What about the treatment of prisoners in Texas prisons?

To whom it may concern,

Recently, global attention has been focused for weeks on the abuse of
Iraqi inmates in Baghdad's prisons.

What about the treatment of prisoners in US prisons? and especially
here in Texas ?

Most of us, who have a loved one inside know that similar treatment might
happen for any kind of reason. It might and it does occur, and it is
easy to further humiliate a human being who has already been condemned and
sentenced to death.

Is this the picture we wish to present to the world?

What is wrong for the Iraqi prisoners IS for similarly wrong for our
inmates!

How can we pretend to show the non-democratic world the right path to
Democracy and the respect all humans inherently deserve if we are not able
to start with our own prisoners, regardless of whatever they did in the
past which placed them in our penitentiaries ?

In Texas, there are about 150, 000 people incarcerated. Who cares about
them?

Thousands of complaints are filed by inmates each year and while some are
fabrications, most are not. Those recently received from inmates who
are incarcerated in general population and D.R highlight ongoing problems.

Strong measures have to be taken against all those who are ordering or
tolerating the abuses in America's prisons. America is a signatory to
the UN document "The Minimum Standard of Treatment and Punishment." In
Exxence, this document recognized that all prisoners, even those under a
sentence of death, have inherent human rights which cannot be taken from
them.

On June 6th, 2004 many in the USA celebrated the civilized world's
freedom which was recovered after thousands of human lives were
sacrificed during World War II. The President, who was the ex-Governor
of Texas, spoke about compassion and forgiveness.

But there must be more than words to make this a reality. There is a time
for ACTION. Human rights begin at home, and the time has come to
recognize that ALL people, including those incarcerated and even
(especially) those under a death sentence, enjoy the most basic human
right of all: the right to life!

This is why we have decided to show the world what is taking place here
and have thus created this online petition to attract people's attention
on what COMPASSION is in within our prison's walls.

The petititoners,