Posted on 09/25/2007 5:05:28 AM PDT by Argentine-Firecracker
Have the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 put a lasting dent in civil liberties? The first of a series begins this week with a look at torture
IN EVERY war, information is a weapon. In a “war against terrorism”, where the adversary wears no uniform and hides among the civilian population, information can matter even more. But does that mean that torture can sometimes be justified to extract information?
The answer in international law is categorical: no. As laid down in treaties such as the Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ban on torture or any cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is absolute, even in times of war. Along with genocide, torture is the only crime that every state must punish, no matter who commits it or where. Defenders of this blanket prohibition offer arguments that range from the moral (torture degrades and corrupts the society that allows it) to the practical (people will say anything under torture so the information they provide is unreliable anyway).
The September 11th attacks have not driven any rich democracy to reverse itself and make torture legal. But they have encouraged the bending of definitions and the turning of blind eyes. There is a greater readiness among governments that would never practise torture themselves to use information which less squeamish states have obtained—through torture.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
YES
Well I now regard taxation for the purpose of redistribtion to others as “torture”. Oh, when will it end?
I also regard having to listen to Liberals in the media as unbearable torture. When will those responsible for these heinous acts be brought to justice?
When will my noble cries for justice be answered?
There can NO discussion of the right or wrong of ‘torture’ until we agree what is and isn’t torture.
This tendency of the Left and MSM to appropriate the language words to their use is typical of their MO. You’ll have a hard time finding someone who approves of torture so all you have to do is call tough measure to extract vital information from captured enemies torture and suddenly we’re on a moral level with our enemies. Same thing with calling approval of abortion for any reason and at any point in the pregnancy ‘choice’.
This is exactly how they demonized Newt Gingrich in the 90’s and until we figure out how to take back the English language it will not end.
In a perfect world where everybody plays by the rules, sure.
Back here on Earth, however..........
Whateverthehell it takes.
ANYTHING that works, works. Do it.
These are unlawful combatants, and get no rights.
If the lives of a few, 10’s, 100’s, 1000’s, 1,000,000’s or billions of people that think like me are on the line, absolutely YES!
“You’ll have a hard time finding someone who approves of torture so all you have to do is call tough measure to extract vital information from captured enemies torture and suddenly we’re on a moral level with our enemies. Same thing with calling approval of abortion for any reason and at any point in the pregnancy ‘choice’.”
As the photos above show, there is an enormous disconnect on what really is torture, and I agree with your comments 100%.
Only in extreme circumstances. Once we start using torture as a routine intelligence collection tool, we can never go back. Imminent attack? Immediate threat? Won’t talk? That’s when we’d HAVE to reserve torture as an option.
Asking if torture is acceptable is missing the point. HUMINT is gathered with surveillance and infiltration, not gator clips to the balls. That’s where the focus needs to be and where improvements need to be made.
Torture is a red-herring.
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Is this a trick question?
khalid sheik mohammed.....i rest my case
The MSM refuses to show such images not because they want to protect readers and viewers from the shock, but rather because every time we see these pictures we renew our determination to defeat this enemy, WHATEVER it takes.
You have to deal with an enemy in terms that they understand, not terms that make sense to you. It’s like going to a foreign country with a pocket full of US currency and expecting to buy lots of neat things, only to learn that US currency is worthless there.
If we are going to win this war we are going to have to bring ourselves to use some of the enemy’s tactics on them. After all, they are using them because the think they work. The difference between us and them is that when the war is over we will go back to using the tactics that are universally accepted, the tactics we have to stoop to use will be a means to an end. The enemy uses the tactics as their first line of attack.
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