Never Torture on Facebook

We just created to Facebook group to help spread the word about the Never Torture campaign.

You don't have to be religious to join us.

You don't have to be a blogger to join us.

You just need to have a desire to see the end of torture.

Please join the Facebook group and sign the petition.

And if you can please send a letter to the editor to your local newspaper. It's already written for you:

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my concern of the use of torture by the current administration and the acknowledgment that meetings took place in the White House as well as simulations of torture techniques to determine which ones would be used.

As a person of faith I am calling upon our elected leaders as well as our faith leaders on both side of the aisle to vehemently denounce torture as immoral and illegal. I believe human beings were created in the image of God and torture dehumanizes both the tortured and the torturer. It tarnishes our great country's moral standing around the world and hinders our ability to be a beacon of freedom, justice and democracy for others to strive towards.

Furthermore, torture places far too much power into the unchecked hands of a few. It is an abuse of power over the powerless that physically and psychologically harms another. It is vital for us: as citizens, voters and people of faith, to know where our leaders stand on the use of torture.

By Aaron Krager

Originally posted on Faithfully Liberal

Sign The Petition Against Torture

Sometimes, being a religious activist feels like this:

Still. Sign the petition. And then, e-mail it to your Jesus-stomper wearing hippie Christian friends. Everybody else, too.

Originally posted by Pastor Dan at Street Prophets

Ever Wonder Why Mike Huckabee Doesn't Give A Rat's Ass About Torture?

Sarah Posner has one possibility:

What's the glue that's holding the Pentecostal-Baptist political] alliance together? Why, it's Mike Huckabee and Kenneth Copeland, [ well-known buddies -- but don't worry, no pastor-parishioner relationship there! Their relationship was cemented when Copeland used a gathering of pastors to help the struggling campaign scare up some needed cash in January. "I've seen you sitting with presidents and talking with them, and I believe that right now, you and your relationship with Gov. Mike Huckabee, for example, you representing the Pentecostals and he representing the Southern Baptists, are kind of holding this thing together single-handedly," said Wead. (Apparently Huckabee has an issue with financial secrecy as well, as he settled yet another inquiry by an ethics panel in Arkansas over secrecy of donors to his official portrait.)

Mike Huckabee: not a candidate, just a pastor and defender of the conservative belief system who's so busy using his influence to grease his palms that he couldn't be bothered to stand up for the guys getting waterboarded.

Your Christian values at work.

Originally posted Pastor Dan at Street Prophets

Helen Thomas Deserves Flowers

I missed this somehow in the day-to-day grind, but apparently the grand dame of Washington journalists Helen Thomas did (again) what reporters are supposed to do: she asked White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino some very uncomfortable questions about recent revelations that Pres. Bush and his innermost circle of cronies had approved torture of terror suspects.

That's led to a movement to send Thomas flowers in gratitude for her good work. It appears to be too late to contribute directly:

But we can still get in on the fun, I think.

I want everybody to send off a letter to their local newspaper saying this was a wonderful gesture for a hardworking journalist. And oh, by the way, why didn't anybody else - including your paper's Washington correspondent - ask Perino the same question?

Originally posted by Pastor Dan at Street Prophets

Sample Letter To The Editor

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my concern of the use of torture by the current administration and the acknowledgment that meetings took place in the White House as well as simulations of torture techniques to determine which ones would be used.

As a person of faith I am calling upon our elected leaders as well as our faith leaders on both side of the aisle to vehemently denounce torture as immoral and illegal. I believe human beings were created in the image of God and torture dehumanizes both the tortured and the torturer. It tarnishes our great country's moral standing around the world and hinders our ability to be a beacon of freedom, justice and democracy for others to strive towards.

Furthermore, torture places far too much power into the unchecked hands of a few. It is an abuse of power over the powerless that physically and psychologically harms another. It is vital for us: as citizens, voters and people of faith, to know where our leaders stand on the use of torture.

Make Huckabee Hear Your Voice

We have been putting pressure on former Governor Huckabee for the last few weeks through our campaign, and as Pastor Dan noted its time to take it up a notch. This is especially true since we finally heard from Huck PAC's Executive Director Sarah Huckabee in regards to two simple questions:

1. Will you affirm the Christian faith and the American principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness by signing the Evangelical Declaration Against Torture?

