When writing to House Representatives, ask to make sure they strip out in Conference to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill the following Senate Amendment:
(The House bill passed, and this amendment is not in it)
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 1977 to H.R. 2863 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 ) that is on page S10909.
Statement of Purpose: Relating to persons under the detention, custody, or control of the United States Government.
LINK:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00249
Full Text of the Amendment S. Amdt. 1077 to delete in Conference:
[Page: S10909]
"(a) In General.--No individual in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose any geographical limitation on the applicability of the prohibition against cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment under this section.
(c) Limitation on Supersedure.--The provisions of this section shall not be superseded, except by a provision of law enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act which specifically repeals, modifies, or supersedes the provisions of this section.
(d) Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Defined.--In this section, the term ``cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment'' means the cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, as defined in the United States Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment done at New York, December 10, 1984."
Thank You.
I hope everyone on this board does this. With a Senate like this we don't need .......
I just contacted my Representative. AND forwarded your suggested language to a number of friends who I am sure will do the same.
I hope everyone else here will do the same NOW. Our soldiers deserve so much better.