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Friends and fellow-activists,<br><br>
Please join Act Against Torture in demanding that psychologists refuse
to<br>
participate in torture sponsored and performed by the U.S.
government.<br><br>
The American Psychological Association (APA) is holding its annual<br>
convention in San Francisco this month, at Moscone Center. Act
Against<br>
Torture will be there to register our outrage and opposition that
this<br>
professional organization sanctions its members' design of and<br>
participation in torture programs executed by the U.S.
government.<br><br>
Background: Two U.S. psychologists developed interrogation
techniques<br>
used by the C.I.A. at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and "black site"
prisons<br>
around the world. In July 2005, an A.P.A. task force "ruled
that<br>
psychologists could assist in military interrogations, despite angry<br>
objections from many in the profession. The task force also
determined<br>
that, in cases where international human-rights law conflicts with
U.S.<br>
law, psychologists could defer to the much looser U.S. standards -
what<br>
[psychologist Jean Maria] Arrigo called the "Rumsfeld
definition" of<br>
humane treatment." [from "Rorschach and Awe," Katherine
Eban, _Vanity<br>
Fair_, 07/17/07]. (Links to this and other articles that describe
the<br>
connection between the APA and torture are included below.)<br><br>
Join us for our main event:<br><br>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br>
Guerilla Theatre and Leafletting of APA Conference
Attendees<br><br>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Saturday 18 Aug, 11:30 am at Moscone Center, San Francisco<br>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
* Assemble at at the corner of Howard and 4th St. at 11:30 am<br>
* At noon, we'll move to the action location, to be determined
that<br>
morning; please<br>
be sure to get there before noon so you can find us!<br>
* In addition to wearing our usual jump suits and bringing
out<br>
the Guantanamo cage, we'll portray
"psychologists"<br>
in white coats assisting U.S. military personnel in
conducting torture<br>
interrogations.<br>
* The action is expected to last until about 1pm. Other
groups may be<br>
conducting parallel<br>
actions simultaneously on the Moscone Center
site.<br>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br><br>
Act Against Torture will also attend a rally called by "Ethical
APA" on<br>
Friday 17 Aug, 4pm to 5:30 pm, at the "Stone Stage" in the
Yerba Buena<br>
Gardens (access from 3rd Street between Mission and Howard). We'll
be<br>
wearing our orange AAT t-shirts, but will respect the organizers'
request<br>
that we NOT wear jumpsuits, bring our cage, etc. at that event.
See<br>
<a href="http://www.ethicalapa.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ethicalapa.com</a> for more information about the Ethical
APA<br>
organization and the planned rally.<br><br>
See you there...<br><br>
- Act Against Torture<br>
<a href="http://www.actagainsttorture.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ActAgainstTorture.org<br><br>
<br>
</a>P.S. Here are links to some articles that describe the link
between the<br>
APA and torture:<br><br>
* "The Black Sites: A rare look inside the C.I.A.’s secret
interrogation<br>
program," Jane Mayer, _The New Yorker_, 08/13/07.<br>
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mayer" eudora="autourl">
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mayer<br><br>
</a>* "Rorschach and Awe," Katherine Eban, _Vanity Fair_,
07/17/07.<br>
<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/07/torture200707" eudora="autourl">
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/07/torture200707<br><br>
</a>* "The CIA's Torture Teachers: Psychologists helped the CIA
exploit a<br>
secret military program to develop brutal interrogation tactics --
likely<br>
with the approval of the Bush White House," Mark Benjamin,
_Salon_,<br>
06/21/07.
<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/06/21/cia_sere/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/06/21/cia_sere/<br><br>
</a>* "Shrinks and the SERE Techniques at Guantanamo," Stephen
Soldz, _Salon_,<br>
05/29/07.
<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/soldz05292007.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.counterpunch.org/soldz05292007.html<br><br>
<br>
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