2. Will you require the candidates supported by your PAC to take a stand against torture?

In my multiple efforts to get these easy questions answered by Huck PAC and Ms. Huckabee (the Governor's daughter for anyone keeping score) my final response from them was:

My dad does not fill like it is appropriate to sign a pledge since he is not a candidate but he is against torture. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

First, there are so many things to take issue with on this statement from the Executive Director. I will ignore the typo of fill, which should be feels, because I have my fair share of them as well.

Yes, Mr. Huckabee is not a candidate, as of now. But in a few short months he could very well be John McCain's running mate for the White House as he campaigns with McCain. We deserve to know more details and to have a pledge from a potential VP candidate when it comes to torture: a heinous act that has been used by the current administration.

Regardless of Mr. Huckabee's candidacy, his new political action committee places him within a distinct leadership position within his party, his followers as well as a new leader in the Christian Right. Mr. Huckabee's influence has far reaching potential to be a great leader on this moral issue, an issue that also addresses the sanctity of life that so many in the Christian right pride themselves on.

He is raising money and doing appearances for candidates that have supported the use of waterboarding as I have demonstrated before. Instead of taking the moral high ground and ask them to end their support of this practice in order to gain his backing he has opted to stay silent.

We are calling on him to publicly support the Evangelical Declaration Against Torture by signing onto the statement through a petition. His leadership would be instrumental in bringing about real change in a bipartisan manner. Because this should not be about which political party you belong to, it's a matter of standing up for what is right.

We ask that you join us by asking Mr. Huckabee to also sign on. You can do so by signing and submitting the petition. The more people that do it the more they will know how much we care he joins us. But Mr. Huckabee would not just be teaming up with: Leith Anderson, Rich Cizik, Joe Carson, Rev. Randall Balmer, Joel Hunter, Becky Garrison, Brian McLaren, David Neff, Chrstine Pohl, and hundreds of others.

I will leave Mr. Huckabee with the challenging words of David Gushee to take a stand:

I believe that no evangelical leader has moral credibility who does not oppose torture unequivocally. I invite Governor Huckabee to sign our "Evangelical Declaration Against Torture" and to help end evangelical ambivalence about this issue. Based on statements he has made on this issue, I am hopeful he will do so. That will be real moral leadership!

So sign onto the petition, make your voice heard, and press Mr. Huckabee to show some real moral leadership.

Originally posted on Faithfully Liberal and Street Prophets.
By Aaron Krager

David Gushee Challenges Huckabee

Last week I asked a few faith leaders their thoughts on former Governor Mike Huckabee's newfound leadership in the Christian right and how it correlates to torture. After hearing back from Faith in Public Life's executive director Rev. Jennifer Butler and UCC President Rev. John Thomas essentially saying that Huckabee can represent a bridge on this issue, we hear a little different from another leader.

Again the question:

As a faith leader yourself, and someone who has adamantly opposed torture, what do you believe former Governor Mike Huckabee's role in condoning or opposing torture is in regards to his newfound leadership in the religious right?

David Gushee, president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, addressed torture at the recent Compassion Forum to Senator Barack Obama. He has some strong words for the former governor.

I believe that no evangelical leader has moral credibility who does not oppose torture unequivocally. I invite Governor Huckabee to sign our "Evangelical Declaration Against Torture" and to help end evangelical ambivalence about this issue. Based on statements he has made on this issue, I am hopeful he will do so. That will be real moral leadership!

Mr. Gushee's remarks are in my opinion right on the mark. If Mr. Huckabee wishes to take on the role as the next leader of the Christian right with his newfound PAC, or as a few pundits have remarked – to be the vice presidential nominee, then he needs to show true moral leadership and take a stand against torture. He needs to join the thousands of people who are standing together to say that it is illegal and it is immoral.

That is what this campaign is all about – religious bloggers taking a stand and asking a leader to join us. We do not do this to score political points. We do this to say no more to a practice that threatens our nation's standing around world as a beacon of freedom and democracy. Simply torture is un-American.

Mr. Gushee has invited Mr. Huckabee to sign the Evangelical Declaration Against Torture just as we have. It truly would be a sign of real moral leadership.

Originally written for Faithfully Liberal and Street Prophets
By Aaron Krager