Re: a dumb query? pls humor me
On 2 Apr, Steve Lamb wrote:
> judd@wadsworth.org wrote:
>> Since some of the al-Qaeda and taliban prisoner's were in fact denied
>> their GC protections, by being tortured, mistreated, etc., it's
>> pretty obvious that the "QCs don't apply" provision was the
>> operational part of this order, and not "taken out of context quite
>> badly". It's more reasonable to conclude that the other language was
>> included as whitewash.
>
> Tell you what, if you honestly believe that then how about we just
> mirror what the other side is doing.
>
> Since we've already gone the torture route let's parade them in
> the media as denouncing how peaceful a religion it is they follow,
> explain how their homelands are festering cesspools of hatred and
> violence and then, after all of that, behead them, making sure to get
> a close-up of their faces as they drown in their own blood as it
> gushes from their jugular and down their throat. Both of those are
> against the GC as well.
>
> ...
I find the actions of these terrorists just as abhorrent as you do.
I strongly reject the notion (apparently your opinion) that as long as
we're not as bad as them anything we do is okay. Why not chop the arms
off of murderers? After all, that's not as bad as killing them. Of
course the people who carry out acts of terrorism are despicable. I, for
one, don't want to lower our military and/or legal officials, to their
level. We shouldn't torture them or lock them up (including some
who may be innocent) and throw away the key. They should be captured
(possibly killed in the attempt if they resist), tried, convicted, and
sentenced.
> You want to call it white-washing, fine. But before you do head
> on over to <http://www.consumptionjunction.com/> and sit through all
> the beheading videos from beginning to end to remind yourself about
> the leagues of difference between simulated drowning (AKA
> waterboarding) and real drowning in one's own blood. One of the two
> gets to walk away from the ordeal. The other has his severed head
> sitting on his chest. Only after seeing what those people have done
> might have some perspective.
>
I have plenty of perspective. I chose not to lower my standards, or
the standards that our government should follow, because of the actions
of others. And I believe that a majority of Americans would agree.
Not to mention that such actions are counterproductive. If someone
is tortured into confessing to a crime, it is always suspect. If that
person did not commit that crime, the wrong person is convicted of
it, and the guilty party goes free.
Look at the damage that Abu Ghraib has done to the standing of the
US in the world. And to our soldiers still fighting in Iraq. As one
soldier wrote on learning of it (I'm paraphrasing since I don't have the
source here, it was in Newsweek), "F**k, ... we're teaching them that
if they surrender, they'll have electrodes attached to their genitals
...
-Chris
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| Christopher Judd, Ph. D. judd@wadsworth.org |
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