Often I see it mentioned by folks that the country is going to hell in a handbasket and bemoaning the state of our society. This is often accompanied by myriad reasons, some of which seem to have more merit than others in my opinion.
While I tend to agree with the statement in general, and several of the reasons in particular, I have come upon what I consider a defining moment among the reasons, and that is defending the torture that our gov’t and its operatives did in our name.
I’m sorry, but it’s beyond the pale. There is NO defense for torture. Not for doing it to an animal or a human being, period, full stop. That there are so many people that are seemingly defending it in the aftermath of the release of the Executive Summary of the torture report disheartens me greatly.
To the folks who are trying to question the validity of the report: we kept records you know. It’s not as if a few people in a room just pulled the many very specific incidences and specific methods used listed in the Executive Summary out of thin air. Seriously, why do you think we used black sites? Why do you think we had a policy of extraordinary rendition? Think it through man, geez!
Another thing, those defending the torture we did, if you consider yourself Christians, think again. What was done in our name is the antithesis of everything Christ stood for and taught. Everything. So if you’re defending torture, do us all a favor and stop going to church, cuz your beliefs are a sham.
Personally, 99% of the time I respect everyone’s right to have their own opinion even if it’s a different one than my own. It takes all kind of people to make a world, and not everyone thinks like me and I’m good with that. But not on this subject.
To defend torture is akin to defending rape, slavery, apartheid, child molestation, lynching, cannibalism, and the Holocaust. That’s the level what you’re defending is on. You might as well go join NAMBLA or your local Nazi affiliate. In defending torture, those higher ups: gov’t, political, think tank folks, or talking heads – they are akin to Nazi Party members. Those who are proles defending it are no different than those good Germans who looked the other way while the Nazis carried out the Holocaust.
Torture isn’t something than anyone decent should need to debate at least outside of the hypothetical, but this isn’t hypothetical. This is the shit we did, to others, during the past 15 years. Even if you think that not all of the things described in the report constitute torture (even though technically they do), there are more than enough things we did that very very much constitute torture, and the folks who approved it, ordered it, and carried it out need to be prosecuted.
To defend the torture shows and alarming lack of heart, soul, and conscience, and if you’re defending it and still bemoaning how society is going to hell in a handbasket, I’ve got at least one of the big reasons for it: go take one good long look in the mirror.
1 comment
all I can say is that Dick Cheney proved what a craven, vile, person he is, with no moral code or humanity. He went as far as to justify torture using the lives lost on 9/11. He repeated lies and told a few more. He revised history saying that the US did not prosecute any Japanese for waterboarding our prisoners. We, Dick baby, we not only prosecuted them, we hung them.
It makes me wonder who he might have killed for that heart that beats in his chest.
I blame Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama for this man still be able to spew his filth.