Ever since the attacks on September 11th, this question has bedeviled Americans. You hear the debate: torture is evil, torture is wrong, it is against our values as a nation. Yet, if you knew you could save lives by extracting information from a detainee using torture, is it appropriate? What are the facts about torture. Follow the link to listen to a four minute news story from NPR which explores the subject.
Politics & Society
Why Do People Use Torture?
May 7, 2007 · Many experts say torture produces false leads and damages U.S. credibility. Yet, in his new book, George Tenet advocates something that sounds like torture, although he refuses to call it that. If torture doesn't work, why do so many people believe that it does?
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5 comments:
Current Event #9
I personally do not think that it is okay to use torture as a form of withdrawl for information. I mean I understand that it is helpfull, and sometimes it may be the only option to be able to get the nessacary information out of people, but doesn't it just seem completely un-American? Being the "land of the free", holding someone against their will and torturing them does not promote what our country is about. If we are the land of the free, then how are we holding people against their will for information, and completley controdicting ourselves? It just does not seem right.
i am commiting on the Torture article...well first of all i would like to say that trying to torture people is no way of dealing with the problem.How can people torture others when they them self makes mistake,and how can they torture people and not feel bad about it.It is wrong and if they think it is the right thing to do they should try and imagin them self in the person's place.Dude tortureing people is so not cool.for example how Hitler and the concentration camp,it was stupid and very wrong.the way they torture people and how they treated them was so careless and had no pity for them.it is very wrong...
commenting on torture:
I think that torture is not the best way to get answers from someone, but it sometimes can be the best and quickest way. If you have a terrorist about to blow up a building and you need to know where the bomb is to disable it i dont think i little preasure on the terrorist would do much damage. By torturing him just a little you would be saving a lot more people. Plus the terrorist would have died too so i think torture at a time like this is appropriate. And often times it does work if the torturer does not use to much force. This is why people believes torture does work because often times it has in the past.
nick burns, on torture.
i beleive torture is foolishness what is the sence or justice behind inflicting pain upon another human being for the sake of information? how puts the price on a soul anyways? no one can. i think it's unfair and complete mistreatment of prisoners. it may sound cold, but loss is just a part of war, the people who die fully knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the military. and don't get me wrong i respect them, it takes incredable courage to lay down ones life for the sake of another. but back to the topic of torture i just think its senseless and wrong and half the timeits the wrong info, so why inflict pain on another soul and bring shame to your nation for a gamble? it's like playing russian roulette with five of the barrels loaded, its shear fooishness.
Stephen Anderson on torture
To my knowledge, many credible sources state that torture does not work and is known to provide false information off the testimonies of prisoners subjected to intense pain who are looking for any escape from their agony. I strongly believe that any form of torture where severe pain or bodily harm is being inflicted upon a prisoner is cruel and unnecessary, and should never be used regardless the cost. How as a nation can we terrorize prisoners who are often not convicted of any crime whatsoever without becoming terrorists ourselves. On that note, I believe that the only way to ever find any true information that would be useful to the protection of United States citizens is too utilize the basic human need to socialize. Through complete isolation, i believe that any person will grow so lonely that they will divulge their deepest secrets just to simply sustain a conversation. Hopefully lives can be saved without the taint of a persons suffering to sour the victory.
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