UN-Truth

Many valid points were made in a comment posted on the Angry Arab Blog in response to the NY Times article on two secret Justice Department memos we covered yesterday in our post U.S.: “Torture” is out, “combined effects” are in..

One of the most important is that torture does not extract reliable information from people who will say anything just to stop the pain and humiliation, and is thus not a good interrogation tactic.

The second is that this must stop.

Here is the comment from the Angry Arab Blog, in its entirety, from V:

” v said…

Tyranny and torture are bedfellows. It has always been this way and always will be. From the time of the ‘divine right of kings’ who claimed they were ‘ordained by God’, and hence able to torture enemies and their own people with impunity. The use of torture is always the mark of a tyrant, no matter who does, or where it is done.

It amazes me, that when state historians (in the sense of those who support their country, right or wrong) have at times even admitted that torture is a poor method. This is because when a person is tortured you can get them to confess anything just so the agony will stop - they will even confess they are a little tea pot if it will stop the pain. The attack on Iraq was in part justified through information based on torture (as a recent example). It is interesting that this article mentions KSM and his confessions under torture, but fails to mention that he confesses to so much, at times and places that are contradictory, that his whole confession is worthless - check the facts. It is a proven fact that much more humane methods produce the same results of information to be gathered.

One thing that always makes me wonder is why people who know what torture is for remain silent. It is a well known fact that torture is used TO GET THE CONFESSION THAT THE PERPETRATOR WANTS, WHETHER RIGHT OR WRONG. In this way cases are built (like the Iraq war, etc), so the perpetrator can say that he was right, and point to whatever signed document to justify what he has done or intends to do. During the time of kings, the torture many times was applied so the subject would cave in to the kings sovereignty and divine right to rule - by making the victim even cry for “mercy,” so that it could be claimed that he acknowledged the king in public.

Torture is meant to make the people cower under the severity of their king or conquerer - torture says the one who practices is so depraved, he will do anything to get his way. It is a form of control through fear over the people. Torture will ALWAYS produce the wrath of the people eventually, it is NEVER the harbinger of peace between men and nations.

For these reasons, amply grounded in history and experience, torture is never acceptable. It is always the denial of the humane treatment of fellow human beings. It is the exact opposite of the confession that “all men are created equal,” which this nation at least confesses on paper in it’s founding documents. Stop the torture NOW!”

Filed under: Torture