In a two-sentence response to the court, the Obama administration stated, “Having considered the matter, the government adheres to its previously articulated position.” That decision raises the question, of whether Obama’s closure of Guantanamo merely symbolic?

Bagram was set up by the U.S. military after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the prison was meant to be a temporary screening site for interrogation. Today, the permanent facility holds an estimated 600 – 700 detainees, more than double that of Guantanamo.

Donned ‘the other gitmo,’ reports indicate prisoners are given even fewer privileges than Guantanamo detainees and no access to lawyers. The International Committee of the Red Cross has complained about the continued mistreatment of prisoners held at Bagram. And as the several investigative reports and the film Taxi to the Dark Side details, the treatment of detainees at Bagram preceded and may have even led to the scandal and abuse at Abu Ghraib.

Hina Shamsi of the ACLU says, “Bagram appears to be just as bad as, if not worse than, Guantanamo. When a prisoner is in American custody and under American control, our values are at stake and our commitment to rule of law is tested.”

After the Supreme Court ruled prisoners at Guantanamo Bay had a right to habeas corpus, the case of four detainees being held at Bagram was brought before a federal court. The four men were captured outside of Aghanistan, and were found not engaged in battle or otherwise directly aiding terrorist groups, but have been held for over five years without trial.  U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said in a hearing, “These individuals are no different than those detained at Guantanamo Bay except where they’re housed.”

Lawyers for the Bagram detainees say the issue “is whether the Executive can create a modern-day Star Chamber, where it can label an individual as an ‘enemy combantant,’ deny him any meaningful ability to challenge that label, and on that basis, detain him indefinitely, virtually incommunicado, subject to interrogation and torture, without any right of redress.”

Bagram is a permanent prison and is currently undergoing a $60 million construction which will allow better treatment of detainees, but also expand its capacity to 1,100 prisoners.  With President Obama’s recent decision to send an additional 17,000 troops to the country, it seems likely Bagram’s number of detainees will grow too.

We need a leader who stands on principles, not piecemeal policies.  Join us in Reminding Obama of his Promises and Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 to tell him “No More Gitmos!”

As Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States of America next week, we – as progressives, activists, and organizers – are more mindful than ever of the promises Obama made during his election campaign – as well as the great challenges he has ahead of him.  After nearly six years of war in Iraq, a US policy of torture, a decline in the government’s respect for human rights, and a cowboy policy of ‘diplomacy,’ we are especially mindful of Obama’s promises to:

1. End the war in Iraq
2. Shut Down Guantánamo
3. Reject the Military Commissions Act
4. Stop Torture
5. Work to eliminate nuclear weapons
6. Hold direct, unconditional talks with Iran.
7. Abide by Senate approved international treaties.

When President Franklin Roosevelt was in office, a group of organizers came to him to ask for his support for their cause.  Roosevelt said, “I agree with you.  I want to do it.  Now make me do it.”  We must make Obama do it!  He cannot create this change alone.  We must remind Obama of the promises he made and support him in creating the change we voted for!

CODEPINK has launched a new campaign today at RemindObama.org that does just that.  The new website and video calls for visitors to sign the pledge to support President Obama in his Promises for Peace. It says, “We will be the string around his finger that reminds him to practice what he preaches and deliver the change our country so desperately needs.”

As a symbol of this commitment, CODEPINKers are tying pink ribbons around their finger for Obama.  Tens of thousands of ribbons that read “Obama, Keep your Promises for Peace” will be handed out on the street to supporters at Obama’s Inauguration ceremony next Tuesday.  After the inauguration, these ribbons can be tied around the wrist as a reminder to keep up the work it will take to make change.

In addition, there is a virtual ribbon that can be downloaded at RemindObama.org.  The graphic can be used to change your profile picture on Facebook, MySpace, or other websites.

We should take this moment to celebrate the victory of this last election.  However, Change does not happen on its own.  As activists, volunteers, and bloggers, we need to harness the energy that we have put into the protests, demonstrations, organizing, and volunteering during this election season and the past 8 years, and finish the job!