Flag day flew away

One thought, flag day and all it does represent, our freedom. Freedom to speak without penalty, freedom to believe what you believe, freedom to be prosperous in happiness whatever you wish to believe and speak even of what happiness is to you, an individual, a singular. Not at all any lesser a moral, a right in a human state of being in freedom is being free, physically free. Without due process, all laws this flag is weaved with tatters and frays, this day is null, for even just one. Many individuals are treated not as humans, outside of our laws stands lawbreakers we allow to make laws that dishonor every soul we bleed for this flag, our freedom each and every one.
Take the camera's, the reporters run them away our sight is gone, but our memory lives on. Flags a tattered mess, dishonor this flag the only way is to dishonor these laws, human rights to freedom. Your rights to freedom leaves this flag like the kind breeze that is gone, drooping hanging like unjust death the flag has been lynched. Tramped and scorned by the church choir voices repeated, dubbed and forged.

Respect the flag obey our laws and close Guantanamo down, give them rights to due process give them human rights.

June 14, 2006

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

United States Department of Defense

1000 Defense, Pentagon Washington, DC 20301

RE: Calling for closure of Guantanamo

Dear U.S. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld

I am both shocked and saddened by the apparent suicide of three detainees at the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Amnesty International, along with the UN, the EU and several US allies have called for the closure of the facilities, and it is time for the US government to respond. Although you have recently made comments that you would like to see the facility closed, it is time to make it happen. Since the detention facilities and the policies that direct it were designed by you and your administration, you have the power to withdraw the Presidential Military Order of November 2001 that created the military commission proceedings and close the facilities for good. I am alarmed by the statements that your administration has made in regards to these deaths. Rear Admiral Harris stated that these were not acts of desperation but rather an act of asymmetric warfare, and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Colleen Graffy dismissed the deaths as a good PR move to draw attention. Comments such as these show a chilling disregard for life and call into question the United States ability to conduct an impartial investigation into the deaths. It is of utmost importance that the US allow an independent investigation of the deaths lead by civilians and also allow the group of five UN experts immediate and unrestricted access to the Guantanamo detention center, with the ability to talk privately with detainees. If these deaths are indeed suicides, they can not be divorced from the policies and practices that the US has imposed on those imprisoned at Guantanamo. Almost two years ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed its concerns about the effect of indefinite detention and the prolonged use of solitary confinement on the mental state of the detainees. In addition, many of the detainees attorneys have expressed concern about the deteriorating mental state of their clients. I urge you to close the facilities at Guantanamo and either charge detainees and give them a fair trial or release them unconditionally, without returning them to a country where they face further human rights abuses. In addition, you should disclose the existence of any secret detention facilities and ensure that all detainees in US custody or effective control are registered with the ICRC and have access to attorneys, families and independent judicial review of their detention. Mr. President, the US is at a crossroads. I implore you to take this opportunity to reverse course and end the policy of detention without trial or charge for detainees held in the name of the war on terror, thereby taking an important step to re-establishing the US human rights record.

Plea being delivered by Amnesty International