BIDEN CALLS ON COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT HIS LEGISLATION BANNING WATERBOARDING AND OTHER FORMS OF TORTUR

[Jillian]

Published: 10/30/2007


Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) called on his colleagues today to support his legislation, the National Security with Justice Act (S. 1876), which among other things prohibits all United States personnel from engaging in waterboarding or any other form of torture. The full text of the letter is below and it was sent to all 99 other Senators this morning:

Dear Colleague,

I write today to seek your support for legislation that prohibits United States personnel from engaging in water-boarding or any other form of torture. On July 25, 2007, I introduced S. 1876, the National Security with Justice Act, which among other things prohibits all United States personnel from using on a detainee any interrogation technique not expressly authorized by the Army Field Manual.

As the Washington Post noted this morning, it is sad that a nation with a longstanding, proud tradition of condemning torture finds itself embroiled in a debate regarding whether torture is legal. Both domestic law and international treaties clearly ban torture. Unfortunately, the current Administration's cramped, disingenuous arguments necessitate such a debate. Since 2002, the Department of Justice has consistently endorsed harsh and inhumane interrogation techniques that amount to torture. In July, the President issued an Executive Order that was notably silent on several such techniques, including water-boarding. And just last week, the President's nominee to be the next Attorney General, Judge Michael B. Mukasey, declined to answer clearly a question regarding whether water-boarding is torture and is therefore unconstitutional.

The United States cannot continue to equivocate and dissemble on this matter. When we countenance torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees, we diminish our ability to argue that the same techniques should not be used against our own troops. We need to send a clear message that torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment of detainees is unacceptable and is not permitted by U.S. law. Period. Therefore, Section 106 of my bill prohibits all officers and agents of the United States from using techniques of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the United States Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation. I urge you to support S. 1876 and join me in banning all United States personnel from engaging in torture

http://www.joebiden.com/newscenter/pressreleases?id=0211

:headbang:

[mmonk]

1. Real leaders lead.

[liberalnurse]

9. Excellent Point.

I crave leadership.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. Excellent.

(Sadly, I don't expect a rush of support.)

[jillan]

3. Not from the gopers, that's for sure!

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. Recommend this up. It would be of great general interest on DU to know such legislation exists

[gateley]

5. How come nothing's been done since he introduced this? Don't people CARE

or does it take getting media attention to get action on something -- even something as important as this?

I really applaud Biden for this. It's another indication of his doing what's RIGHT, even if it's during "campaign season".

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Unfortunately, nobody really wants a firm vote on torture

The Republicans don't want to vote for torture and the Dems don't want to vote against "keeping us safe"

So this bill is the proverbial turd in the punch-bowl. I'll bet there's no great rush to support it.

(Proposed in July... does it have ANY co-sponsors?)

[gateley]

10. I think both the Dems and Reps are coming around - most likely as a result

of it being THE issue in the Mukasey nomination. This is good. What's shameful is that it's languished up until now.

I'll go see if I can find out about the co-sponsors - good question.

[Think82]

7. kick

[Trillo]

8. K & R nt

[Capn Sunshine]

11. EXCELLENT

Biden is working hard to redeem himself from that bullshit Bankruptcy bill.
(backhanded compliment courtesy of the Obama Campaign :))

[jillan]

12. I'll take it!

and btw - my Obama compliments have gone up as well

[Disturbed]

13. That Bill needs to list all methods of Torture that will be Illegal.

If anything is left off of the list, the Busholini Regime will use it.

[gateley]

14. Boy - good point. Isn't it horrifying it's come to this?? America. nt

[youthere]

21. Thanks Cap'n Sunshine...

And I believe a Biden/Obama team would be unstoppable..no matter who is at the top of the ticket.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. Not a single senator ought to oppose this.

This should be made, loud and clear, to be the moral issue it is.

[proud patriot]

16. sounds good to me

[IndianaGreen]

17. Joe Biden believes in an America in which the President is held in check by the Constitution

and where torture is a crime.

Once again, Joe Biden validates my conversion into a Bidenite.

[youthere]

18. Can we make this man president already?

[Eric J in MN]

19. kick

kick

[ginchinchili]

20. Does this guy ever rest?

Biden seems to do more than most of our federal legislators while running a presidential campaign during which he seems to do more than the other candidates. Sounds like presidential material to me. Or would people rather have a 6 hour a day president like Thompson?

[demommom]

22. K&R

[IronLionZion]

23. As I'm sure he doesn't want his son to be tortured

He said this during Abu Ghraib I think. The reason we don't torture is so that American soldiers don't get tortured. What goes around comes around. The Iraqis have some nasty torture methods, but how would Americans feel if American soldiers were being waterboarded?

[Usrename]

24. Why not enforce the law as it exists? It's already illegal.

:grr: