Charles Skelton: “Dear Representative: We are writing to strongly encourage you to reject the ``compromise'' Military Commissions Act of…”

“Dear Representative: We are writing to strongly encourage you to reject the ``compromise'' Military Commissions Act of 2006 and to vote no on final passage of the bill. More than anything else, the bill compromises America's commitment to fairness and the rule of law. For the last five years the United States has repeatedly operated in a manner that betrays our nation's commitment to law. The U.S. has held prisoners in secret prisons without any due process or even access to the Red Cross and has placed other prisoners in Guantanamo Bay in a transparent effort to avoid judicial oversight and the application of U.S. treaty obligations. The federal government has operated under legal theories which dozens of former senior officers have warned endanger U.S. personnel in the field and has produced legal interpretations of the meaning of ``torture'' and ``cruel, inhuman and degrading'' treatment which had to be abandoned when revealed to the public.”