Tag Archives: guantanamo

News, The Daily Feed
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Day of Action Against Guantanamo This Wednesday

Photo courtesy of ElvertBarnes
Assemblance.WitnessAgainstTorture.GTMO.NW.WDC.7January2012
courtesy of ElvertBarnes

If you were surprised by all the underwear-clad Metro riders on Sunday, don’t be one of those people surprised by the orange and black human chain during lunch break on Wednesday.

On Jan. 11, activists from around the country will be locking arms from the White House to the Capitol to protest the 10th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay prison. Organizers need/expect at least 2,771 people to complete the chain, which equals the number of detainees still held at Guantanamo and Bagram.

The protest starts at 12pm with a rally at Lafayette Park and is sponsored by Amnesty International and a bunch of other organizations. To get involved, register with any of the sponsoring groups, wear black or orange on Wednesday, and keep up with the campaign via the hashtag #closegitmo.

Oh yeah and eat an early lunch. I doubt it’s polite to break the human chain for a Chop’t run.

All Politics is Local, Special Events, The Features
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Premiere: Inside Guantanamo

Photo courtesy of
‘Obama: Shut Down Guantanamo’
courtesy of ‘mike.benedetti’

Mentioning Guantanamo Bay incites different reactions in different people, but almost everyone has a passionate take on the issue. One of President Obama’s first actions when he took office was to sign a bill to close Guantanamo within a year, so this couldn’t have been a better time for National Geographic’s Explorer: Inside Guantanamo. I went to the world premiere screening of the film and panel discussion this past Tuesday, which was very exciting and informative– it’s events like this that make me glad to be in DC.

The event started with a huge reception with lots of food, drink, and mingling. According to one of the people I talked to, that kind of thing is very unusual for National Geographic’s screenings, but they must have pulled out all the stops for high-level guests from Congress, the administration, the military, and even Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace, who moderated the panel. Continue reading →