NC STOP TORTURE NOW! link for info and action

http://www.ncstoptorturenow.net/ website might be down right now- hope back up soon????

North Carolina Stop Torture Now (NCSTN) and others are organizing a Peace Rally and Walk of Remembrance for Victims of War and Torture from 12:30 pm to 5 p.m., Saturday, October 27 in Smithfield, NC. We are actively seeking support and assistance from allied organizations and individuals throughout North Carolina, the Southeast, and across the U.S.

For more information: www.ncstoptorturenow.net.

Why Smithfield? Smithfield is at the center of a huge “torture-industrial complex.” It is home to Aero Contractors, Ltd., a CIA front company that has flown hundreds of extraordinary rendition (“torture-taxi”) missions. Its planes have hauled CIA kidnap victims to CIA black sites or third-country jails to be tortured. This practice may be ongoing. Smithfield is also close to Ft. Bragg, where many troops have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, and secretive units are trained and dispatched. It is close to the headquarters of Blackwater USA, which trains mercenaries and owns rendition-linked planes. And Smithfield is close to Camp Mackall, the base for the clandestine Delta Force.

This grassroots effort aims to alert our neighbors throughout Johnston County, the state of North Carolina, and the world that:

We demand an end to the occupation of Iraq and the U.S. policy of pre-emptive attack;
We know the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program is headquartered at Johnston County airport;
We denounce torture as immoral, illegal and ineffective, and;
We will not rest until the United States becomes a leader for the preservation and respect of human rights.

Extraordinary rendition is a CIA program of kidnap, secret detention and torture of individuals alleged to be enemies of the United States, including those guilty of nothing other than being misidentified.

The torture program relies on civilian air carriers like Aero, located at the Johnston County Airport near Smithfield, and Aero’s pilots to maintain its secrecy. Three Aero pilots have been indicted by a Munich public prosecutor for the alleged kidnap and torture of a German citizen, Khaled El-Masri.

Parent or subsidiary firms related to Blackwater USA, the private security firm that maintains a large training facility near Moyock, NC, have also been alleged to operate aircraft in the rendition fleet.

We urge you to join in our struggle by coming to Smithfield on October 27, and co-sponsoring this event.

Co-sponsoring organizations are asked to make the following commitments:
Financial support of $50 or more, which will help with printing, mailings, and other publicity, the public address system, hygiene facilities, lodging for guest speakers, etc.
Payable to:
North Carolina Stop Torture Now
P.O. Box 50345
Raleigh, NC 27650-6345
Names and contact information for 2-4 volunteers willing to dedicate 4-12 aggregate hours to organizing and day-of-event tasks such as: pre-event outreach, peacekeeping, set-up and clean-up.
Actively encouraging members of your organization to attend the event.

October 27 Smithfield – Schedule

12:30 p.m. Gather at Smithfield Herald, 125 S. Fourth St., Smithfield.

1:00 p.m. March to Smithfield Town Commons along the sidewalk adjacent to Market and Front streets.

2:00 p.m. Rally at Town Commons featuring speakers, music, and memorial for victims of war and torture. (Co-sponsors invited to set-up tables to distribute literature, sell t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, etc.)

3:00 p.m. End of rally, participants invited to help memorialize torture victims at Johnston County Airport beginning at 3:30 p.m.

3:30 p.m. Participants will model a liturgical procession to carry portraits of victims of torture at or near Aero Contractors’ headquarters.

JOIN US! STOP THE WAR! STOP TORTURE!