Amnesty International stood up to Sensenbrenner this past Friday:

[chomskysright]

I am not a member of Amnesty International but they caught my attention with this re: this past Friday's shut-down of democracy before the House Intelligence Committee:

full story:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/061205X.shtml

Democracy in Action?
By Chip Pitts
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Sunday 12 June 2005

I made a small contribution : https://secure3.ctsg.com/amnestyusa/donation/index.asp?item=1&ms=47

"Several Congressman at the hearing strongly criticized Amnesty International, mischaracterizing our positions and even stating that we were actually endangering American lives by documenting the administration's tragic and counterproductive torture policy. I was prevented from responding, until the barrage became so great that Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D- N.Y.) insisted, as a "point of decency," that I be allowed to do so.

My response emphasized that it was not Amnesty International that created the firestorm of outrage over the abuses at Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, and elsewhere - but the administration officials themselves. They were the ones who constructed Guantánamo and other secret detention centers around the world as legal "black holes," denied access to Amnesty and the Red Cross and others, and created both the rationale and the environments conducive to torture, ill-treatment, "disappearances," arbitrary detention, military trials, and extra-judicial executions...."

[Malva Zebrina]

1. all of them were smart

The women need to cultivate a deeper resonance to their voice and not talk so fast, but they were all smart, resolute, informed, not hesitant, and fully informed of the facts. Pitts was especially effective.