Bloggers Against Torture Month

Today is the beginning of “Torture Awareness Month” and I would like to open this grassroots movement with some thoughts of my own, as well as, some gentle reminders from the past.

We as a Nation signed and witnessed into law the Geneva Conventions. We understand that human rights violations are serious and demand attention. We hold countries accountable for flagrant violations. Some of these offenders include;

China
Korea
Israel
South Africa
Burma
Syria
Uzbekistan
Libya
Iran
And of course Iraq and the evil Saddam Hussein. You remember him don’t you, the evil dictator who killed his own people with poisonous gas. The tyrant who committed such flagrant human rights violations we had no choice, but to remove him from power. At least that was the excuse we used after we couldn’t find WMD.

Why have we made these countries suffer economically? Simple, they have not followed guidelines set forth by the world community. These guidelines are specific and vast. Today I will be focusing on a “Core International Human Rights Instruments” as laid out be the United Nations. The “Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” instrument reveals the US has not been very accurate in it’s portrayal of following the rules of the world community. The UN passed in 1984 the international law, which contains a few articles I would like you to review.

Link Here

Bloggers Against Torture Month (Day 2) A Personal Account Inside Iraq

Some of you may or may not be familiar with a group of women called "Code Pink."


CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. CODEPINK rejects the Bush administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law.

These women do not simply arm-chair quaterback the protest, they are atually on the ground in Iraq. If we simply do not trust our MSM, then I suggest you give this story a read. The story is one of reality and dissapointment told by an individual that lives and experiences the things she writes about.


Notes from the Middle East

As most of you already know, I was part of a delegation, puttogether with extraordinary care by Medea Benjamin and Chris Michael of Global Exchange in San Francisco. We traveled to Amman, Jordan,with medical supplies, blankets, heaters and water purifiers for the refugees in the camps outside Falluja. Global Exchange received donations of medications from a large pharmaceutical company as well as small donations of supplies and cash valued at $600,000.

Once again, my vocabulary is not adequate to describe the experience of meeting Iraqis, for whom every day is September 11th. These good people, who wept as they told their stories, risked their lives tocome to Amman to meet with us. We were Americans, some of whom had lost sons in Iraq, Military Families Against the War. I represented September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Some members of the delegation were Americans who have not lost a loved one, but have concluded that the war is wrong, that Iraq had no weapons of massdestruction (except those for which Rumsfeld has the receipts) and no complicity in 9/11. We met with Arabs whose, long history of oppression has made them cynical of Americans, but who greeted us with warmth and gratitude for caring enough to come with medical supplies and humanitarian aid. I told them that Timmy had died on 9/11 trying to rescue civilians trapped in the twin towers and that now innocent civilians are being killed in his name and we were all trying to stop it. >>>cont

Link Here