Dear Representative Conyers,
I am writing to sincerely ask that you renew your call for the establishment of an independent counsel to investigate the instances of detainee abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Over the weekend we learned that the Bush administration
blocked release of the newest photos revealing the grossly inhumane treatment of human beings
suspected of terrorist activity. Furthermore, we learned that Dick Cheney is spearheading the effort to
veto the upcoming 442 billion dollar defense spending bill if there is legislation calling for more humane treatment of detainees, or if there is legislation calling for a
commission to investigate the abuses in our detention facilities.
Representative, I read your
posting about what initiated your call for an independent counsel in May of this year, and your words are just as justified, if not more so, than ever. I acknowledge the monumental tasks you, in addition to other colleagues, have already initiated and accomplished, such as hearings on voting reform, media reform, the Downing Street Minutes, and now the Rove Scandal. You are indeed the busiest member of Congress; however, I plead that you take this issue up and demand hearings as well, for several reasons:
- Countless lives have been needlessly destroyed without regard as a direct consequence of the administration's deception witnessed by the Downing Street Minutes.
- The administration has relied upon unregulated private contractors to deliberately cause confusion to the military chain of command, facilitating massive theft of the Iraq reconstruction fund, in addition to their participation in the detainee abuse.
- These private contractors include South African Mercenaries as bodyguards, two of which were arrested for plotting the coup of Equitorial Guinea. How were they allowed to represent the United States, and to what extent were they ignored by the administration?
- You have given us a reason to believe that there is such a thing as a conscience left in our Congress. And the world keeps waiting to see it from us.
Representative Conyers, will you please call for a comprehensive set of independent, investigative hearings concerning the human rights abuses among those detained in our detention facilities? I sincerely thank you.
Contact Rep. Conyers
