Email 11/17/09 from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Dear Friends,

It is important that the United States close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay because it is a powerful symbol of our country's use of torture. Closing Guantanamo is one of the steps needed to end U.S.-sponsored torture forever.

Sometime during the next day or two, the Senate is likely to vote on two amendments (SA 2774 by Senator Inhofe and SA 2779 by Senator DeMint) to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. Both of these amendments would make it much harder to close the detention center at Guantanamo.

SA 2774 would prohibit the use of funds to modify prisons in the United States to hold Guantanamo detainees (even if the purpose of the modifications is to make the prison more secure), and SA 2779 would inappropriately tie Guantanamo to veterans by requiring the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to certify that several veterans programs are fully funded before the Administration could use funds to transfer detainees to the United States for trial or for other reasons.

Please call your Senators by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121 and asking to speak with their offices. Tell them that you support closing the prison at Guantanamo and that you would like them to oppose any efforts to place restrictions on using funds to close that prison. Here is a sample script you could use:

"I would like to see the prison at Guantanamo closed. Please vote against any restrictions on using funds in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill to close Guantanamo. Specifically, please vote against amendment 2774 by Senator Inhofe and amendment 2779 by Senator DeMint."

Please call as soon as possible. We expect these votes to take place this week - perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

Thank you,

Linda Gustitus, President
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director

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