From Retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2014
Dear Activist,
The CIA’s officially sanctioned torture and – equally important – President Obama’s decision not to hold the torturers accountable, leave an incalculably large -- and, I fear, indelible -- stain on America's reputation. This has been particularly painful for me to watch in light of my three-decade service as an Army intelligence officer and then a CIA analyst.
One needs gutsy, imaginative companions in actions to raise consciousness, hold the torturers to account, and support whistleblowers -- especially in the desert called "mainstream media." That’s why I’m so grateful to have been working with CODEPINK over the last dozen years; it's also why I really hope you will support CODEPINK with a generous year-end donation.
Now that abhorrent “techniques” like waterboarding and “rectal rehydration” have been exposed in a redacted Senate Intelligence Committee report, will the top torture criminals and their obedient lackeys – from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney down to those CIA personnel and contractors “just following orders”– continue to escape accountability? That depends on us. And I have to tell you, it would be a far lonelier struggle without the leadership and solidarity of CODEPINK.
It’s our job to rise up against torture and other abuses – drone killings, for example. Stern enforcement of both U.S. and international law is the only deterrent against this kind of unconscionable abuse continuing to happen.
CODEPINK has been a key partner in this struggle.They have lobbied hard to close Guantanamo. They have raised money to save the home of CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou while he is in prison. They have pushed Senator Feinstein hard to release the Torture Study and urged Senator Mark Udall to introduce the entire report into the official records. They have protested against CIA Director John Brennan (even at his house!) and called for his firing.
We all need CODEPINK to be stronger than ever in 2015, so please make a generous donation. Together, we can do our job, as citizens, to hold the torturers accountable, close Guantanamo prison and support whistleblowers.
In Justice, then Peace,
Retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern
(Pictured: Ray at a CODEPINK protest)
PS: Check out CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin's latest article, 10 Progressive Victories in 2014!
