Would it Change Your Mind?
If it could be shown to you absolutely and without a doubt that torture had indeed prevented another 9-11 attack on the US, would it change your personal feelings regarding the use of torture methods such as water boarding?
posted by pissed off patricia at 1:35 AM
19 Comments:
one word - no. torture makes us no different than the people we are claiming are trying to destroy our country.
As D-cap said: No.
No offense, but I think it's an useless theoretical question.
It's like addressing concerns about racism by framing in it a "Supposed Whites were oppressed by whites?" construct, or claiming women would rape guys if they had penises. These are bogus philosophical arguments used to confuse people. No matter how many right-wing jerks idolize Jack Bauer, torturing prisoners doesn't work. As an interrogation tool, torture is a stone axe that's clumsy, needlessly cruel, and a waste of time. This is a fact that has been substantiated by men like Jack Cloonan, a former FBI Interrogator interviewed in the Oscar-winning documentary "Taxi To The Dark Side".
Do you know what the dirty little secret about torture that nobody wants to discuss? The United States didn't torture people because we wanted information to prevent another 9/11 from happening.
Our country tortured people because they liked it.
Shit.
I meant to write, "If Whites were oppressed by African-Americans?" Sorry.
Oh well, another brilliantly-constructed post gone to hell.
Shit.
absolutely no. there are risks living in a free society. if we are to be a free people- safety is a crap shoot. otherwise, we get what we have now- a democratic republic turning police state. we are closer to communism than socialism but you won't hear the gop and freepers using that 'ism'
As D.R. Scott says. Torture is a waste of time. I have been through military SERE training which is meant to teach you about what might happen if you were captured by an enemy that didn't follow the Geneva Conventions. They are not any fun but served a purpose. The fact that we used these techniques against captives in direct violation of Common Article 3 in spite of all the evidence that torture is not effective can only lead to the conclusion the D.R. comes to.
No.
Even if it was proven 100% that it would work (which it doesn't), and even if it would prevent another 9/11 scale attack. No.
I was raised in a Christian household. While I realize that Christianity is not what it was then - or what I PERCIEVED it to be then, the complete rejection of the concept of situational morality has stayed with me.
If it is wrong, then it is ALWAYS wrong, even if the circumstances are such that it is the most effecient method.
No. Torture is always wrong.
Here's what i said at the end of this post, Walking Backwards, over two years ago.
We should be as outraged at the notion of letting a little torture into our interpretation of the Geneva Convention as we would be at the notion of letting a little slavery into our interpretation of the Constitution. Both acts suggest a massive failure of our civilization. It was a physical victory for the terrorist the day they knocked down those towers in New York City. If they have knocked down our values, annihilated our sense of justice, destroyed all the progress we have made since the end of the Spanish Inquisition, then their victory is complete. We may still be breathing, our buildings may still be standing, but as a civilization we are already dead.
~ NO ~
NO.
Let me twelfth everyone else.
I'm late coming to the party....but in a word, no.
Nope. My personal feelings would remain the same.
****
You do realize that the answer, no matter how one feels about torture, is 'no', yes?
NOPE.
well not just to repeat what everyone else said but.....
NO
and if i hear Morning Joey or anyone else mention the "ticking time bomb" I'll puke.
nope.
NO!
Torture is not a means of getting information. It is a means of inducing terror in the person tortured and everyone else who finds out about it.
These are not interrogation techniques, so the question is not germane. The question is not what if we got information from torture, but if we got power over others from torture, would it be okay?
And the answer is that you cannot save the US Constitution (which is the heart of our nation) by destroying the US Constitution.
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