"We Do Not Torture"

Torture is defined as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity."

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948. Article 5 of the UDHR states that "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

In 1985, Ronald Reagan said of the UDHR, "For people of good will around the world, that document is more than just words: It's a global testament of humanity, a standard by which any humble person on Earth can stand in judgment of any government on Earth." In 1995, Pope John Paul II called the UDHR "one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our time".

America is party to several international treaties that prohibit torture. Americans are also subject to various laws relating to torture, such as The War Crimes Act of 1996. Despite this, and despite what I feel are compelling moral arguments against torture, Americans, particularly Catholics, seem to approve of torture. Maybe we are just too easily swayed by such fantasies as Fox's show "24".

Here is the question of the day then: Does America torture?

Can you put aside your partisan ideologies long enough to investigate which is the closer approximation to reality?

Is it the rhetoric:

"We do not torture" President Bush, 11/07/2005

"The United States of America does not torture. And that's important for people around the world to understand." President Bush, 11/29/2005

"I want to be absolutely clear with our people, and the world: The United States does not torture. It's against our laws, and it's against our values. I have not authorized it -- and I will not authorize it." President Bush, 9/06/2006

"MR. RUSSERT: Does this new executive order allow measures that if were used against a U.S. citizen who was apprehended by the enemy would be troubling to the American people?

Admiral McCONNELL: I can report to you that it’s not torture.

MR. RUSSERT: How do you fine—define torture?

Admiral McCONNELL: Well, torture is—an attempt to define torture in the, in the executive order, it gives examples: mutilation or murder or rape or physical pain, those kinds of things. Let me just leave it by saying the, the techniques work, it’s not torture. They’re not subjected to heat or cold, but it is effective. And it’s a psychological approach to causing someone to have uncertainty and in a situation where they will feel compelled to talk to you about what you’re asking about.

MR. RUSSERT: And we would find it acceptable if a U.S. citizen experienced the same kind of enhanced interrogation measures?

Admiral McCONNELL: Tim, it’s not torture. I would not want a U.S. citizen to go through the process, but it is not tortures, and there would be no permanent damage to that citizen." Meet The Press Transcript, 7/22/2007


Or is it the reporting:

"One of the sources said that the Red Cross described the agency’s [CIA] detention and interrogation methods as tantamount to torture, and declared that American officials responsible for the abusive treatment could have committed serious crimes. The source said the report warned that these officials may have committed “grave breaches” of the Geneva Conventions, and may have violated the U.S. Torture Act, which Congress passed in 1994. The conclusions of the Red Cross, which is known for its credibility and caution, could have potentially devastating legal ramifications." The New Yorker, 8/13/2007


The first amendment allows me to state my view that members of this administration have clearly broken the law, perhaps even commited war crimes, but I suppose I should be careful, lest I be called an unpatriotic dirty f___ing leftist hippy, which I suppose is your right, as well.

Perhaps it is best to listen to the advice of this administration in these matters:

"But assuming the press reports are right, it's a terrible thing to say, and it unfortunate. And that's why -- there was an earlier question about has the President said anything to people in his own party -- they're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is." Ari Fleischer, 9/26/2001

I picked the wrong decade to speak my mind.