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:: MAX BLACK ::

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." --C.S. Lewis

"The Swiss pocket knife of conservative thought on the web..." - Eli Kardrakian

"Bookmark Max and dump your subscription to the newspaper; if you don't have a birdcage you really don't need it anyway..." - Shirley St. James

:: Friday, November 11, 2005 ::

Torture

There is an important discussion, regarding the limits of the interrogation techniques utilized by the American military, over at the Corner. It is a critical debate as there are, at least in civilized societies, limits to how humans, in the charge of other humans should be treated, no matter the urgency.

I cannot agree with those on the right who would condone torture for obvious reasons; it reduces Americans - all Americans - to the base level of our opponents. Given a moral high-ground to defend, and the vast proficiency of our forces, I must believe that superior, more intelligent methods exist for wringing critical "intelligence" from captives. Having said that, I cannot believe that prisoners in the charge of the US Military are being treated as harshly as critics claim. Should it be found otherwise, that finger-nails are being pulled, that prisoners are being routinely shocked in their genitals - hoisted by their bound arms and left to sway as their shoulder joints dislodge from their sockets - I will be profoundly disappointed. I choose to believe otherwise; that we are smarter and more humane than our opponents.

It is entirely understandable - inevitable - that in the heat of battle, human beings will be mutilated - terminated; that's war. However, it is wholly unthinkable that good Americans would resort to primitive [and probably unproductive] interrogation methods - methods favored by the tyranical and sadistic regimes they so adroitly dispose - to achieve limited intelligence goals. The thought is incongruous with the intent of the effort at hand and less than counterproductive. It's stupid.

Those enemy combatants who would saw the head off a living human should not be treated lightly when captured - coddled as the ACLU would have it. But neither should they be tortured. WE do not do that.

:: Max 11:33 PM [+] ::
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