SNOW Actions of the Week

Check back regularly for new, meaningful ways you can help make a difference.

Speak out for the America that leads the world on human rights. Say No to Torture!

The Bush administration is pressuring Congress to authorize indefinite detentions, unfair trials, immunity for torture and cruel treatment. Help preserve justice, fairness, and human dignity.

Recently the Supreme Court struck down the President's Military Commissions and restored minimum Geneva Conventions protections to people in US custody, but now the President has asked Congress to authorize military commissions, proceedings similar to those that were struck down. In addition, the President has asked Congress to codify the indefinite detention regime and to provide immunity for the CIA, civilian contractors, and Administration officials who may have violated the War Crimes Act.

Join Amnesty International in calling for a change in Bush administration policy.
For further information, click on: http://www.amnestyusa.org/index2.html

Action:

Call the Congressional switch board at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your Senator or Representative's office. To lookup your officials info, click on : http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/c.goJTI0OvElH/b.953517/k.7443/Your_Elected_Officials/siteapps/advocacy/search.aspx

Further information of what you need to say can be found on the Amnesty site at:

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.goJTI0OvElH/b.2070005/k.BBAA/National_Callin_Week_for_the_America_We_Believe_In/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp

Urge the Army to Drop Court Martial Proceedings Against Lieutenant Watada

The future of Lt. Watada's court-martial is now in the hands of the generals at Fort Lewis.

On June 22, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq War and occupation. Lt. Watada was been formally charged with contempt towards President Bush, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and missing movement. For the first time since 1965, the military is prosecuting an objector for his opinions. He faces more than 7 years in prison - over five years for First Amendment speech alone!

On August 17, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada succeeded in placing the war on trial during an Article 32 pre-trial hearing in a military courtroom at Fort Lewis, Washington. The investigating officer recommended that Lt. Watada be referred to a general court martial on all charges – including five charges for political speech.
Fort Lewis' Commanding General, Lieutenant General James Dubik makes the final decision on whether to proceed to court-martial on any or all charges.
For further information about Lt. Watada's case, and suggested wording for your letter, click on http://thankyoult.live.radicaldesigns.org/content/view/182/
PHONE and WRITE Lt. Gen. James Dubik and respectfully request “no court martial for Lt. Watada.”
Lt. Gen. Dubik can be reached via his aide Lt. Colonel Kamper at 253-967-0022, and/or call the Ft.Lewis switchboard at 253-967-1110.

Commanding General
Fort Lewis and I Corps
Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik
Building 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis, WA 98433

Stop Outsourcing Torture: Support Anti-Rendition Laws

Please join the Center for Constitutional Rights in calling for Congress to support legislation condemning the Bush Administration's policy of unlawfully sending people to be tortured abroad. We cannot let Bush, Rumsfeld, Gonzales and their cronies continue to trample civil and human rights in violation of innumerable treaties and domestic and international law. Torture is not an American value. We should not be sending people to be interrogated and abused in countries with appalling histories of human rights violations.

The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the first lawsuit to challenge the practice of extraordinary rendition in January 2004. Our client, Maher Arar, was a Canadian citizen sent to Syria to be interrogated and tortured and kept in a lightless underground cell the size of a grave for a year before he was released without charge.

Maher says, “The horror I suffered in Syria occurred as a result of the U.S. policy of extraordinary rendition. This heinous practice of shipping people off to torture should never be inflicted on any human being. I appeal to all Americans who care about the future of their country to speak out against this policy and ensure that no one has to suffer this way ever again."

Join us in making sure that what happened to Maher and hundreds of others like him never happens again. Write your legislators and ask them to stand up and put a stop to the Bush Administration’s policy of outsourcing torture.

To READ MORE information and SIGN A LETTER, click on:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=546

Support First Lt. Ehren Watada in his refusal to deploy to Iraq

On Wednesday, June 7th U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq war and occupation. His unit is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in a few days, and the military is moving to try and silence his voice of protest. Your support is urgently needed today.
Lt. Watada stated in a recent press conference: “I wanted to be there for my fellow troops. But the best way was not to help drop artillery and cause more death and
destruction. It is to help oppose this war and end it so that all soldiers can come home" At this time we need to do everything we can to support his action.

TO SIGN A PETITION AND FIND OUT FURTHER ACTIONS IN SUPPORT:
Click on http://www.thankyoult.org

TELL CONGRESS TO CATCH UP WITH THE PEACE MAJORITY!

