Instructions on how to influence your legislators to curtail the
horrors of the Military Commissions Act or Torture Legalization
Act follow:


To: My Meeting House
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:58:33 -0000
Subject: Help stop torture
Friends,
This was sent to me by a Friend from another Meeting House.
She is asking Friends in Virginia to contact Senators Warner and
Webb, to support legislation that will overturn some of the horrors
of the Military Commissions Act of last fall,,,, sometimes called the
Torture Legalization Act.

Those of us who visited with Senator Warner last year to discuss
continuing Tom Fox's work had the impression that he was deeply
wounded by the revelations of torture at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere by
our soldiers. He may well be receptive to requests to support this
bill.

Please consider contacting him and Senator Webb. All you need to do
so is in Suzanne's letter, which follows.

Peace,
Bill

Dear Bill,

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me the other day and for
letting me know that you could forward information about upcoming
important legislation to BYM Monthly Meeting Peace and Social Concern
committee clerks throughout Virginia. As I mentioned when we spoke, I
have been strongly influenced in my work by the efforts of Tom Fox to
document the abuse of detainees.

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) was created
just a little over a year ago after the appalling photographs of abuse
of detainees became public. I am the Friends Meeting's
representative to NRCAT. Despite the efforts of many, the Military
Commissions Act of 2006, condoning among other things the admission of
evidence secured by torture into court, was passed and signed into law
this past fall.

At last we have legislation pending that reverses many of the wrongs
done by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). The bill is
Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, S. 576. It was sponsored by
Senator Chris Dodd (D – CT) and has been referred to the Senate Armed
Services Committee.

You - and other Quakers in Virginia - can play a key role to end the
policy of condoning torture by urging Senator John Warner (R – VA) and
Senator James Webb, (D – VA), key members of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, to support S.576. The legislation will get out of committee
and to the floor of the Senate only if some of the Republican Members
of the Senate Armed Services Committee join with Democrats in support
of the bill. We note Senator Webb since he is a Freshman Senator also
serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee. We hope that S.576 can
be attached as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization
Bill, a "must pass" piece of legislation.

Here is how you can make a difference:

In the next 30 days,

1. Schedule a meeting with one or both of the Senators or with their
staff in one of the district offices – or in D.C., if that is possible
- to urge support for S.576. See Talking Points below. Phone numbers:
Capitol Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121; District offices for
Senator Warner are the following:

Roanoke District Office
1003 First Union Bank Building
213 South Jefferson Street
Roanoke, Virginia 24011
(540) 857-2676
(540) 857-2800 FAX

Abingdon District Office
235 Federal Building
180 West Main Street
P.O. Box 887
Abingdon, Virginia 24210
(276) 628-8158

Norfolk District Office
4900 World Trade Center
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
(757) 441-3079
(757) 441-6250 FAX

Midlothian District Office
5309 Commonwealth Centre Parkway
Midlothian, Virginia 23112
(804) 739-0247
(804) 739-3478 FAX
(276) 628-1036 FAX

Senator Webb's district offices:

Hampton Roads
222 Central Park Ave., Suite 120
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: 757-518-1674
Fax: 757-518-1679

Richmond Office
507 East Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-771-2221
Fax: 804-771-8313

Roanoke Office
3140 Chaparral Drive
Building C, Suite 101
Roanoke, VA 24018
Phone: 540-772-4236
Fax: 540-772-6870

2. Ask your friends, members of your Monthly Meeting, your family, and
your colleagues to

· write to the district office. They can use the sample letter
below as a guide. District offices are listed above for both Senators, or

· call in to the Senators' D.C. offices to urge their support
for S. 576, Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. The Capitol
Switchboard phone number in Washington, DC, is (202) 224-3121. or

· E-mail Senator Warner at senator@warner. senate.gov and
Senator Webb at senator@webb. senate.gov.

· use the more general sample letter on the NRCAT website to
send to Senator Warner or to Senator Webb. The website is
www.tortureisamoral issue.org.

3. Let us know what you did! You can reach me at
CampaignAgainstTort ure@gmail. com

Talking Points about Restore the Constitution Act of 2007

* Reasserts adherence to the Geneva Conventions, assuring humane
treatment for all prisoners, military and civilian.
* Prohibits evidence obtained through torture to be used in court.
The RCA returns the U.S. to outlawing hear-say testimony and testimony
obtained through "coercion."

* Holds accountable those who have authorized or committed acts of
torture. Removes the current provision for retroactive immunity to
American personnel who authorized or committed war crimes.
* Clarifies the definition of "enemy combatant" and no longer
gives the President the power to decide who is in that category.
* Restores due process. The RCA restores the right of habeas
corpus; innocents including non-citizen detainees could no longer be
held indefinitely without charge or trial as currently permitted.

On behalf of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, I thank
you for sharing this information and for taking action.

I also invite you and others to go to the NRCAT website,
www.tortureisamoral issue.org to read and sign the statement, Torture
is a Moral Issue. More than 15,000 people of faith have signed, so
far. We would like that to be 150,000!

NRCAT accepts religious organizations as Participating (dues paying)
or Endorsing (signatories to the Statement) Members. Please consider
joining this campaign and this newly formed group. We have 105
religious organizations that have joined in this first year.

With gratitude,

Suzanne O'Hatnick
Member, Baltimore Monthly Meeting of Friends, Stony Run
Representative to NRCAT and Director, National Advocacy Program
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
www.tortureisamoral issue.org

For a link to both the MCA of 2006 and the new bill, S. 576, Restoring
the Constitution Act of 2007, go to www.fcnl.org/ torture

Sample letter to Senator Warner or Webb (please modify with your own
thoughts):

Dear Senator:

Torture is a moral issue. As a person of faith and a citizen of
Virginia I believe torture is always wrong.

At last there is legislation pending that reverses the wrong done by
the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). The bill is Restoring the
Constitution Act of 2007 (RCA), -- S. 576 in the Senate It has been
referred to the Senate Armed Services Committees on which you serve.

You can play a key role to end the policy of condoning torture by
co-sponsoring the RCA and by encouraging your colleagues to co-sponsor
the legislation, also.

These are the elements that I find compelling. The RCA:

* Reasserts adherence to the Geneva Conventions, assuring humane
treatment for all prisoners, military and civilian.
* Prohibits evidence obtained through torture to be used in court.
The RCA returns the U.S. to outlawing hear-say testimony and testimony
obtained through "coercion."
* Holds accountable those who have authorized or committed acts of
torture. Removes the current provision for retroactive immunity to
American personnel who authorized or committed war crimes.

* Clarifies the definition of "enemy combatant" and no longer
gives the President the power to decide who is in that category.
* Restores due process. The RCA restores the right of habeas
corpus; innocents including non-citizen detainees could no longer be
held indefinitely without charge or trial as currently permitted.

Many of us will be watching the progress of this legislation. I look
forward to thanking you for your co-sponsorship of the RCA and for
your commitment to restore our country's moral authority, to
re-establish justice and due process, and to make clear that torture
is always wrong.

Sincerely,

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address
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