A Case For Torture
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 8:03PM (FLP Opinion) - Because the Obama Administration has decided to treat terrorists as common criminals, the following scenario could play out at any point and time in this country:
A terrorist is captured with knowledge of a bomb plot that could kill thousands of Americans. He is promptly arrested, read his miranda rights and provided an attorney. He takes full advantage of his right to remain silent and we are unable to cull any information from him. Consequently, disaster strikes and thousands of Americans die as a result.
I've got another suggestion on how this situation should play out:
A terrorist is captured with knowledge of a bomb plot that could kill thousands of Americans. He is declared an enemy combatant and immediately flown to Israel where he is tortured until he provides verifiably accurate intelligence. Consequently, disaster does not strike and thousands of Americans lives are saved as a result.
Which is really worse? A) Torturing one scumbag who would like to wipe every American off the face of the earth, or B) Allowing thousands of Americans to die because torture is against "our values". If you answered A, you're just like the geniuses in our government - grossly out of touch with reality.
Contrary to what liberals want you to believe, torture does work. It's a fallacy to suggest otherwise and your own common sense should confirm this fact. Just how many of your teeth would they need to pull out with pliers before you started chirping about the battle plan? Likely not many.
Unfortunately, the current administration believes we are above such barbarian acts. It seems they are more than willing to bet the nation's very existence in order to hold to their pious value system.
If you think this makes you safer, you are sadly mistaken. It just makes the target on your back more visible.
Reader Comments (22)
Contrary to what liberals and the media would have you believe, the vast majority of Americans would agree with your assessment. You made a very sound case. The scumbag or us?
You're a conservative pig. This goes so much against what this country was founded on. The age of Obama is upon us. Deal with it or get the hell out of my country.
By the way, I a 25 year-old single female, so suck on it.
Take a hike you delinquent moron. This is about protecting the country and your rights to be a freaking idiot. You've clearly got that down to an art.
Hey Crunky......I'll bet my car keys you're pro-abortion and avidly support politicians, including Obama, who have voted in favor of keeping partial birth abortion legal. How does that jive with what this country was built on?
Oh yeah, regarding the age of Obama.....savor it while it lasts. Have you been following public opinion?
Yeah Herb, I'm pro-choice and I'm pro-late term abortion. It's my body you idiot. You'd love to tell what I can and can't do with it wouldn't you? Not going to happen you pig.
Obama will serve two terms and Acorn will help Dems win mid-terms. Don't you love it!
Hey Crunk,
Why don't you stop the name calling and defend your position. You sound like the petulant 18-29 year-olds who breathlessly vote Democrat, but have absolutely no life experience from which to draw wisdom.
If I may be blunt, you sound like a freaking moron. Thusly, you represent the Democrat Party you support marvelously well.
crunk, you dont mind islamic terrorists trying to blow up hundreds of citizens in "your" country? what kind of citizen are you? i laugh at the thought of obama getting 2 terms - he'll go down easily as the worst president in the history of the USA....the republican candidate will win by a landslide in 2012. and we're taking your food stamps away from you.
This is quite the site you have here. I can't really trace the sequence of steps that led me here, I think I came from Newsbusters, which is this funny alternate reality generator.
1. Torture is a powerful recruitment tool that Al Qaeda uses to swell its ranks.
2. Torture is extremely time sensitive. Once an operative has been captured, the information that he knows and its import to the battle at hand degrades quickly.
3. Torture turns this into the battle between a great nation of ideals and a monster into battle between two monsters. The genius of America is that we do not torture, we do not compel our citizens to live in fear, and we do not suppress civil rights that we do not agree with.
4. The years of fighting this war have taught us that the tactics of the ultraconservatives do not work. We need allies in the Middle East, and the way we gain the trust of those people is by showing them that we are different from the Taliban and Al Qaeda, that we respect human rights and human dignity.
