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1. 

   President Obama has signed an executive order to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba within a year. This is a wonderful symbol of change! But the executive order is only the first step: the camp is still there; the prisoners are still there, and there are other places where prisoners are being held indefinitely, such as Bagram.
   What can you do? First, find out more by visiting the ACLU's website http://www.closegitmo.com/
   
   The following can be attributed to Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU:
   
   “These executive orders represent a giant step forward. Putting an end to Guantanamo, torture and secret prisons is a civil liberties trifecta, and President Obama should be highly commended for this bold and decisive action so early in his administration on an issue so critical to restoring an America we can be proud of again.
   
   “There are, however, ambiguities in the orders regarding treatment of certain detainees that could either be the result of the swiftness with which these orders were issued or ambivalence within the Obama administration. We are hopeful that as the process unfolds and gets clarified, there will be no doubt that detainees must either be charged, prosecuted and convicted or they need to be released. That’s the American way; our legal system, while not always perfect, is the best in the world. Adherence to American legal principles requires unconditional action; there is no room for a middle-ground. It would be an enormous mistake for the Obama administration to allow for indefinite detention in any case, or to endeavor to create any system other than our centuries-old justice system for prosecuting detainees. If President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates hold on to any part of the Bush administration’s legal farce, they will soon end up in the very same legal morass that the prior president found himself in over the last eight years.”
   
   Don't let up the pressure!
   
   

   Suggested by Jo OConnell on 02/26/2009 @ 07:43PM PT

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