Common Cause Action Alert: Fair Elections Act:
Please contact your Representative today and urge him or her to become a cosponsor of this important bill!
Common Cause's own vice president for programs, Arn Pearson, testified at the House Administration Hearing last week.  Here's a bit of what he's telling Congress:
"Americans are hungry for change. Many members of Congress are hungry for change. The system you inherited does not serve you well, nor does it serve the public well. People want representation that they can trust, and the power to give it to them lies within your grasp. … The Fair Elections Now Act offers a highly promising, effective and voluntary alternative to the current mess."
Will you join Arn in sending a strong message to Capitol Hill today in support of Fair Elections? This is the moment: with the hearing taking place, today is the day that members of Congress are talking about reform.
Please ask your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor of the Fair Elections Now Act.
 

Amnesty International Action Alert:  Investigate and Prosecute Torturers and close Guantanamo.

Serious reports are beginning to surface that White House Counsel Greg Craig, the main force behind releasing the torture memos and signing the executive orders to close Guantanamo, is under pressure to resign.  His resignation would signal just how fragile support is at the White House for holding those responsible for torture accountable for their crimes. If Washington doesn't want to hear from its own key officials on why torturers need to be brought to justice, then we'll just have to speak even louder: Investigate and prosecute torturers now, so such acts are never committed by our government again.
This news comes on the heels of the dangerous amendment introduced in the Senate last week, that could halt all progress on closing down Guantanamo by restricting any detainee from receiving a fair trial in the U.S.  Thankfully, Amnesty activists jumped into high gear sending a flurry of emails, letters and phone calls helping to convince Congress to completely drop this provision from the bill.

Despite the recent back-peddling in Congress and at the White House, the case for investigating and prosecuting individuals for torture at Guantanamo continues to build. The word is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen, was outraged this month when he saw photos of detainee abuse - the very same photos that the Obama White House wanted to keep from the American public.
We can't stop now.  Attorney General Eric Holder can't appoint a prosecutor to investigate and prosecute torture until he knows for certain that the public stands behind it.  Tell your member of Congress to forward this open letter to Attorney General Holder asking him to commit to establishing an independent commission on torture.
Public opinion is on our side, but politics keeps getting in the way. Attorney General Holder is being asked to walk a fine line between serving justice and covering the Obama administration's back.
The public momentum to see justice served for these crimes is not going to go away. The more that pictures, reports and headlines continue to shed light on these shocking crimes, the more our calls for justice will resonate with key decision makers.
Tell Attorney General Holder to apply the law – a "war on terror" does not excuse torture.