Friends:
Two weeks ago two Friends from the Humboldt Friends Meeting visited the San Francisco Friends Meeting
and reported to us a concern held by six members of their Meeting around torture at the American Guantánamo
Military Prison in Cuba. I have attached a letter that they would like sent to President Bush, Secretary of
Defense Rumsfeld, and Secretary of the Navy Winter supporting their calling. Please consider supporting our
Friends in their leading by signing the letter and passing the concern on to others.
Peace,
Charles Martin
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Fact Sheet (Updated May 23, 2006) The U.S. military says (May 06) that 759 detainees have been held at Guantánamo Bay since the detention center began taking prisoners in the U.S. war on terror in January, 2002. A few were young teenagers. About 275 have been released or transferred. A report based on Department of Defense (DOD) data suggests that many prisoners were handed over to the U.S. by bounty hunters; only a few were captured in battle. The International Committee of the Red Cross visited some--but not all--prisoners at Guantánamo; the UN Committee on Torture was denied access to prisoners and therefore refused to visit. Both bodies have called for closure of Guantánamo Bay Prison. Prisoners--including many released without apology or reparation--have been tortured. We know this from testimony of released prisoners, from a leaked 2004 report of the International Committee of the Red Cross and 2006 draft report from the UN, from reports by lawyers visiting clients, and from FBI e-mails made public, along with books by former U.S. personnel. In a recent book, A Question of Torture, University of Wisconsin historian Alfred McCoy describes current torture methods developed over the past 50 years primarily by the CIA. Techniques include sensory deprivation (hooding, isolation in dark spaces), self-inflicted pain (stress positions), disorientation in time, cultural humiliation (nudity, sexual humiliation, use of dogs, breaking religious taboos), solitary confinement, temperature extremes, loud music, bright lights and sleep deprivation. Beatings regularly occur (and some homicides), but the emphasis is on psychological destruction. People who have experienced both psychological and physical torture (including Senator John McCain) agree that psychological torture maybe worse than physical torture. McCoy points out that all the techniques that appear in the infamous Abu Ghraib photographs are long-standing CIA methods, belying the claim that renegade underlings were responsible. In July 2005, about 100 detainees went on a hunger strike. Of those, the Wall Street Journal says 28 are still on strike, nearly all being force-fed by tubes inserted down their throats. The U.S. declared the detainees enemy combatants without protection of the Geneva Convention or any other laws or treaties. The Supreme Court decided (6/04) that "enemy combatants" held at Guantánamo had a right to due process. The Pentagon responded quickly setting up an ad hoc military court to review cases, and denied detainees legal counsel (33 of 558 were released 3/05 as a result). . Legal, legislative and regulatory skirmishes continue. One released prisoner commented, "They took away my justice. There was no one to stand up for my justice." Many who have been tortured say, "I would have agreed to anything to make them stop." Most experienced interrogators agree that torture is not the most effective method of accurate information gathering. But of course that is not the basic issue. As John McCain put it, "It is not about who they are, but about who we are." Justice Sandra Day O'Connor reminded us, "…an unchecked system of detention carries the potential to become a means of oppression and abuse." Justice John Paul Stevens added, "…if this nation is to remain true to the ideals symbolized by its flag, it must not wield the tools of tyrants, even to resist an assault by the forces of tyranny."