Quite simply, torture might win us a few short term victories, (I admit that pliers and thumbscrews are compelling truth serums) but it will lose us the war.
Garland,
Thanks for the feedback. I agree with your thoughts on torture if the techniques were publicized for all to see, however, this would be done beneath the surface on only the most important occasions. The terrorists are going to hate our guts whether we torture them or not - it really makes no difference from my perspective.
In a perfect world, you may be right. In the world in which we live though, I believe my approach is more effective if done properly and covertly.
Hey Crunk
So torturing an enemy combatant that is not protected by Geneva convention laws, and could ultimately save the lives of American citizens is not ok with you, but killing a child in one of the most gruesome ways possible is well within your rights. Let me guess you are also against the death penalty.
Conservative Pigs,
Your backward ways are a thing of the past. I have turned several of my friends onto this reprehensible site and we will be visiting often to set you idiots straight. Now, a few comments directed at individuals:
Dan - I'm against the death penalty. I guess that makes me a pro-abortion, anti-death penalty lesbian doesn't it. Oh, and by the way, it's not a child until it is born.
Doug - The Muslim faith is far less dangerous to Americans than the Christian faith. One is a religion of peace and the other preaches violence and hate. I think we all know which is which.
CWC - You are obviously the blowhard that writes all this crap. You are truly a despicable person and your views are neanderthal at best. Do us all a favor and run your jacked up truck off a cliff with a full tank of gas - PIG.
Now, all of you can go straight to **** (publisher edit).
Hey Crunk
I find it funny that a progressive enlightened woman such as yourself would defend a religion that uses and abuses women to the extent that Islam does. You really don't care about women's rights it is really just about bashing the American male,, which is ok because we won't throw acid in your face, rape you in the name of our religion, kill you for the honor of our family, tell you what to wear,etc. Admit it it is far easier and safer to scream at us than it is to stick up for the rights of women in the middle east.
By the way if it isn't a child until it is born then why have men been arrested and charged under our justice system for murder for killing a woman and her unborn child?
Hey Crunk,
About those friends you promised to pass our way, please send along a few that can put a complete sentence together and defend their leftist positions somewhat articulately (clearly not an easy feat).
Your an amateur.
How on earth do you justify torture? Seriously, where have you been? Even that dumbass Bush said we don't torture, but not you. Nothing you suggest in your scenarios could ever legitimately occur - you simply use it to justify your absurd position.
Let me give you a scenario. The world hated our guts under Bush, now they love us again. That means more help, more assistance, more goodwill. If you idiots on the right would pull your heads out of your butts you might realize a lot of good as come from Obama being elected.
Fat chance that will ever happen.
Marcy,
If you think the scenarios that I painted are unrealistic, you're being intellectually dishonest. They are both very realistic, as is the possibility of capturing a terrorist who has knowledge of an intricate terrorist plot, but whom we can't interrogate because he has been read his Miranda Rights and lawyered up. What on earth is unrealistic about that? It could happen right now.
I could frankly give two cents if the rest of the world loves us. I care that they respect us and right now they do not. Of course, this is what liberalism begets.
The only people that I have noticed that seem to love us now are the intellectual elite of Europe. That being said we defend them, so they have to live with us whether they like us or not. As far as the real problem radical Islamist's will never like no matter who lives in the White House.
If you want to refute me please show some evidence instead of your own feelings and opinion's.
"...it's not a child until it is born." - Crunk
Another way to say this - what you can't see, can't hurt you.
Another way to say this - keep your head in the sand until the problem goes away.
This tells us almost everything we need to know about the simplistic 'me-first' liberal mindset.
I'm glad I happened on this site (from Newsbusters).
Torture is an absolute last option that shouldn't be used unless it's a case of national security. Sure, "progressives" say they don't torture... but they do. They torture the rest of us with incoherent blather and beliefs that are far beyond the scope of normalcy. I respect everyone's opinion, but the adults have to be in charge.