Defining Waterboarding as Torture and Eliminating its Practice by the United States Government.

Whereas, “Waterboarding” is a torture technique whereby a person has water poured over their face to simulate drowning, has been classified as torture under the Geneva Conventions, and has not previously  been allowed in U.S. military army interrogations, and is antithetical to every moral principle that American stands for,  and

Whereas,  the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution bans the use of cruel and unusual punishment, and on September 6th, 2006, the United States Department of Defense released a revised Army Field Manual entitled Human Intelligence Collector Operations that prohibits the use of waterboarding by U.S. military personnel, and further that the United States is a ratifying member of the UN Convention Against Torture which prohibits the use of water boarding and

Whereas, this form of torture has been used during the Spanish Inquisition, by the Japanese and the German Secret Police in World War II,  the North Vietnamese against American POW’s in North Vietnam,  and that the majority of  Americans abhor and do not want this form of violence and torture committed in their names by the US Government and it’s acting agents.

Therefore be it resolved that the Los Angeles County Democratic Party is committed to ending the illegal and immoral act of torture “Water-Boarding” done to any prisoners and further that we unequivocally support the Geneva Conventions definition of torture, and

Be it further resolved,   that the LACDP send a copy of this resolution to the California Congressional delegation.

Authors:
Margie Murray, 41st AD, Valley Democrats United, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles

Brad Parker, President, Valley Democrats United Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles

ENDORESED BY:  Valley Democrats United

Passed by LACDP RES Comm 11/06/07