[zenihan]

It is simply unacceptable (and incredibly stupid) for the US to allow itself to be associated with torture. As the US lowers its standards, as it devalues the principles which once commanded respect internationally, it reduces the distinction between itself and the enemy it is fighting. AS the Economist states, it is a recipe for losing support and alienating the very people it is supposed to be fighting for. When will the Bush nightmare be over? It's leaving the international reputation of the US in tatters. For those who think this doesn't matter....think again.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/dis...ory_id=5139141
Torture
How to lose friends and alienate people
Nov 10th 2005
From The Economist print edition

The Bush administration's approach to torture beggars belief

THERE are many difficult trade-offs for any president when it comes to diplomacy and the fight against terrorism. Should you, for instance, support an ugly foreign regime because it is the enemy of a still uglier one? Should a superpower submit to the United Nations when it is not in its interests to do so? Amid this fog, you would imagine that George Bush would welcome an issue where America's position should be luminously clear—namely an amendment passed by Congress to ban American soldiers and spies from torturing prisoners. Indeed, after the disastrous stories of prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and Afghanistan, you might imagine that a shrewd president would have sponsored such a law himself to set the record straight.

But you would be wrong. This week saw the sad spectacle of an American president lamely trying to explain to the citizens of Panama that, yes, he would veto any such bill but, no, “We do not torture.” Meanwhile, Mr Bush's increasingly error-prone vice-president, Dick Cheney, has been across on Capitol Hill trying to bully senators to exclude America's spies from any torture ban. To add a note of farce to the tragedy, the administration has had to explain that the CIA is not torturing prisoners at its secret prisons in Asia and Eastern Europe—though of course it cannot confirm that such prisons exist.

[exsmoker]

I agree with this; torture is never acceptable, under any circumstances.

[lasadeykar]

I would like to ask the poster this question. Let's say someone has taken a family member of yours & has them captive. The person who kidnapped your family member is in a police station, & is reluctant to tell where your family member is. But, they do know that if this person does not talk soon, your family member will die. Do you now believe in a little torture to get this person to talk, or would you prefer that the police make them comfortable with coffee & donuts?

[Dwerfsd]

I agree with this; torture is never acceptable, under any circumstances.

Thanks Tim.

[Lenny Hensley]

I would like to ask the poster this question. Let's say someone has taken a family member of yours & has them captive. The person who kidnapped your family member is in a police station, & is reluctant to tell where your family member is. But, they do know that if this person does not talk soon, your family member will die. Do you now believe in a little torture to get this person to talk, or would you prefer that the police make them comfortable with coffee & donuts?

I would expect the police to follow the highest possible standards. Lowering one's standards to the level of animals is always unacceptable, unless you want to live in a zoo.

[nuveem7070]

I would expect the police to follow the highest possible standards. Lowering one's standards to the level of animals is always unacceptable, unless you want to live in a zoo.

Easy thing to say when it's a hypothetical situation. I seriously doubt you'd feel that way if it truly was your family in danger of dying. I have no doubt as to what I would want done.

[lXvtm0ox]

I would like to ask the poster this question. Let's say someone has taken a family member of yours & has them captive. The person who kidnapped your family member is in a police station, & is reluctant to tell where your family member is. But, they do know that if this person does not talk soon, your family member will die. Do you now believe in a little torture to get this person to talk, or would you prefer that the police make them comfortable with coffee & donuts?

No. The answer is no. We don't gain values and morals by compomising them.

Your scenario is also a clear no.

Bad people kidnapp and torture. Good people don't.

There was great commentary on the news networks, I forgot who and where I saw it, but someone said that if there is torture involved in any part of American policy, then it should be something done with extreme oversight. In other words, the president has to be held responsible and accountable for torture. Currently, there is no one else being held responsible for these acts by our military except the grunts that carry out the policy.

Do you understand the importance of having accountability when it comes to torture? Torture has been the special case scenario in Iraq, it has become the norm and the culture of our troops in Iraq due to Bush's policy. Absolutely unacceptable.

[johnsonjunior]

It is simply unacceptable (and incredibly stupid) for the US to allow itself to be associated with torture. As the US lowers its standards, as it devalues the principles which once commanded respect internationally, it reduces the distinction between itself and the enemy it is fighting. AS the Economist states, it is a recipe for losing support and alienating the very people it is supposed to be fighting for. When will the Bush nightmare be over? It's leaving the international reputation of the US in tatters. For those who think this doesn't matter....think again.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/dis...ory_id=5139141
Torture
How to lose friends and alienate people
Nov 10th 2005
From The Economist print edition

The Bush administration's approach to torture beggars belief

THERE are many difficult trade-offs for any president when it comes to diplomacy and the fight against terrorism. Should you, for instance, support an ugly foreign regime because it is the enemy of a still uglier one? Should a superpower submit to the United Nations when it is not in its interests to do so? Amid this fog, you would imagine that George Bush would welcome an issue where America's position should be luminously clear—namely an amendment passed by Congress to ban American soldiers and spies from torturing prisoners. Indeed, after the disastrous stories of prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and Afghanistan, you might imagine that a shrewd president would have sponsored such a law himself to set the record straight.

But you would be wrong. This week saw the sad spectacle of an American president lamely trying to explain to the citizens of Panama that, yes, he would veto any such bill but, no, “We do not torture.” Meanwhile, Mr Bush's increasingly error-prone vice-president, Dick Cheney, has been across on Capitol Hill trying to bully senators to exclude America's spies from any torture ban. To add a note of farce to the tragedy, the administration has had to explain that the CIA is not torturing prisoners at its secret prisons in Asia and Eastern Europe—though of course it cannot confirm that such prisons exist.

This is all contingent of how torture is defined. Until that is defined, then your point is moot.

[TheLucyLee]

I would expect the police to follow the highest possible standards. Lowering one's standards to the level of animals is always unacceptable, unless you want to live in a zoo.

Would you consider 16 consecutive interrogation hours not torture or torture? Or how about 12 hours of interrogation each day for several days? What about the person strapped into a chair that is 3 ft high for a few hours? The point is, it depends on how you define torture.

[avaiguite]

Would it not be better if all of the human race stopped this? and not just one country? The human race as a whole right now is lost in its self..

[Giselle]

Would it not be better if all of the human race stopped this? and not just one country? The human race as a whole right now is lost in its self..

Unfortunately AkDiesel, many only judge America and not the rest of the world.

When an American makes a mistake, several things usually happen:

1) It is overblown
2) The entire country is blamed
3) Suddenly the mistake becomes the norm, rather than the exception
4) No matter how much worse, and no matter how more often - the same problem in other countries is ignored.
5) Facts are suspended, and shaky sources are considered the gospel.

[artenotreah]

Torture is neccesary in war in order to gather intelligence. (However, I did find the homosexual-style perversions that went on in Iraq to be very disturbing and totally unnecessary. It was also very telling of the mentality of Americans.)