Over 60% of Americans believe the war in Iraq was not worth fighting. When will Congress catch up with the rest of the country? Write to your member of Congress and demand that they do all they can to end the war as soon as possible.
Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) has introduced a great bill which has bipartisan support. House Concurrent Resolution 348 demands that the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq, the United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil, and United States Armed Forces should be redeployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the completion of Iraq's constitution-making process or September 30, 2006, whichever occurs first.

Your Congressmen and women need to hear from you!
Join Peace Action in their campaign to support Rep. Thompson's initiative.
TO SIGN A LETTER TO CONGRESS click on
http://democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/Peaceact/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3950

Call on Congress to Authorize a Special Prosecutor to Investigate U.S. Torture

Join the Center for Constitutional Rights in their call for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to conduct a full, independent and public inquiry into the role of high-ranking U.S. officials in the abuse and torture of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo and elsewhere around the world.
With each week, more appalling government memos and documents come to light from a Freedom of Information Act request CCR filed with the American Civil Liberties Union, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense, and Veterans for Peace: the Bush Administration has systematically encouraged torture techniques prohibited under the Geneva Conventions and the Covenant against Torture.
Detainees who have been released from Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib describe a deliberate program of abuse. Others have been shipped off by our government to countries like Syria and Egypt to be interrogated under torture, a practice called “extraordinary rendition” chronicled in an early-February New Yorker article and a Bob Herbert's column in The Times.
The Bush Administration has brought us down to a moral level unimaginable since the end of World War II, despite the fact that experts in interrogation know that torture produces bad intelligence and false confessions only fans the flames of hatred the world over and puts our own troops in danger.
People like Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales must be held accountable for the dangerous policies they have put in place, but they will never investigate themselves.
Please tell Congress and the president this must end. Join CCR and other groups like Human Rights Watch to call for a Special Prosecutor today!
TO SIGN A LETTER TO CONGRESS click on
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=394

Volunteer or donate for the Walk for Peace and Healing

We need your help for the upcoming Walk for Peace and Healing event May 20 at Greenlake. Please go to the WalkforPeaceandHealing.com Web site to get a donation form and begin collecting donations, or sign up as a volunteer.

Walk for Peace and Healing site: http://www.walkforpeaceandhealing.com/

Volunteer: http://groups.snowcoalition.org/volunteer/volunteer.php

Help Publicize the Cynicism of Bush’s Tribute to Gandhi During his Upcoming Trip to India

Contact Your Local Press and Make them Aware of the Hypocrisy of Bush's Tribute to Gandhi During his Upcoming Trip to India, where he Intends to Discuss U.S. Nuclear Aid to India
Join Peace Action to denounce the plan for President George Bush to lay a memorial wreath in honor of Mohandas K. Gandhi when visiting India this week.
“Mahatma Gandhi was a man of non-violence and peace, and is a hero to people all over the world. As his war-strewn presidency shows, George Bush knows nothing about non-violence. Gandhi would in no way condone his actions. Bush should reconsider this cynical, disrespectful display of symbolism,” said Kevin Martin, Executive Director of Peace Action.
The plan for Bush to “honor” Gandhi is even more astonishing given one of the main purposes of Bush's trip -- to cement a deal for US nuclear aid to India, which would violate current US non-proliferation law and has drawn criticism from a host of peace, disarmament and non-proliferation groups. The deal will also be a tough sell to a skeptical Congress, which would need to amend US law to create a “loophole” to give nuclear technology to India because of its nuclear weapons arsenal.
“Does Bush think Gandhi would bless one of the main purposes of this trip - to promote nuclear aid to India?” asked Martin. “Gandhi abhorred nuclear weapons and would surely call for the US and India to pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons.”
Write to the Editors of local papers calling on them for critical coverage of this upcoming trip, or write a letter to the Editor.
Seattle Times: Phone: (206) 464-2132. To email a letter: E-mail: opinion@seattletimes.com. Fax:(206) 382-6760. Mailing Address: Editor, PO Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111
Seattle P.I.: Phone: (206)-448-8000. To email a letter to the Editor: editpage@seattlepi.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 1909, Seattle WA 98111-1909

Call for an investigation into NSA illegal surveillance.

Call on Congress to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate the Administration abuse of power in authorizing NSA spying on U.S. citizens.

