Obama must take stand against torture

There has been much excitement over the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

Many people are pinning their hopes on him to address a number of social issues. I am one of those people.

Barack Obama will be able to follow through on his campaign promises. One such promise that I will be watching closely is his promise to sign an Executive Order that bans torture. There has been much ambiguity surrounding U.S. procedures involving the treatment and interrogation of detainees. It is time to end this ambiguity.

I join with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (www.nrcat.org) in urging Barack Obama to create a new standard for U.S. treatment and interrogation of detainees that allows us to defend our country while preserving our shared values as Americans.

Michael Gosch

Arlington Heights