Suggested links: <FCNL.org>, <northcoastjournal.com/010506/010506.html |
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Biographies of Quakers Frederick Adler, M.D., has practiced Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine in Humboldt County since l986, with periodic sabbaticals to teach on a volunteer basis in Nicaragua and Argentina. He is also a classical musician, pianist and composer. Dr. Adler has in the past several years volunteered with the Humboldt Committee for Conscientious Objectors (HCCO), taking calls on the GI Rights Hotline, as a way to aid soldiers who are in one way or another in crisis about their military careers. A lifelong pacifist, he considers his efforts to promote nonviolent solutions to social problems perhaps the most important part of his life's work. Andrea Armin-Hoiland received a B.A. at U.C. Berkeley, and a B.S .in Nursing from Chico State University. She considers her extensive travels, including in the Middle East and Africa, to be a significant part of her education. She currently works with children at Jacoby Creek Elementary School in Bayside. Carol Cruickshank is a Certified Nurse-Midwife who, like her husband, Frederick Adler, did her training at Columbia University in New York City. Together, they came to Humboldt County where they raised their two children and are members of the Humboldt Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Ms. Cruickshank has almost 30 years of teaching and clinical experience in the United States and abroad. She is presently in charge of Paso a Paso, a program at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. Margaret Thomas Kelso is a playwright and an Associate Professor of Theatre, Film and Dance at Humboldt State University. She also serves as the university Ombudsperson at HSU. With an M.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University, her plays have been produced in many states across the country including New York City. Margaret's plays focus on social issues including medical care, cooperative problem solving, and prison conditions. Richard Ricklefs, M. D., has worked for decades as a physician and community organizer in the Hoopa community, and he is a venerated figure there. He served as a conscientious objector in World War II, assisting the Japanese citizens of California as they were being interned and working in psychiatric hospitals. Karin Salzmann was a founding board member and director of the Washington (D.C.) Montessori Institute (teacher training), and later the founding director of the US office of the Association Montessori Internationale, a worldwide educational NGO. She was for 20 years the director of a Montessori school in Connecticut. She has published fiction and non-fiction and has been a magazine editor and videographer. |
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All over the world,
people of goodwill express concern about illegal detentions and
reports of torture at Guantánamo Bay Prison, where the United States
has admitted to holding up to 650 men and boys. For over a year,
several members of Humboldt Friends (Quaker) Meeting in California
have gathered in worship and discussion, and six have requested
permission to visit prisoners and soldiers at Guantánamo to provide
witness and relief to both sides of the conflict. In response to
inquiries by their member of Congress, the executive branch rejected
their request (even the United Nations has been denied such access).
These Quakers continue to feel that their presence is urgently
needed in the prison.
YOU CAN HELP BY SIGNING THE LETTER BELOW. Many signatures on this letter will both register concern with the executive branch about our government's actions and support Humboldt Friends' request for travel.
HELP GET THE WORD OUT, TOO. Please forward this letter to others. Thank you,
Karin Salzmann, Richard
Ricklefs, Margaret Thomas Kelso,
HOW TO SIGN Individuals and groups, Quakers and non-Quakers are welcome to sign. Minimally, we need your name, city and state. We do NOT need your hand-written signature. Please include your faith community affiliation if appropriate. (The letter states: "Affiliations for identification purposes only".) E-mail your information to: "Quakers to Guantánamo" < quakersguantanamo@gmail.com <mailto:quakersguantanamo@gmail.com> > Or you can mail it to: Carol Cruickshank and Fred Adler, P.O. Box 4359, Arcata, CA 95518 |
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Dear President Bush, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and Secretary of the Navy Winter: We are concerned about reports of torture and harsh treatment at Guantánamo Bay Prison. We believe that torture--whether physical or psychological--is harmful not only to those tortured but also to those who torture and those who condone it. We feel it is imperative that we express our concerns as well as address the consequences of policies that may lead to the mistreatment of others. We are writing to ask you to allow six Quakers from Humboldt Friends Meeting to visit Guantánamo Bay Prison. We understand that the intention of the group is to bring witness and relief to both sides of the conflict, in the historical tradition of Quakers. Their intent is not to judge prisoners or soldiers. They are aware that right and wrong may exist on all sides of a conflict. Neither are these Quakers interested in fact-finding or proselytizing. Their concern is for the well-being of both prisoners and military personnel at Guantánamo, and they have requested to spend a week sitting with prisoners and military personnel. These six Quakers have many years of practice listening, in their religious life and professional work, and they know that every human being needs such comfort. We hope this letter finds you and your families well. Thank you for receiving our request. Sincerely, |