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The Department of Homeland Security and some House Republicans are trying to slip through a bill that would make it legal to deport people to countries where the US government knows they will be tortured. A spokesman for Dennis Hastert--the Speaker of the House, which is a powerful and explicitly political post [1]--says that the Justice Department is strongly in favor of this law. Based on Ashcroft's record to date, he's probably telling the truth this time.
The pro-torture language was included in the bill intended to implement the 9/11 Commission report on a straight party-line vote: all the Republicans voted for, all the Democrats against.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is sponsoring a competing bill, HR 4764, to specifically outlaw sending people out of the United States to be tortured. In a sane world, this would be like voting for motherhood and apple pie: in ours, it's unclear whether the House Republicans will let it come up for a vote. His staff says the key votes will be in the next few days.
For more information, and a suggested letter to your representative, see Obsidian Wings. This is especially important if your legislator is a Republican.
If you're not a US citizen or resident, publicizing this is still important. (The supporters of this atrocity call it "extraordinary rendition", because even they know that "outsourcing torture" sounds bad.)
[1] Explanation provided because the last time I mentioned that job on LJ, the person I was addressing turned out to know nothing about how the US Congress works.
The pro-torture language was included in the bill intended to implement the 9/11 Commission report on a straight party-line vote: all the Republicans voted for, all the Democrats against.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is sponsoring a competing bill, HR 4764, to specifically outlaw sending people out of the United States to be tortured. In a sane world, this would be like voting for motherhood and apple pie: in ours, it's unclear whether the House Republicans will let it come up for a vote. His staff says the key votes will be in the next few days.
For more information, and a suggested letter to your representative, see Obsidian Wings. This is especially important if your legislator is a Republican.
If you're not a US citizen or resident, publicizing this is still important. (The supporters of this atrocity call it "extraordinary rendition", because even they know that "outsourcing torture" sounds bad.)
[1] Explanation provided because the last time I mentioned that job on LJ, the person I was addressing turned out to know nothing about how the US Congress works.
Tags:
The Department of Homeland Security and some House Republicans are trying to slip through a bill that would make it legal to deport people to countries where the US government knows they will be tortured. A spokesman for Dennis Hastert--the Speaker of the House, which is a powerful and explicitly political post [1]--says that the Justice Department is strongly in favor of this law. Based on Ashcroft's record to date, he's probably telling the truth this time.
The pro-torture language was included in the bill intended to implement the 9/11 Commission report on a straight party-line vote: all the Republicans voted for, all the Democrats against.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is sponsoring a competing bill, HR 4764, to specifically outlaw sending people out of the United States to be tortured. In a sane world, this would be like voting for motherhood and apple pie: in ours, it's unclear whether the House Republicans will let it come up for a vote. His staff says the key votes will be in the next few days.
For more information, and a suggested letter to your representative, see Obsidian Wings. This is especially important if your legislator is a Republican.
If you're not a US citizen or resident, publicizing this is still important. (The supporters of this atrocity call it "extraordinary rendition", because even they know that "outsourcing torture" sounds bad.)
[1] Explanation provided because the last time I mentioned that job on LJ, the person I was addressing turned out to know nothing about how the US Congress works.
The pro-torture language was included in the bill intended to implement the 9/11 Commission report on a straight party-line vote: all the Republicans voted for, all the Democrats against.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) is sponsoring a competing bill, HR 4764, to specifically outlaw sending people out of the United States to be tortured. In a sane world, this would be like voting for motherhood and apple pie: in ours, it's unclear whether the House Republicans will let it come up for a vote. His staff says the key votes will be in the next few days.
For more information, and a suggested letter to your representative, see Obsidian Wings. This is especially important if your legislator is a Republican.
If you're not a US citizen or resident, publicizing this is still important. (The supporters of this atrocity call it "extraordinary rendition", because even they know that "outsourcing torture" sounds bad.)
[1] Explanation provided because the last time I mentioned that job on LJ, the person I was addressing turned out to know nothing about how the US Congress works.
Tags:
If you have a Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4L or compatible, I have some extra memory; a printer tray; and a barely-used HP 74 type ink cartridge. If you're interested, contact me to arrange pickup in northern Manhattan. (We might be willing to mail the memory.)
