Letter to President-Elect Obama from Viggo Mortensen

Dear President-Elect Obama,

Please do all that you honestly can to bring to justice Dick Cheney, David Addington, John Yoo, William "Jim" Haynes, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Condolezza Rice, Colin Powell, George Tennet, John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzalez, Karl Rove, and numerous other members of the Bush administration since the start of 2001 who have either been directly responsible for or complicit in the almost countless acts of treason, human rights violations and other crimes in the United States of America and abroad, including in but not limited to Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon.

There have been many violations of domestic and international law by the Bush/ Cheney regime, but the use of torture by this administration, in blatant disregard of long-accepted international and U.S. standards, is on its own enough to see many U.S. officials prosecuted and jailed. The energetic promotion and white-washing of torture by U.S. interrogators are not only reprehensible and damaging to the reputation of the United States, but have undoubtedly placed all of its citizens - military as well as civilian- in increased danger from reprisals and acts of terrorism for years to come.

The fact that a good part of the torture has been conducted by U.S. citizens not just in Saddam Hussein's former house of cruelties in Abu Ghraib, but also in the lawless confines of Guantánamo's Camp Delta and in numerous secret sites around the world tied to U.S. government use of "rendition", only makes it harder to forgive and forget these acts of savagery.

These and other war crimes and the clearly-impeachable misconduct of the Bush/Cheney administrations cannot go unprosecuted and unpunished if citizens of the United States of America are to move forward with relatively clear consciences and the hoped for restoration of their country's standing in the community of nations. This is about moral responsibility, common decency, and historical legacy. Thank you in advance, Mr. Obama.

Viggo Mortensen

Outlaw Mormon Marriage! Hate Is Not A Family Value!

Today I participated in a protest rally "No More Hate Overturn 8", in Los Angeles, in front of the Mormon Temple.


Unfortunately this awful proposition narrowly passed which amends the California Constitution to define marrage as being between a man and a woman, thereby prohibiting and invalidating same-sex marriages.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) funded 77% of the Proposition's 75 million dollar budget. Just think how many hungry mouths that could feed, worldwide? The problem I have with organized religion is that eventually the church will try to legislate their beliefs thereby forcing those beliefs upon everyone else.


This is the new Civil Rights battle. The issue at hand is no different than the issues of African Americans 50 years ago. There was a time when a black person and a white person could not marry - now the discrimination is based on sexual orientation.


Its not the government's job to define marriage for that is up to adults to define for themselves. For the government to do is a violation of keeping Church and State separate. Civil Rights are non-negotiable and must be restored to all same-sex couples seeking to marry.


The well-funded forces of bigotry and discrimination think they have turned back the clock of history. Wrong! The struggle for full equality will continue until the right to marry is won - in California and under federal law throughout the U.S.


From Stonewall to full equality, the movement is growing as millions of gays and straights say "Yes" to marriage equality. Victory is certain.