Posted by
The Patriot on Sunday, December 02, 2007 10:08:24 AM
It seems that the latest litmus test for any sort of appointment to the Bush administration, or for a presidential candidate (Republican only) is that individual's opinion of waterboarding as an interrogation technique, and whether or not it amounts to torture. Once again, I feel that the media and our representatives to the government are asking the wrong questions here. They keep inquiring, "is waterboarding torture?" My response is that I do not care. I often draw shocked looks from my peers when I relate to them as succinctly as possible that I do not care in the least what sort of interrogation methods are used to extract information from the enemies of our country.
Many argue that by torturing prisoners of war, we open ourselves to the same sort of treatment when our troops are captured. Based on how our people have been treated when captured by the other side, I'd say we have some catching up to do before we need to worry about that.
They say that the information gained is unreliable, as a person being tortured will tell you anything you want. Yes, and one of the things they will tell you is the truth. If they indeed hold the information you seek, they can be made to tell you. You just have to do your homework and make sure that you have the right person. You have to be confident that the person has the information. Otherwise, you are groping around in the dark and cannot trust what you are being told. If you want to know the two-minute drill of a pro football team, and you torture the head coach or the offensive coordinator, you can be reasonably sure that the answers they give you are accurate. Torture the mascot for the same info, and while you may get an answer, I wouldn't take it to the bank.
But my ultimate reasoning on torture is this scenario. Suppose two criminals have kidnapped your children and hold them for ransom, threatening to murder them if you do not pay. You absolutely cannot pay the ransom, but one of the kidnappers has been captured. The deadline is one hour from now. What kind of pain would you be willing to inflict on him to make him tell you where his partner is holding your children? I have posed this to a few who state that because of their compassion and humanity, they could not harm even a person such as this to save their own children. I doubt they are telling the truth, but if they are, God help their children.
For I can say this: were I in this situation, I would have no compunction about doing anything and everything to that individual in order to save my family. I would take no pleasure in it, but I would be able to do it and sleep well that night. Most people will tell you the same. Most would be happy to bring that person to the point that he wished for death in order to extract the information necessary to save their children (waterboarding would be like a vacation). Yet many of these same people say they could not do the same if it were not their child who was in danger - if they had no personal stake in the outcome of the interrogation. This is very simply the selfish attitude that has made us too squeamish to deal effectively with savages who behead their captives with knives. Every casualty and potential casualty of this war is someone's child. So the drastic measures you are willing to undertake for the sake of your loved ones, you are not willing to employ to save the child of another?
So I guess I don't have to worry about being drafted as Attorney General...