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Blog against torture day
So today is the day when we're supposed to influence the world by blogging against torture. I kind of feel like when I'm asked to write to my congressman to tell him how I feel. My senator is CARL LEVIN. I don't have to tell him how I feel --he and I are AS ONE on the political spectrum and my asking him to vote on something a certain way will not change his vote because it was already going to be what I was going to ask for.
Here, I'm sure a wider group of people read this, and I don't expect us to be AS ONE, but still. You guys all get this, right? Torture is wrong and it doesn't work. Making it doubly wrong.
We have a number of documents both internal to the US and international that supposedly stand to tell us and the world that torture is something we WILL NOT DO, not to our own citizens, and not to others. We also have a president and administration who like to ignore most of the pieces of paper that have writing on them abridging their power to diddle wherever they like. But we're going to fix that, right?
Right?
Because it's WRONG.
That and it's STUPID if we want a solid basis from which to argue that OUR soldiers and ambassadors and everyday citizens should not have to fear torture in other countries. Which of course they should not. Nobody should have to fear that. It should, like, go away. Bzzt. (Imagine that Ruby Red radio guy in the Fifth Element waving his hand there. Go Away. Bzzt.)*
Are we all clear on that? Does anyone have a different opinion/perspective,etc.? Because I sure don't want to believe I'm preaching to the choir when there's actually someone who needs speaking to.
So speak up if you disagree.
* reference corrected. Thanks Matt!
Here, I'm sure a wider group of people read this, and I don't expect us to be AS ONE, but still. You guys all get this, right? Torture is wrong and it doesn't work. Making it doubly wrong.
We have a number of documents both internal to the US and international that supposedly stand to tell us and the world that torture is something we WILL NOT DO, not to our own citizens, and not to others. We also have a president and administration who like to ignore most of the pieces of paper that have writing on them abridging their power to diddle wherever they like. But we're going to fix that, right?
Right?
Because it's WRONG.
That and it's STUPID if we want a solid basis from which to argue that OUR soldiers and ambassadors and everyday citizens should not have to fear torture in other countries. Which of course they should not. Nobody should have to fear that. It should, like, go away. Bzzt. (Imagine that Ruby Red radio guy in the Fifth Element waving his hand there. Go Away. Bzzt.)*
Are we all clear on that? Does anyone have a different opinion/perspective,etc.? Because I sure don't want to believe I'm preaching to the choir when there's actually someone who needs speaking to.
So speak up if you disagree.
* reference corrected. Thanks Matt!
no subject
Yes, if there ever REALLY is a case where we have one hour to find and defuse a nuclear bomb, and the one person who really knows where it is is holding out on us, I'd say sure, torture him. Torture can still be illegal and the law can recognize extenuating circumstances when the torturer is tried. HOWEVER, that sort of scenario hasn't been shown to be the case in any of the people whom this Government has tortured -- I'm sure if it were true, they'd have found a way to crow about it as an example of the effectiveness of torture, rather than just make vague "well, it's saved American lives" statements (our Government has become quite good at saying "trust us, this {insert policy that goes against human rights, privacy, and dignity) has saved lives" without ever giving anything more concrete.
Indeed, some of the stories I've read/heard on the news have shown that our torturing done exactly what torture tends to do -- gotten those tortured to spin sexy-sounding yarns that have sent our Government on wild-goose chases.
And even waterboarding, while causing no long-term physical damage, has been shown to cause lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder and flashbacks. Those arguing for it say "well, these people are the worst of the bad," yet in some cases we've grabbed the wrong person; also, most of those Gitmo detainees were captured by soldiers, ya know, 17-year-olds in the heat of battle who have acted as judge and jury because when the soldiers shot, those being shot at shot back. Or we offered money for them to turn in al-Qaeda members, and gee, amazing, people were sent to Gitmo or Abu Ghraib based merely on tales of "yes, he is al-Qaeda all rightee... I saw him consorting with black cats ... I mean Osama ... now where's my $500?"