My Mother Would Spank Her
By Rev. Michael Piazza

What kind of people are we becoming when the Secretary of State has the temerity to defend our torturing prisoners by saying that the information gained has made us safer? I can’t even remember how young I was when my mother taught me that "the ends don’t justify the means."

Again and again, Condoleeza Rice, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld play fast and loose with the truth. "We don’t torture prisoners." They have all said it. What they have not said is that they DO ship prisoners who have not been charged with any crime to undisclosed foreign locations where agents of our allies DO torture them on our behalf while we look on and guide them. My mother would call them all liars of the worst sort. Hiding lies behind a technically true statement is manipulative, deceptive and despicable.

Granted, most of the people being tortured are very bad people, but, as Republican Senator John McCain keeps insisting, "This isn’t about who they are, but about who WE are." What kind of people are we becoming? How on earth can we confront the Chinese about their human rights abuses when we are co-conspirators in torture? How can we confront the Russians about the need for a free press when we are paying to have Iraqi newspapers publish propaganda written by the Pentagon? For that matter, the Bush Administration has repeatedly paid commentators in this country to support their policies, and Fox News is little more than a Bush propaganda machine. What kind of people are we becoming?

Today, the House and Senate are working on how to permanently cut taxes for the top one percent of Americans, while making the absolute poorest pay for it through cuts in Medicare, Food Stamps and child support. What kind of people are we becoming?

Tragically, the Administration may be correct in believing that most Americans just don’t care. I mean, have you emailed, written or called to demand change? If everyone receiving this eNews would send an email to Congress and media outlets, they would believe that there is a groundswell of opposition to these "values."

If we wait another three years to take back our country it may be too late. We may not recognize what kind of people we have become. Speak out today about OUR values!

• We are not people who lie.
• We are not people who torture - period.
• We are not people who care for the rich on the backs of the poor.

You believe these things, but who will know? Let us not become co-conspirators by our silent assent. Speak now. Speak loud ... then repeat.

Click here to tell Congress to Investigate Torture

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