(via e-mail)
April 28, 2008

Greetings from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office:

1. National Religious Campaign Against Torture Urges you to write a letter to your editor about torture
2. Anabaptist Peace Center’s Bridging Divides Conference report

1. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture Urges you to write a letter to your editor about torture

From the National Religious Campaign Against Torture:

We now have strong evidence that, as many of us have suspected, the abuses perpetrated on detainees over the past 7 years were not simply the acts of "rogue" agents or low ranking soldiers, but were instead planned and approved of by top Administration officials - including the President himself, as well as Vice-President Dick Cheney. ABC News and the Associated Press recently reported that the President's top national security advisors met in the White House, on numerous occasions and with the President's approval, to authorize interrogators to torture high-value detainees (by waterboarding them and subjecting them to sleep deprivation, among other abuses). Unfortunately, these dramatic revelations have been largely ignored by the media and the public.

Please help inform the public about the fact that top Administration officials were directly involved in planning the torture of high-value detainees by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper expressing your deep concern about learning that your leaders participated in the torture planning meetings and your disappointment that the media and the public have not responded to the news about the meetings with the appropriate vigor and outrage.

Letters should be short and direct. If at all possible, they should refer to an article that was recently printed in your newspaper. You can check your newspaper's website or call or email the Editorial Department to find out the best way to submit your letter and any guidelines they might have for writing letters. Many newspapers may have word limits or deadlines for responding to articles. Don't submit your letter to more than one newspaper at a time.

A sample letter is provided below our names. Please re-write it in order to make it relevant to your newspaper and your community. If your letter is published in your local newspaper, please let us know and send us a copy of your letter.

Thank you for all you do to end U.S.-sponsored torture.

Sincerely,

Linda Gustitus, NRCAT Board President
Rich Killmer, NRCAT Executive Director

Dear Editor:

As a resident of _(town name)_, a member of _(name of a congregation or other faith community)_ and a long-time reader of the _(paper name)_, I am writing to express my outrage regarding the recent ABC News reports that President Bush's top national security advisors (including Vice President Dick Cheney and now Secretary of State Condolezeea Rice) held numerous meetings in the White House to approve the use of abusive interrogation techniques (including waterboarding and sleep deprivation) on high-value detainees. Not only do these meetings implicate top Administration officials in condoning illegal acts that constitute torture, but, as ABC News reported, the President himself admitted that he was aware of these meetings and approved of them.

I am indescribably saddened by this compelling evidence of the fact that our highest leaders condoned and participated in acts of torture. Furthermore, I am also disappointed by the relatively mild response from the media and from the public to these revelations. I would have expected that news of the President's top advisors meeting, with his knowledge and permission, to authorize interrogators to illegally torture detainees would have been met with a widespread public outcry, and with a deluge of press interest in the issue. Unfortunately both the public and the press seemed to have responded with a collective yawn. I hope that this newspaper will take the opportunity to editorialize against the use of torture.

According to ABC News, after one of the meetings, the then-current Attorney General John Ashcroft asked "Why are we discussing this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly." John Ashcroft was right; history will not be kind to the top Administration officials who allowed detainees to be tortured. If the American media and the American public do not respond to these revelations with the outcry they deserve, then history may judge us unkindly as well.

Sincerely,

(Name)
(Address)
(City, State, Zip Code)
(Daytime Phone Number)

2. Anabaptist Peace Center’s Bridging Divides Conference report

Please click here to see a report on the APC Bridging Divides conference.

Brethren Witness/Washington Office Contact Information

If you have questions on these or other issues, contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at the address below. We would love to hear from you!

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Brethren Witness/Washington Office
337 North Carolina Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Local Phone: 202-546-3202
Toll Free: 1-800-785-3246
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E-mail: washington_office_gb@brethren.org