TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE

Dear Friends:

President-elect Obama can halt U.S.-sponsored torture on his first day in office. Every hour that passes without his signing an executive order on torture is an hour that his Administration continues the torture policies of the Bush Administration.

January 11-20 - Ten Days of Prayer: Countdown to End Torture
We call upon faith communities across the country to join our "Countdown to End Torture" by including an interfaith prayer in a worship service during the ten-day period between January 11th (the anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo Bay) and January 20th (when President-elect Obama will take office and will have his first opportunity to end torture).


* Download a 2-sided bulletin insert in Word here and in PDF here . This insert includes the interfaith prayer and information about an executive order.
* Tell NRCAT how your congregation will participate by clicking here .
* Click here to access all the information about this initiative or click the "Countdown" red box in the lower left of the NRCAT homepage: www.tortureisamoralissue.org

Starting January 11th, the seventh anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo, our website will feature a "countdown clock." It will count down the hours until President Obama's first workday in office, when we hope and expect he will sign an executive order ending torture. If President Obama does not issue an executive order by 9:00 a.m. (EST) on January 21st, the clock will begin "counting up," marking the hours that have passed without an executive order ending torture.

While the clock is counting down, we call on faith communities to join in our multi-faith prayer to end U.S.-sponsored torture: include this brief prayer in a regularly scheduled worship service as part of a special service marking the January 11th anniversary, or on Martin Luther King Day as part of a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to justice and human rights.

Now is the time for our final push to secure an executive order. Please approach your pastor or congregational leader about joining our Countdown to End Torture initiative in January.

NRCAT will publicize this national call to prayer and the participation of local congregations all across the country. Please tell NRCAT how your congregation plans to participate by clicking here .

Thank you for your help. This is just the beginning of our work for 2009, but issuing an executive order ending the use of torture is the single most important act that our government can take at this time.

Sincerely,

Linda Gustitus, President
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director

P.S. List of Endorsers - Deadline January 12

We are still gathering endorsements - from both individuals and institutions - for the Declaration of Principles for an Executive Order Banning Torture . We hope to meet with key leaders of the incoming Administration prior to the Inauguration and want to deliver the full list of people who have endorsed the Declaration. All endorsements must be sent to our office by Monday, January 12 in order to be included in the January delivery.


* Click here to endorse right now.
* Click here to download a petition form to collect endorsements from people in your community.