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A Date With Eric Holder And Barack Obama

Crossposted from Docudharma


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"The Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendements to the Constitution of the United States prohibit cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment."

With that sentence begins the documentary film "Torturing Democracy", a documentary to be aired on PBS television stations nationwide on January 21st, 2009, one day after President Bush leaves office.

One day after President Bush leaves office will be the first day of President-Elect Barack Obama's new administration.

Between today and that day, we have a date with Attorney General-Designate Eric Holder and President-Elect Barack Obama. Everyday.

As netizens reading this at the founding site of the Citizens Petition for a Special Prosecutor to Investigate and Prosecute Bush War Crimes we have a date every day with those two men as we work to generate as many signatures to the petition that we can possibly generate to bring the war criminals in the Bush administration to justice. Principally Mr. Bush himself, Vice President Richard Cheney, and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They were the leaders. The instigators. And the approvers. But there are many others as well, and they all deserve fair trials. it is the very least we can do for them, and for the world.

These crimes are being euphemistically referred to as "abusive interrogation techniques" by such respected figures as Senator John McCain. These are euphemisms for torture. Torture is a War Crime. Waterboarding is a War Crime. The CIA has admitted waterboarding detainees. Recently, Vice President Cheney has brazenly admitted authorizing the program that led to waterboarding, other forms of torture too numerous to list, and ultimately, the deaths by homicide of detainees.

As is often the case, we are because of our insatiable interest, curiosity and determination to be as well informed as we can be, much farther ahead of the millions of people who will see Torturing Democracy on January 21st, 2009.

Before the PBS broadcast the documentary in its entirety can be viewed at TorturingDemocracy.org

This short intro video is the first eight and a half minutes of the full documentary. You can watch the full program at the link above.

Mr. Holder has said that:
"Our needlessly abusive and unlawful practices in the 'War on Terror' have diminished our standing in the world community and made us less, rather than more, safe," Holder told a packed room at the ACS 2008 Convention on Friday evening. "For the sake of our safety and security, and because it is the right thing to do, the next president must move immediately to reclaim America's standing in the world as a nation that cherishes and protects individual freedom and basic human rights."

He needs to be held to his word. His President will need to hold him to his word. And we need to hold Mr. Obama to his words.

"Democracy" has been tortured long enough.

It's time for people like everyone here to be the cause of "Change you can believe in."

< Rod Blagojevich and Penny Pritzker | The Broader CIA Critique >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Democracy has been tortured long enough. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Wed Dec 24, 2008 at 03:20:29 AM EST
    7305 of 100000 people have signed this petition as of the time of this comment. It is beginning to go viral.

    There is a blog/website badge available that you can post in comments or diaries on any site that allows posted images, or on your  own blog if you have one.

    Post the petition badge everywhere you can. It becomes viral. It'll work in diaries or in comments on any site that will let you post images. The petition is growing rapidly and we have more than 7000 who have signed in the last few days, but we need all the help we can find.

    Thanks for reading...