David (OH-7) - 202-225-4324
Bonilla, Henry (TX-23) - 202-225-4511; Cunningham, Randy (CA-50) - 202-225-5452
Frelinghuysen, Rodney (NJ-11) - 202-225-5034; Tiahrt, Todd (KS-4) - 202-224-6216
Wicker, Roger (MS-1) - 202-225-4306; Kingston, Jack (GA-1) - 202-225-5831
Granger, Kay (TX-12) - 20-225-5071; * Jerry Lewis (CA-41) - 202-225-5861
Democrats
* Murtha, John (PA-12) - 202-225-2065; Dicks, Norman (WA-6) - 202-225-5916
Sabo, Martin (MN-5) - 202-225-4755; Visclosky, Peter (IN=1) - 202-225-2461
Moran, James (VA-8) - 202-225-4376; Kaptur, Marcy (OH-9) - 202-225-4146
* Obey, David (WI-7) - 202-225-3365
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