The National Religious Campaign to End Torture (an inter-faith movement) is asking for prayers from now until the day after the inauguration for the U.S. to end torture. They have lots of materials to download and distribute, as well as a petition to sign, and a proposed Executive Order which would outline the new U.S. position on torture which they are asking Obama to implement.

http://www.nrcat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=250&Itemid=185

It also includes a countdown clock:

President Obama can halt U.S.-sponsored torture on his first day in office by issuing an executive order based on the Declaration of Principles. Every hour that passes without President Obama issuing the Executive Order is another hour the world will have to wait to confirm this Administration's rejection of the torture policies of the past.

The countdown clock above was started on the morning of January 11th, the seventh anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo. It is counting down the hours until President Obama's first workday in office, when we hope and expect he will sign an executive order ending torture. If President Obama does not issue an executive order by 9:00 am (EST) on January 21st, the clock will begin "counting up," marking the hours that have passed without an executive order ending torture...

If Glenn doesn't mind, here's a link to the Countdown to End Torture clock, with a petition to Obama at the bottom of the page. You can see the organization's suggested Executive Order to End Torture at link on the left on the page:

http://www.nrcat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=250&Itemid=185

Pressure doesn't always work. But no pressure never works.

I, too, miss him, but it's Glenn's blog. Pedinska, please pass on my salutations and best wishes to Senor James for me.

Perhaps the Palestinians of Gaza should give some thought to choosing leaders who do not desire the devastation of Palestinian civilians. Otherwise, one can only conclude that things are going according to plan for both sides.

-- Gator90

Gator, what is your expertise in this area? Have you spent time in Gaza? Are you Palestinian? A member of Fatah or Hamas? Speak Arabic? Read Arab/Palestinian papers frequently? How do you have these insights into what people on the other side of the globe want, or on what they base their actions?

Here's an article by Ran HaCohen about non-violent efforts by Palestinians and the reaction to those efforts by the IDF:

http://www.antiwar.com/hacohen/?articleid=5796

Here's a little paragraph for ya, Shooter. You might want to ponder it awhile, then rethink your ideas of what other people "deserve":

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment that you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

...from the Gospel of Matthew, Chp 7, Verses 1-5

Well, Bill Moyers is being touted here as an impartial, knowledgeable observer, and he stated directly that Hamas wanted Palestinian civilians to be devastated.

When Hamas was firing rockets at Israeli civilians, it knew full well that its intentional actions would provoke devastating retaliation. If Hamas does not affirmatively desire Palestinian civilian deaths, it sure as hell doesn't mind them.

-- Gator9

I think Moyers is being brave airing that program, and I think he is trying to be fair. But I don't believe he is an expert on Hamas either. The article upthread quoting Norman Finkelstein (who some may consider a "traitor" but I personally consider to be a humanitarian hero) saying that Hamas was ready to make long-term peace and that is the real reason Israel attacked Gaza, seems more believable to me, simply because I think Finkelstein knows more about the conflict than Moyers does.

You do know that Hamas was observing the cease fire, don't you, and that Israel was the party to break the cease fire?

I'm not trying to be mean or to single you out, but I think a lot of the problems Americans are in are due to "experts" who have never been to an area, don't speak the language, and haven't studied the history of the conflict, making sweeping pronouncements about one side or another. It gets especially bad when money and munitions follow those pronouncements. This is why I value Washington's admonition for the U.S. not to take sides on international issues so much -- we don't know what we're doing. Sometimes our intentions are good, sometimes not so good, but the consequences of sticking our noses into other people's business have not been good.

I'm a Christian and I like the Christian Bible. I believe Shooter self-identifies as a Christian, as well, which is why I quoted the Christian Bible at him. Your opinion on various historical aspects of Christianity may or may not be academically interesting. But where the heck do you get off telling me which versions of the Bible I'm allowed to read and enjoy?

The Bible is written in Hebrew. If you're serious about it, learn Hebrew.

Are you that much of a chauvinist? Really does explain some of your attitudes, doesn't it?

Netanyahu's was the only one I was absolutely sure of. It was all lies, but at least it contained compound clauses and words of more than one syllable -- that immediately meant it couldn't be a U.S. congressperson.