by David Swanson UFPJ Acountability and Prosecution Working Group Convener, AfterDowningStreet

To UFPJ Member Groups (and others)

There is a danger that George W. Bush will do something no previous president has done and pardon crimes that he himself authorized. There is an even greater danger that the other branches of our government and our society as a whole will accept such pardons as legitimate. Here are five things you can do:

1. Rep. Jerrold Nadler has introduced a resolution opposing Bush’s possible pardons and calling on the Justice Department to create a special prosecutor. Please phone your Congress member’s district office or their DC office at 202-224-3121 and ask them to cosponsor H. Res. 1531; and please sign this petition, which will send an Email to your representative and your two senators: http://democrats.com/nadler-pardons

2. Plan local actions. We want the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan ended, Guantanamo closed, illegal detentions and torture ceased, and those responsible for these crimes prosecuted, not pardoned. Please plan a rally, vigil, or forum locally to advance this agenda. Please hold your event between January 11th and 20th — ideally, on the 15th. Be sure to add any events you plan to the UFPJ calendar.

3. Plan now to join us in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, January 6th, to be part of a March of the Dead that will greet the 111th Congress on its first day, demanding an end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan (contact: arrestbush@gmail.com). From January 11th to 20th, join us at the White House to oppose torture and promote prosecution. And on January 15th, join us on Capitol Hill where the Senate will consider the nomination of the next Attorney General.

4. While the U.S. media debates whether the water torture is really torture, one of the most common torture techniques during the Bush-Cheney years has been applied to a journalist who threw his shoes at Bush: they’ve beaten him and broken his bones. Please contact the media with letters to the editor and phone calls urging the release of Muntadar al-Zaidi, and please contact the Iraqi embassy with the same request at 202-742-1600, extension 136.

Finally, UFPJ has formed a working group on accountability and prosecution.  To inquire about joining it, please write to david@davidswanson.org