Right off, this is not my normal type of post. I tend to stay away from the overly political or religious posts. I like to live and let live. I respect other people's views and opinions. I value intelligent discourse, especially when talking about one's views, even if they do not match my own. Some topics, though, are difficult for me to just leave alone. Torture, and the involvement of my own countrymen in it, is one of those topics. The author of the attached article, who I readily admit I share many views with, quite eloquently sums up my opinions on this matter.
Torture is immoral, illegal and irreconcilable with this nation’s most cherished values. If defenders of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program disagree, they should come out and say so. Instead, they blow smoke.
That is the opening paragraph of "Here’s an emotional response to the torture report: I’m outraged", Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene Robinson's column for Tuesday's Washington Post.
I think the report needs released in full to the public and let the chips fall where they may. It does not matter to me if the responsible parties are Democrat, Republican, or Martian; they should be prosecuted. The people who have stood in the way of information being released and parties being prosecuted should also be investigated and prosecuted. I am embarrassed to call any of these men and women my countrymen. Interacting on this social platform with friends who live in all parts of the world, I cringe that this has happened, and is happening still, in my own backyard.
I do not wish to debate the topic of torture or partisan politics on the matter. I think my views are apparent. Comments on this post are open, but please be respectful, both to the topic at hand and the views of others, or they will be removed. Please remember, statements like "Agree to disagree" are very acceptable and non-inflammatory. I am sharing this article because I think it deserves to be read and evaluated; I myself only came across it from a newsletter link or I may not have seen it.
#politics #torture +[USA] The Washington Post. ?
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Eugene Robinson: The Senate’s torture report merits an emotional response — outrage
An emotional response to the Senate’s torture report is warranted.
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Post imported by Google+Blog. Created By Daniel Treadwell.
I'm sorry, anything that comes from her, I disagree with. Is it wrong, yes. Come up with other ways to information from hostiles, I am (as so are others) open for suggestion. Asking pretty please with a cherry on top doesn't work by the way.
Not your normal post no, but I agree with you completely when it comes to this topic.
Interesting. Being a vet in the First Gulf War, I was a medic. A Kuwaitis family's daughter had been kidnapped, and the one lead was a Iraqi Guard. The Marines used torture to obtain her whereabouts, saving her before they were about to gut her after group raping here. I was able to treat the 11 year old, and get her to her family.
I disagree with gratuitous torture, however giving a blanket covering as being immoral, I think is in itself immoral, and pretentious.
I understand that as a Civilian, real world issue are black and white; do I get the big Mac or whopper? But in the world real bad guys exist whether we want to hide our head in the sand or not.
Again, the CIA is a beast, and I agree, cases need to be examined. But I disagree with the blanket judgement of all acts being immoral.
As it stands, I respect your opinion, and am glad that something like this wanted to make you actually want to be involved in your government instead of taking a back seat.
And yes, as stated in the article
Ultimately, the debate about torture’s effectiveness is a waste of time because neither side can definitively prove its case. If this make me undesirable for my opinion. That is how the world turns. On the flip side, I enjoy all opinions and discussions, no fear.
+Dan Lewis I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and share. The example you use is one where I do have a problem with my blanket statement on torture being immoral; and I can not find any reasoned argument to negate the actions, and the positive outcome to the story you shared. Like so many things, perhaps it becomes very situational? I do not have an answer. However, I do not think, still, that it should be a matter of policy or a default to go to torture. I also do not think, if used, it should be hidden in the shadows. I am not saying that these are your beliefs either; I respect most everything you posted. However, what you said at the end was hurtful. I do not think it was immoral to save that girl and I do not think I am pretentious for my views on torture. What you wrote is so much more powerful and has the ability to make people think about the other side of the coin, without the attack and without the sarcastic insinuation that anyone here, let along myself – the father of a daughter – would want a child to die. Uncool, sir.
+Scott Cramer, I apologise. I did speak out of a anger, being that I was involved in a life situation, and not from an abstract. For over a year I had nightmares about it, about her, and her broken body. It hurts horribly when people do make blanket statements about things they read when I've lived them.
I agree about not being a matter of policy, or hidden.
Again, I apologise for my anger and I am removing my last statement, sir.
+Dan Lewis I appreciate it. I honestly can not imagine being in that situation! No worries or hard feelings. Very glad that you posted; all aspects need to be heard.
+Dan Lewis I modified my comment above also. No worries, mate.
+Scott Cramer very interesting. I guess its ok for a sitting US Senator to break most of the laws on US intelligence just so she can vent her anger and expose even more lives as a result? We can all argue the merits or lack thereof regarding this report and what may be in it. What really frost me though, is this administration including her…..have from the onset decided they wanted to turn over every stone and expose every secret regarding this program. Some things just need to stay buried under rocks.
+Thomas Townsend Problem with things buried under rocks is that, in my opinion, it more often favors wrongdoers more than protects innocents.
Agreed, but then again….lots of rocks still have thing buried underneath them here: Benghazi and Fast and Furious just to name a few………Point is….they should not be so selective. We all now what happens to people who throw rocks and live in glass houses……
Not disagreeing.