LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!
ENHANCED INTERROGATION - The Debate in recent days has heated up over whether or not enhanced interrogation techniques reportedly used to intimidate captured 9/11 terror suspects was legal or illigal, who approved using the techniques and who did or didn't approval their use, and whether or not those giving the OK to use these techneques broke and should be prosecuted under the laws stipulated in the Geneva Convention.
Everyone has their own opinion on what is considered to be torture and what isn’t. The big debate and focus seems to be on water boarding and whether this technique was or should be classified as “torture”. The other big debate is whether or not using these techniques yielded the expected results that in the end result saved countless lives at a time when the dust hadn’t yet settled from the brutal attack on the twin towers on 9/11 and the high expectations that another attack was eminent within days.
In recent days, the blame game has already begun on who knew and approved these interrogation tactics and who didn’t. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said recently that the “enhanced interrogation” techniques used on terror suspects described in declassified Justice Department memos released by the Obama administration last week had approval from congressional leaders in both parties. The Bush administration recalls taking the matter up with several Congressional Democratic leaders including Nancy Pelosi (D California) in which she claims she was told about the techniques but denies she was not told that the Bush Administration was actually going to use them. Of course she denies approving the use of these techniques. She like most other Democrats are running for cover as the debate heats up by denying the assertion that they knew anything about or approved the use of such interrogation techniques.
Now the Obama Administration and fellow democrats wants to take their off the ball where the economic and other pressing issues are concerned and are calling for what they always call for where believed Republican wrong doing is concerned, calling for a “special investigation” and maybe even a “special prosecutor” to investigate and prosecute those responsible in the Bush Administration for approving and using enhanced interrogation techniques against those who want to kill Americans and cause havoc to our way of life.
You make the call. Was the Bush Administration wrong in their approach to interrogation with respect to the Islamic radicals who to this day seek to do us harm? Is the Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership justified in pressing the issue they truly believe laws have been broken or because they want to simply to make a point or place the blame squarely on the Bush Administration and the Republican party when there are so many other pressing issues before us? And, did these enhanced interrogation techniques keep us safe and prevent further attacks following the 9/11 and for the last 8 years?
Labels: blame, bush administration, democrates, enhanced interrogation, nancy pelosi, obama, prosecute, republicans
posted by Randyz @ 9:58 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Well since the US prosecuted Japanese solders after WW2 and American solders in Vietnam for water boarding, it is illegal and the law applies to everyone, period. Even when it's unpopular and politically inconvenient, we are a nation of laws, truth and justice should out weigh the fear and hatred coming from the irrational right. And all the experts on this issue say that torture and water boarding doesn't even work and only produces bad intelligence and ruins any investigation, not to mention destroys our image in the world and serves as the biggest recruiting tool for our enemy, making America a lot LESS safe! So is giving up our moral standing in the world and abandoning our values and the rule of law really worth it? The price we pay to allow these tyrants to take revenge in our name is way too high. Even if torture did work, it doesn't matter, Americans don't torture! That's what makes us better than China, N Korea, Saudi Arabia and many other countries.
I think any solder that preformed water boarding or torture should be discharged immediately and they should feel lucky they aren't being criminally charged for following those orders. And any officer, politician or lawyer that justified or ordered it should be prosecuted for war crimes and given a sentence historically fair and consistent for the crimes they committed. Truth, justice and the rule of law cannot be selectively applied or pushed aside for anyone.
The bottom line is, if the intelligence strongly suggest an attack is eminent and US interrogators have a terrorist sitting in front of them that they are convinced has information that will thwart an attack and save American lives, what logically thinking American is going to condemn applying whatever pressure is necessary stop an attack and save lives? Laws are meant to be broken as they say and there are some laws that should be broken and this is one of them.
If that was ever the case someone would just break the law. But that has never been the case yet cause real life isn't like Jack Bower on 24. And you're assuming torture works, according to almost all the experts it doesn't. If torture worked it would have only been used once, not over a hundred times on certain prisoners. If someone is willing to die to for their cause I don't think torture is going to persuade them to do the right thing.
Post a Comment
<< Home