Note that the cartridge has been opened and, if not handled with care, may spill toner on your clothes, vehicle, et cetera.
Note that the cartridge has been opened and, if not handled with care, may spill toner on your clothes, vehicle, et cetera.
If you have a Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4L or compatible, I have some extra memory; a printer tray; and a barely-used HP 74 type ink cartridge. If you're interested, contact me to arrange pickup in northern Manhattan. (We might be willing to mail the memory.)
Note that the cartridge has been opened and, if not handled with care, may spill toner on your clothes, vehicle, et cetera.
Note that the cartridge has been opened and, if not handled with care, may spill toner on your clothes, vehicle, et cetera.
On the good side, I finished the first batch of this month's freelance proofreading--the URL verification, which I can't do on the LIRR, and which this time turned up two defective URLS; I talked to my mother; my purple hair got praise and cheerful, startled comment from the usual assortment of strangers; and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
julian_tiger has been introduced what is evidently the Perfect Food for which he has been waiting all this time, namely smoked whitefish.
On the not-as-good side, the RenFaire at Fort Tryon Park was over-crowded and under-festive this year. It didn't help that I had to wander through most of the crowd in order to meeteleanor because she'd gotten badly lost/mis-directed on her way up there, and hence come in via a staircase to the Cloisters, rather than the fair entrance at Margaret Corbin Circle, near the A station. I eventually fled the crowds and did what I referred to as "my best imitation of the M4 bus," namely walking a hilly half-mile or so down to 181st for rye bread; the walk helped a lot.
On the bad side, I seem to have a cold (or possibly some kind of allergic reaction) again, or still. I figure that having a cold, like having purple hair, is not actually against the rules for jurors.
julian_tiger has been introduced what is evidently the Perfect Food for which he has been waiting all this time, namely smoked whitefish.On the not-as-good side, the RenFaire at Fort Tryon Park was over-crowded and under-festive this year. It didn't help that I had to wander through most of the crowd in order to meet
eleanor because she'd gotten badly lost/mis-directed on her way up there, and hence come in via a staircase to the Cloisters, rather than the fair entrance at Margaret Corbin Circle, near the A station. I eventually fled the crowds and did what I referred to as "my best imitation of the M4 bus," namely walking a hilly half-mile or so down to 181st for rye bread; the walk helped a lot.On the bad side, I seem to have a cold (or possibly some kind of allergic reaction) again, or still. I figure that having a cold, like having purple hair, is not actually against the rules for jurors.
On the good side, I finished the first batch of this month's freelance proofreading--the URL verification, which I can't do on the LIRR, and which this time turned up two defective URLS; I talked to my mother; my purple hair got praise and cheerful, startled comment from the usual assortment of strangers; and julian_tiger has been introduced what is evidently the Perfect Food for which he has been waiting all this time, namely smoked whitefish.
On the not-as-good side, the RenFaire at Fort Tryon Park was over-crowded and under-festive this year. It didn't help that I had to wander through most of the crowd in order to meeteleanor because she'd gotten badly lost/mis-directed on her way up there, and hence come in via a staircase to the Cloisters, rather than the fair entrance at Margaret Corbin Circle, near the A station. I eventually fled the crowds and did what I referred to as "my best imitation of the M4 bus," namely walking a hilly half-mile or so down to 181st for rye bread; the walk helped a lot.
On the bad side, I seem to have a cold (or possibly some kind of allergic reaction) again, or still. I figure that having a cold, like having purple hair, is not actually against the rules for jurors.
julian_tiger has been introduced what is evidently the Perfect Food for which he has been waiting all this time, namely smoked whitefish.On the not-as-good side, the RenFaire at Fort Tryon Park was over-crowded and under-festive this year. It didn't help that I had to wander through most of the crowd in order to meet
eleanor because she'd gotten badly lost/mis-directed on her way up there, and hence come in via a staircase to the Cloisters, rather than the fair entrance at Margaret Corbin Circle, near the A station. I eventually fled the crowds and did what I referred to as "my best imitation of the M4 bus," namely walking a hilly half-mile or so down to 181st for rye bread; the walk helped a lot.On the bad side, I seem to have a cold (or possibly some kind of allergic reaction) again, or still. I figure that having a cold, like having purple hair, is not actually against the rules for jurors.
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