Agents Orange

Writing in Salon, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), observes that:

Today, America’s Guantánamo era enters its seventh shameful year. If we are ever to regain our standing as a nation committed to the rule of law and fundamental human rights, we must close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay now, reaffirm our commitment to international treaties and our own Constitution, and either release or prosecute fairly the men who have been held so long in a legal and moral black hole. ...

There is no reason why the prison at Guantánamo Bay should remain open even one day longer. The men who are held there should either be prosecuted in fair proceedings that accord with our own values and legal traditions, or sent to their home countries or countries that will accept them as refugees where they will be safe from torture and abuse. Although long overdue, the first step in restoring the rule of law is clear--close Guantánamo now.

In sympathy with the ACLU, Americans and others who oppose torture and believe that the United States should not be denying people--even those alleged by the Bush administration to be terrorists--the rights of due process and speedy trials are encouraged to wear something orange today. The same orange in which the silenced Guantánamo prisoners spend their days of exile. Go here to sign a petition declaring “that the unlawful and un-American prison at Guantánamo Bay must be closed.” And go here to send friends and family members an e-card, encouraging them to get involved in this protest.