This is not a rhetorical question -- when in the history of representative democracy has a legislative body passed a measure prohibiting torture, only to have it vetoed by a chief executive? Has there ever been such an open and official approval of torture in a democratic society?

If the answer is yes, let's not join the ranks of whoever's crossed that rubicon of shame. If the answer is no, let's keep it that way. From NRCAT:

We ask you to call the White House at 202-456-1111, or to email the President at comments@whitehouse.gov to express your support for H.R. 2082 (the Intelligence Authorization bill). Tell the President that we cannot win the war on terror by abandoning the values that made us great, and that he can help return us to those values by signing H.R. 2082.

The Washington Post's Dan Froomkin asks some other pertinent questions that demand answers:

Who are we as a nation? Are we who we used to be? Did one terrorist attack really change all that? Can it be changed back?

If you believe in atonement and redemption, the answer to Dan's last question has to be a firm yes, but the answers to his other three are far more troubling.

On an upnote, if your Congressional representatives voted the right way, it'd be nice to drop them a note of a appreciation.