Day of Mourning -- Stop Torture Now!

I attended a funeral this morning. A couple hundred of us gathered in an appropriately dreary rain outside the White House. Clergy from many faiths gave eulogies over a coffin marked with the words, "Here lies the corpse of Habeas Corpus."

Inside the warm and dry White House, President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The bill not only denies detainees their basic right to challenge their imprisonment, but also allows people to be held without charge on hearsay evidence or confessions that have been beaten out of them. It gives the president enormous new power to define who is an enemy combatant and what constitutes torture.

After the funeral, a Citizens' Signing Ceremony rejecting the Military Commissions Act was held at the gates of the White House. I signed my name, "Shelley Moskowitz and everyone at UUSC" I know I am not alone in my anger and my sadness. If you feel the same way, please send a powerful message to President Bush by adding your name to the Citizens' Signing Statement online. It's time to stop mourning and organize!