Obama's Grade at 100? What About Our Grade?

This was sent from the ACLU director by email yesterday (Tuesday) - to make it more current (Tonite, Wed, EST) I've put the present tense into parenthesis...

You and I can’t let the issue of torture and accountability fade from view.

...President Obama (held) a news conference on the 100th day of his presidency. He (was) asked roughly 25 questions. We (made sure more than) one of them (was) about torture.

Here’s how (we helped and we can keep helping): (We) urge(d) White House correspondents for the major TV networks (and now let's urge the stations directors) to (keep) ask(ing) the president (and the nation these questions and related):

The so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” exposed in the torture memos include keeping detainees awake for up to 11 straight days, dousing them with cold water and placing them naked in a cell kept near 50 degrees. One prisoner -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- was waterboarded 183 times in a month.

Do you believe that a country - or a president - can afford to look at shocking evidence of illegal torture and simply look away?

(and others)

Act now...

As you know, the ACLU forced the release of the Bush torture memos and sparked a nationwide debate about torture and accountability. And we’re keeping the pressure on:

* (Tuesday), a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the ACLU in an important case against Jeppesen Data Plan -- a subsidiary of Boeing. Jeppesen was responsible for organizing extraordinary rendition flights used repeatedly by the CIA to move detainees to countries where they could be tortured.
* In response to a long-standing ACLU Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Department of Defense has agreed to release a substantial number of photos depicting the abuse of prisoners by U.S. personnel by May 28.
* In another crucial ACLU case, a federal judge has rejected the CIA’s attempt to withhold records related to the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes that depicted the harsh interrogation of CIA prisoners.

These events are critical to helping the public understand the scope and scale of prisoner abuse. They are also crucial to holding senior officials accountable for authorizing or permitting such abuse.

Thanks for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
ACLU
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ALSO:

oneheartforpeace blogger's qualifier...for the Title article just below this one...

Since my focus is often on human rights - and particularly more & more concerned these days with the possibility of restoring our US Rule of Law - not just in plans, sentiments but in CITIZEN outcry along with that of many rights lawyers, activists, constituency plus legislators work, etc., I miss plenty. What with the push for the Special Prosecutor, there feels like no time at all to waste. Also, I am horrified, to be honest, at the continual call toward more war as indicated by the $ Congress has agreed to put into the same, etc., etc. - regardless of how much has already happened under that last administration.

I see as absolutely KEY to survival and to restoring our US morality - let alone leaving any kind of a decent legacy for our children: the strong WORLDWIDE/ movement toward nonviolence and alternatives to warfare.

So, I must admit I post mostly items that have that same flavor if not thrust.

However, there is a lot I miss in that "hunt"...so here's one which is a balance in this regard...Let the readers of this blog know how you respond or might add to this one, please by placing your COMMENTS below this post.

here

Obama's Grade at 100? What About Our Grade?
By Robert Borosage published April 29th, 2009

Grading a president after 100 days always strikes me as presumptuous. The only real grade is an incomplete. And as good teachers will tell you, letter grades—as opposed to written evaluations—are inherently arbitrary and misleading.One thing is clear. If we're grading on a curve, Barack Obama ranks near the top, just below FDR. In changing course, getting bold things done, setting a tone, lifting our spirits and confidence, we haven't seen anything like this since Roosevelt. Even Reagan, the great communicator, had a much harder time in his early days, starting with the limousine gridlock of his inaugural. He had to get shot to move his agenda.Rather than just grading the president, I suggest we might profitably assess our own 100 days. Obama has stormed the national and world stages in his first weeks. But how have we done—particularly the progressives who have such a large stake in the success of this president—in relation to Obama? He has demonstrated remarkable mastery of the powers of the presidency to lead the country. Have we mastered the power of the citizenry to empower the president?

Please read the rest of this article and Comment below... CLICK HERE