We not only have a right to use torture. We have a duty

Bill Mattocks

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Thanks, Ken, I appreciate it. I understand your example better now.

In my case, I reflect back on a Canadian guy who was in the news a couple years ago now. He was picked up by the US at Kennedy Airport in 2002 and was sent (via infamous 'rendition' flight) to some country like Syria where he was tortured for information. The Canadian government had apparently mistakenly informed the US that he was on a terrorist watchlist.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/opinion/19mon3.html

If you were that man, how would you feel about the 'duty' to torture? This for me was the clincher. I'm sure they got 'information' from him. And I'm sure his torturers thought they were doing a good thing.

In his case, Canada apparently has given him millions of dollars in compensation. Of course, I'm not sure that removes the pain of months of torture, and if he had been tortured to death, as sometimes happens, what then? I think if it were me strapped to that gurney by mistake and having my fingers broken one by one, I'd not be thinking that overall, the system works.
 

Bruno@MT

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If you were that man, how would you feel about the 'duty' to torture? This for me was the clincher. I'm sure they got 'information' from him. And I'm sure his torturers thought they were doing a good thing.

In his case, Canada apparently has given him millions of dollars in compensation. Of course, I'm not sure that removes the pain of months of torture, and if he had been tortured to death, as sometimes happens, what then? I think if it were me strapped to that gurney by mistake and having my fingers broken one by one, I'd not be thinking that overall, the system works.

Yes. They're all in favor of torture until -they- are the ones on the gurney.
But this is a mistake. I am innocent!...
Suuuuuure. Now hold still while I hook this up to your testicles.

the other thing to consider of course is that if you torture the wrong guy, chances are good that that person will feel compelled to go after the great satan when he gets out. And if he dies, then his friends and family will likely feel some ill will towards the parties responsible.

I wonder what the head of DHS would confess to when strapped to the gurney in some Syrian or Egyptian hell hole to be tortured with the blessing of the US. And I bet they could get George W to confess that he rigged the Florida dade count, single handedly flew the planes in to both the twin towers and had wild monkey sex with Dick Cheney.
 

Bill Mattocks

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the other thing to consider of course is that if you torture the wrong guy, chances are good that that person will feel compelled to go after the great satan when he gets out. And if he dies, then his friends and family will likely feel some ill will towards the parties responsible.

Of the people who have been released from Gitmo, apparently a number of them have gone into the terrorism business - whether they were terrorists or not before ending up in Gitmo is another question entirely. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't, but the DoD is even saying that being in Gitmo for that long 'radicalizes' them. I am sorry if we put innocent people there, but I don't think we should ever let them out now. I know if I had been put there and I didn't do anything to warrant it, I'd be looking for some payback after being released.

Yeah, get tortured and then cut loose without so much as an apology; I'm not likely to be great pals with the guys who did it.
 

CanuckMA

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And I bet they could get George W to confess that he rigged the Florida dade count, single handedly flew the planes in to both the twin towers and had wild monkey sex with Dick Cheney.


So he'd tell the thruth 2 out of 3 times. :ultracool
 

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