I've never been one to deny that my country is flawed. People tend to get angry with me for
my opinions on what standards the United States should hold itself to due to its self-claimed title as World Power. One of the many issues that truly makes my skin crawl is that of torture. We all know that it has been a means of intelligence for some time in our society, but is something that many people like to think of as a necessary evil. I disagree. Human Rights Watch is calling for the investigation of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and George Tenet due to their involvement with the torture programs going on in the United States' military. There has been scandal after scandal where torture has been uncovered on our own bases, in which people are enraged and saddened across the country. But, never enough to take a real stand against it. The United States is not holding up its end of the bargain in relation to the Convention on Torture. We, of all people, should understand that it is not okay to cause people increased discomfort and pain just for the sake of information or even pleasure. It is truly uncanny to me that this has gone on so long without there being some great uproar.
You may ask what human rights this violates. Torture violates many human rights including: security of person, protection against torture and cruel and inhuman punishment, and humane treatment when detained or imprisoned. Security of person just falls under the right for a person to have dominion over their own body and self and not be in fear of forced pain or discomfort. Protection against torture and cruel and inhuman punishment is incredibly straight forward and this is a direct violation of this right in every aspect. The third is easy as well because to be tortured you typically have to be in the custody of the country or group who are inflicting it.
Torture is not okay. It never will be. To torture any person is to insinuate that they are somehow less of a person than another. We are all humans. If you do not want something to happen to you then you should not treat another human in kind. Everything about the former American torture policy is wrong and those that put it into action should have to answer to it in some way. The United States is not just some normal country, we have taken on the name and responsibilities of a World Power, of the Hegemon. We must hold ourselves to a slightly higher standard as an example and as what some would considered the moral standard. We cannot expect any more than what we give and act of ourselves. I believe that President Obama should call these men out for their follies and wage an investigation into it. Treating humans as pawns is not in the American Way or the Way of the World. Everyone must learn that at some point.
Do you believe that torture can be justified? Is it okay because the US is the top dog or should the US be even more against it because it is? Why do people treat it so lightly in the Untied States? Why do they not rage against it as most would think necessary?
Torture is not only wrong it is not psychologically sound. Causing pain when one refuses to perform an action rarely causes them to tell the truth, rather whatever the torturer wants to hear. Using water-boarding you could make every college kid on this campus admit to being a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question it seems to be a mindset of two things, 1) that it keeps everyone safe from the scary world and 2) that its not happening to them. If one were to be suspect and exposed to the forms of torture mentioned.... pretty sure they would have more outrage toward the subject.
Torture has been used for a long, long time to gain information for every government and sometimes even NGOs. However that does not make it right. As for the case of the USA (especially since 9/11), it has been viewed as acceptable (some even believe necessary) to prevent future attacks. Even the people who are morally against it do not take a stand b/c of the fear that exist. Also, the new labels that we have placed on torture, such as enhanced interrogation, has made it easier for people to pretend like it isn't happening.
ReplyDeleteI respect your opinion ; but, I do believe that some of the severe interrogation systems that is being utilized by the United States is justified. When you detain a person that has been verified to be a terrorist that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians. Men and women that mutilate decapitate and kill indiscrimintley loose their rights to be treated as human being. They are no different than an animal. Think of this example. If a person that has brutally killed your brother is captured and you know that he has information that will save the life of your mother, father and sister would you use the methods of interrogation used by the United States to retrieve information from this animal(I mean terrorist)and save the life of your family? Or is it better to stand outside a U.S. military base and protest that the United States is commiting torture and fight to have this terrorist released so they can kill more women and children and your family? I believe this to be a good question and one that makes you think. I just wonder what the families of the innocent people killed on 911 feel about this issue.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your theory is that, regardless of how they act, we should never allow ourselves to lower to that level. We must be the better people and act according to our own values rather than theirs. We did sign several international documents saying that inhumane treatment of detainees would not occur in our facilities. I refuse to think of a person, terrorist or not (by the way not all of them are confirmed terrorists, some are just suspected), as an animal.
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