Mr. President, Excusing torture is a deal breaker...

Dear Mr. President,

I am an ordinary American, facing the same set of difficulties a lot of other Americans face today.

The cost of my family's health insurance has more than doubled in the last five years, as well as out of pocket costs. With multiple pre-existing conditions in our home, (testicular cancer, rheumatoid arthritis & respiratory illness) we have amassed considerable debt and remain fearful of losing our insurance altogether.

We see our family, friends and neighbors struggling to make ends meet, some without access to health-care at all. We worry about job-security and are saddened by the inability of our elected representatives to accomplish meaningful reform in a timely, cooperative manner.

These are desperate times, Mr. President...but the struggling economy, sky-rocketing health care costs, and lack of civility in Washington are not what keep me awake at night.

What worries me most, sir, is that America is continuing the practice of indefinate-detention, maintaining black-sites and now openly excusing the practice of torture. And though I am willing to accept a lot of other short-comings where our nation is concerned, this is a deal-breaker for me Mr. President.

It's a deal-breaker because we can talk all we want about the principles and ideals of our country sir, but if we refuse to address our use of torture and indefinate-detention - these are only words and they are MEANINGLESS.

The world is watching us closely now, to see if we have indeed changed our course. The world is waiting to see if we will restore those principles and seek justice for those who have been treated wrongly.

The corrupt endeavors of the previous administration are well documented. Individuals within the Bush White House have stated publically that "threat-levels" were manipulated to exploit the fears of the American people. Others have admitted that Iraq was invaded on false pretenses.

We also know that individuals who once claimed torture was necessary, limited and successful, now admit they were lying. Many of the detainees who were tortured turned out to be completely innocent of any wrong-doing, and have since been released. Others are still waiting for a chance to prove their innocence. How long must THEY wait, Mr. President?

What else is there to do now, sir, but address the illegality and immorality of these practices? If we are to continue declaring ourselves a free nation, a just nation, we must give remaining detainees the same due process we would ANY other prisoner. Our judicial system should be up to this critical task. If it is not, then we can no longer declare ourselves a just nation. And certainly no one is free.

Please, Mr. President, I urge you to call for a Truth Commission to publically address the criminality of torture, and to require individuals of the Bush Administration to answer for their part in these practices.

I realize many of your opponents will claim that such an inquiry is politically motivated. But these same individuals are also the ones who regularly and openly support the practice of torture. This is precisely why we must face them down and require them to publically answer for their part in these crimes.

We can lay no claim to freedom or justice until we see this through. And I do not want to call myself an American anymore if we are unwilling to protect and defend such a fundamental principle of our democracy. It is time to put ALL politics aside, and do what is right.

Sincerely,

Amanda Goode