An Epic Challenge

Posted on May 25, 2004 in Appeals and Goodwill Human Rights Mailbox Occupation of Iraq

It’s politics Tuesday!

I received a notice from Oxfam about a petition campaign calling upon the president to repudiate our straying from the path of respect for human dignity:

This Sunday, May 29th, nearly a million World War II veterans
and their families will join President Bush for the dedication
of the new World War II memorial in Washington, DC.

As part of a coalition of veterans groups and human rights
organizations, Oxfam America is respectfully calling on
President Bush to take this opportunity to rededicate our nation
to international humanitarian and human rights law — the humane
rules of war that arose from the ashes of World War II and
became a part of American culture.

The rights outlined by the Geneva Conventions are universal.
Upholding these rights protects and supports Americans serving
our country in Iraq and around the world. These soldiers are our
children, our spouses, our friends, our countrymen.

Sadly, the documented prison abuse in Abu Ghraib underscores the
need for President Bush to rededicate our nation to the Geneva
Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We
must protect the lives and dignity of all civilians, prisoners
of war, and wounded combatants around the world — including the
Iraqi people and US men and women serving today in Iraq.

Oxfam merits the same approval from this household as Amnesty International and Physicians for Social Responsibility, which are also sponsors of this action organized by Education for Peace in Iraq. My name is on this list and I hope that you will add yours.