Don't Bomb Iran
From the TrueMajority.org website: "The drumbeat to war with Iran is getting louder. With only a few months left in the Bush Presidency, it's tempting to sit back and wait until November. But belligerent rhetoric and fear mongering about Iran is on the rise. In the latest example, George Bush's mouthpiece, General Petreaus, claimed that Iran's involvement is ‘the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq.'" You can sign their online petition in support of S. Res. 356, which would require that any military action against Iran be explicitly approved by Congress, HERE.
June is Torture Awareness Month
Come and show support for survivors of torture, and speak out against the unspeakable. Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) is holding its 11th annual 24-hour vigil from Saturday, June 28 (7:00 AM) to Sunday, June 29 (7:00 AM) at Lafayette Park in front of the White House.
Jill Flores, co-chair of PsySR’s End Torture Action Committee, will speak at 1:15 AM Sunday morning, essentially delivering a “wake up” call to the White House. The message is simple: she’ll insist that the administration respect international law and treaties, repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and stop the practice of kidnapping, secret detention, torture, and related abuses. Dr. Flores will also spread good news about the efforts ethical psychologists have made to eliminate psychologists’ complicity in Bush regime abuses and to defend the role of psychologists as professional healers--and not as tormentors of the mind. You too can lend your support to TASSC by signing their petition HERE.
Appeal for International Support: Condemn Psychologist Participation in Detainee Abuse
U.S. abuse of detainees is of concern for citizens around the world as U.S. tolerance for detainee torture and abuse is taken as a signal by other countries that it is acceptable to weaken their human rights protections. Dictators and oppressive regimes around the world point to Guantanamo and CIA abuses as an excuse for their own governments' abusive actions. Mental health colleagues in other countries have also expressed concern about the actions of the American Psychological Association (APA) which, while condemning torture in the abstract, have in practice provided cover for psychologists to participate in U.S. abuse at Guantanamo and elsewhere. In June 2008, PsySR's End Torture Action Committee issued a call for international colleagues to protest the APA's position on psychologists participating in U.S. interrogations of so-called "enemy combatants." The committee's full statement and more information is available HERE.
Petition the American Psychological Association TODAY
“Be it resolved that psychologists may not work in settings where persons are held outside of, or in violation of, either International Law (e.g., the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions) or the US Constitution (where appropriate), unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights.” Read the full petition of Psychologists for an Ethical APA and sign online HERE.
Support Displaced Iraqis
The Collateral Repair Project is a grassroots movement, created to address the catastrophic displacement of over four million Iraqis forced to leave their homes and communities because of the violence and instability resulting from the invasion and occupation of their country. CRP facilitates mutually respectful relationships between Iraqis and citizens of Coalition countries by offering opportunities for dialogue and for working together to create and implement solutions to repair the devastation.
Help Scholars at Risk
Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas and their place in society. Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom and repressing research, publication, teaching and learning. The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks. SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.