Problems with Torture and the US

I strongly feel that the United States should not endorse torture in any form. While being a Christian obviously greatly informs my world view, I believe people should believe that torture is wrong no matter what - regardless of your religious persuasion. Click the title of this post for an op ed piece from today's LA Times (free online subscription required) that I strongly agree with. For those of you who are conservatives who just read the article... calm down, read the rest of what I have to say... then you can reply :-)

While I can see some rationality (cold and unfeeling, but some) behind the ticking bomb argument, I don't really like it, and wouldn't want to be the one to act on it. That is the theory when you've got a guy who says he has done something like put a nuclear bomb out in LA that is about to explode any minute - is it then OK to torture him to get information because of the immediacy of the threat?

However, the way the US acted not just in Abu Gharib, but ALSO in Guantanamo does not amount to the ticking bomb argument. In my opinion most of it has been torture plain and simple. Even the FBI now says there was torture going on down in Cuba - and on prisoners who absolutely did not warrant it (where the ticking bomb theory wasn't even close to plausible). Many of the specific acts were authorized in a general way by Secretary Rumsfeld and argued for by then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales. Let me clear. I don't see this as a political issue. Do you support torture or not? That is the issue here. That isn't political. We can discuss political issues sometime if you want in another post.

Now the primary man behind getting some of those methods authorized is up for consideration to be the next attorney general of the US. Regardless of how Mr. Gonzales tries to explain his actions, the memo that he wrote clearly shows that he tried to get torture authorized. And the President agreed with him. I DON'T care what the President's public statements on torture have been lately, he didn't say no to the Gonzales memo, and he hasn't pushed for punishment for those responsible (Rumsfeld, the head of Gitmo) for torture in Iraq and Cuba in a meaningful way (as well documented in what I feel to be a non partisan way in the NY Times) The President's apparent tacit approval of torture is one of the main reasons I have a problem with him being President - regardless of other left/right political issues - and am deeply disappointed in people like James Dobson, who so rabidly support this President on some issues, but refuse to ask him or other conservatives in public office to be accountable on others. (See the recent moves by the House to change ethics rules as another example of this issue)

They can try and use the "who cares if we torture some terrorists" argument for this support, but, that is simply immoral first of all; and then realize that many of those same people have now been released and not charged with any crime. PLUS you must always ask - where does it stop? You know, all of these folks in the govt would probably be very supportive of people wearing those WWJD - What Would Jesus Do - bracelets, as they probably are all professing Christians. I wonder, when it came to torture, or "stress positions" etc... if they every asked themselves that question?

Thanks to anyone who actually read that little tirade... it made me feel better