Amnesty: donations quintupled , memberships doubled, web site traffic up

[G_j]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/04/AR2005060401344_pf.html

washingtonpost.com

An Administration's Amnesty Amnesia

By Dana Milbank
Post
Sunday, June 5, 2005; A04

The folks at Amnesty International are practically begging for a one-way ticket to Gitmo. After the human rights group issued a report late last month calling the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, "the gulag of our times," top officials raced to condemn Amnesty.

President Bush: "It's absurd. It's an absurd allegation."

Vice President Cheney: "I don't take them seriously. . . . Frankly, I was offended by it."

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld: "Reprehensible . . . cannot be excused."

<snip>
"This administration eagerly cites Amnesty International research when we criticize Cuba and extensively quoted our criticism of the violations in Iraq under Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the war," protested William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

But Schulz isn't protesting too much. In the past week, traffic on Amnesty's Web site has gone up sixfold, donations have quintupled and new memberships have doubled.
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[DrDebug]

1. Very good. Amnesty is one of the greatest organisations

They seem to be one of the few extremely powerful organisation which is beyond corruption in any way or shape. They are the watchdog of the world and they make no exception for anybody.

It may be horrible that their report is denied and ridiculed, but if it leads to an even stronger and more powerful Amnesty International then it's a good thing.

[Englander]

2. A Guardian/Steve Bell cartoon on B*sh & Amnesty;

from last year;




http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1225814,00.html

[Nothing Without Hope]

7. Wow, that is one powerful cartoon of the blivet** and his poodle.

Thank you.
:thumbsup:

[efhmc]

14. Again I ask, what is a blivet*?

[arikara]

16. I'm waiting for the answer to that too...

its a new one to me.

[tblue37]

17. Here ya go--

"Blivet" is computer slang for an intractable problem or a crucial piece of hardware that can't be fixed.

[tblue37]

18. Repeating to make sure you know the definition is here for you.

"Blivet" is computer slang for an intractable problem or a crucial piece of hardware that can't be fixed.

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. A BLIVET is originally a military term for 10 pounds of manure in a

5 pound bag. It also has meanings associated with particularly annoying computer bugs and other related senses. I use it to describe George W. Bush with two asterisks for the two stolen elections. There is much, much more perfect nuance. Here is the thread where I proposed this application. It has the dictionary definition and if you go through it, you will find the TEN reasons why George W. Bush is so perfectly described as the blivet**. Maybe I should repost this thread. I really hate writing his real name, but it doesn't hurt when I write the blivet**. Here's the archived thread. There were some GREAT comments, so I recommend reading through the whole thing:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1518177
Thread title: "Let's rename the Shrub: announcing the BLIVET** CAMPAIGN!!"

As I said, I do recommend reading the whole thread. Good comments and eventually TEN excellent reasons why it fits so very well.

[democrank]

3. Bush and his gang of thugs

must think we`re stupid. Like black hoods simply appeared in Iraq and U.S. torture planes got dispatched without Bush knowing it. I hope Amnesty keeps the heat on. The Bush administration criminals belong behind bars.

[Ian David]

4. Great news! See related thread

Have you donated to Amnesty International since they became "ridiculous"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1826965

[G_j]

5. excellent

thanks for that!

[vademocrat]

6. I'm one of the new members

Thought it was an appropriate response to the administration's BS last week

[imax2268]

8. How funny it is..

that the * misadministration chose to use AI reports when they needed it...but then blast them when they tell the truth about *, his warmongers and the abuse they are trying to cover up...

[EFerrari]

9. This is wonderful news! Thanks for posting it. n/t

[salin]

10. Ah... the poetic justice

of the situation.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Join up! Write letters! A great organization.

My wife and I have been members for about 15 years. AI is truly a great organization.

[hiley]

12. Great News Thank You ! G_j

Amnesty International Video Outlines Human Rights Concerns in Iraq
A new video from Amnesty International, which includes footage from a recent mission, outlines the history of human rights abuse in Iraq and Amnesty International's ongoing concerns.
See the video (17 min.):
English Spanish French Arabic
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/iraq/index.do

Sign our Petition Letter and Pledge Your Commitment to Denounce Torture

As part of the Denounce Torture: Stop It Now! initiative, Amnesty International USA is hoping to have at least 250,000 people living in the United States sign a special statement against torture. Amnesty International USA will use this petition letter in our efforts to show the Bush Administration, Congress, and others that those living in the United States are strongly opposed to torture and ill-treatment in all circumstances.

snip---
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/petition/Index.asp?id=30

Denounce Torture


Remarks of Rep. John Conyers, Jr.

Yale University
April 8, 2005

Today our nation stands on the verge of a civil liberties calamity.

If you would have told me four years ago, that our nation was not only condoning, but actually engaging in torture and inhuman treatment, both abroad and at home, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you would have told me that our own Justice Department had developed the legal justification for these acts, I would have found you to be not credible. If you would have told me that we had deported a Canadian Citizen to Syria for ten months of torture and imprisonment, I would have said you must be thinking of a repressive dictatorship, such as Iran or Iraq, not the United States.

snip--
Entire speech by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. at this link :
http://www.amnestyusa.org/stoptorture/conyers.html
ACTIVIST TOOLKIT 2004-2006
http://www.amnestyusa.org/activist_toolkit/index.html
http://amnesty.org/

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The threat of a bad example -

Undermining international standards as "war on terror" detentions continue
A damaging unilateralism
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR511142003?open&of=ENG-USA

[G_j]

13. thanks~ n/t

[hiley]

15. Kick!

For Good News !

[mcscajun]

20. Thank you, George Bush!

For doing So Much to Promote the cause of Amnesty International, and for all the swell money. :)

You Gotta Love the Way his bozo acts boomerang on him. :bounce:

[mogster]

21. LOL! I withdrew my AI financial support some time ago

And started to support DU on a monthly basis instead :D

Couldn't afford both, but soon hopefully the finances will improve, and I can shovel some bobs in that direction again.
Amnesty is the best, and they have such good people onboard.

[NMMNG]

22. It's those darn bleeding heart liberals again

:crazy:


;)

[G_j]

23. "..people are being literally disappeared,"

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/060605Z.shtml

Rights Group Leader Says US Has Secret Jails
CNN

Monday 06 June 2005

Top GOP senator says Gitmo hearings might be appropriate.

<snip>
William Schulz, executive director of Amnesty's Washington-based branch, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," defended the human rights group's recent criticism of U.S. treatment of detainees at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"The U.S. is maintaining an archipelago of prisons around the world, many of them secret prisons, into which people are being literally disappeared, held in indefinite, incommunicado detention without access to lawyers or a judicial system or to their families," Schulz said.
<snip>

<snip>
Schulz also answered questions about previous remarks in which he labeled Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as "alleged high-level architects of torture."

"Any nation that is party to the Geneva Conventions ... is obligated under international law to investigate those who are alleged to be involved with the formulation of a policy of torture or with its carrying out," Schulz said.

He went on: "The United States should be the one that should investigate those who are alleged at least to be architects of torture, not just the foot solders who may have inflicted the torture directly, but those who authorized it or encouraged it or provided rationales for it." Senators weigh in

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