Join the Center for Constitutional Rights in calling for the establishment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate NSA spying on U.S. citizens. President Bush has broken the law. In violation of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act, President Bush has authorized the illegal surveillance of Americans without a warrant. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has testified before Congress, but we need a special prosecutor to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its actions. The Bush White House has consistently worked to avoid judicial oversight and destroy the system of checks and balances upon which our country was founded. Alberto Gonzales should tell Congress all the facts regarding the Bush Administration's program of spying on Americans.

Join the Center to Constitutional Rights in demanding an investigation of the Attorney General's ethical lapses for his part in this and the many other instances where he advised the President to break the law regarding torture, detention and rendition. Hearings are not enough. Join CCR today in calling for the release of the justice department memos and the appointment of a special prosecutor.

To write to your representative and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for a special prosecutor and the release of all the Justice Department memos regarding spying on U.S. citizens, click here.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2428

Help Restrict Military Recruiters' Access to Student Information

Contact your State Representatives to Support Restrictions on Access to Student Personal Information for Military Recruiters
Two important bills before the State legislature are attempting to establish policies and procedures under which parents and guardians could prohibit the release of students’ directory information for the purpose of military recruitment.
The Senate bill, Regulating public school policies on access to students and student information is sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Pridemore, Brown, Fairley. It is scheduled for committee hearing on Februrary 2nd. The House bill, 2986 to Minimizing the release of information in student directories, is sponsored by Representatives Schual-Berke, Quall, Hunt, Lantz, Darneille, Kenney, Nixon, Hasegawa, Santos. It is scheduled for a public hearing in committee on January 30th, subject to change.

To read the digest of House Bill 2986, click here: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Pdf/Digests/House/2986.DIG.pdf

To read the digest of Senate Bill 6681 click here:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Pdf/Digests/Senate/6681.DIG.pdf

Contact your State Senator and Representative and urge them to support these important measure. To find contact information for your local representatives click on: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

Add Your Voice to Campaign of Women to Stop the War in Iraq

The Women's action coalition Code Pink is requesting support from women AND MEN for a letter calling for an end to the War in Iraq. The campaign is endorsed by such diverse women's voices as the comedian Margaret Cho, Canadian Member of Parliament, Libby Davies, actor Susan Sarandon authors Angela Davis, Maxine Hong Kingston, Naomi Klein, Alice Walker and Barbara Ehrenreich.
Code Pink, in sympathy with the women of Iraq and worldwide, have declared: “We've seen too many lives crippled forever by physical and mental wounds. We've watched in horror as our precious resources are poured into war while our families' basic needs of food, shelter, education and healthcare go unmet. We've had enough of living in constant fear of violence and seeing the growing cancer of hatred and intolerance seep into our homes and communities. This is not the world we want for ourselves or our children.”
To read more of the Code Pink resolutions against the War and SIGN on to their campaign click:
http://www.womensaynotowar.org/article.php?list=type&type=100

WRITE LETTER TO SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE WITHDRAWAL OF THE U.S. FROM IRAQ

An important and controversial issue is whether and how the United States should withdraw from Iraq. As of mid-December at least 73 cities in the
U.S. have approved a resolution requesting our troops be brought home.

Contact has been made with a City Council member, who advised that a groundswell of public comment should be generated for a compact resolution,
and that letters or emails should be sent to each Council member.

Accordingly, INOC requests each of you personally write as soon as possible, but by January 15, 2006, to each City Council member requesting
their support for the exit strategy, which is at the end of this INOC Report.

For more details, please see the INOC Web site at http://www.scn.org/ccpi/INOCexitStrategyForCityCouncil20Dec05.htm

Appeal to Release Christian Peacemaker Teams Members Abducted in Iraq

Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were abducted on November 26 in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.

C.P.T. first came to Iraq in October 2002 to oppose the US invasion, and it has remained in the country throughout the occupation in solidarity with the Iraqi people. The group has been invaluable in alerting the world to many of the horrors facing Iraqis detained in US-run prisons and detention centers. C.P.T. was among the first to document the torture occurring at the Abu Ghraib prison, long before the story broke in the mainstream press. Its members have spent countless hours interviewing Iraqis about abuse and torture suffered at the hands of US forces and have disseminated this information internationally.

Join Voices for Creative Non Violence in urging the release of these peacemakers.

To read more and SIGN a letter of appeal click on: http://vcnv.org/urgent-sign-the-petition-to-call-for-the-release-of-4-cpt-member

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Lake Forest Park for Peace, March 1 2003.
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