Comments on: Detainee Interrogation: A Road Not Taken http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/05/detainee_interrogation.html Secrecy News from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:31:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Josef http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/05/detainee_interrogation.html/comment-page-1#comment-3670 Josef Thu, 28 May 2009 11:46:31 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/?p=2542#comment-3670 @Steve: If your whole argument is "they do it too", then it's an invalid one. You don't torture because you're the united states and you have higher standards, for the same reason that you treat prisoners of war according to the rules, even if the other side doesn't. It is this moral standard that gives you high ground over the ideas and ideals of terrorists. If you do not share these moral standards, and believe that torture is a necessary evil in "times like these" (sic), then you are not just becoming like the terrorists, you become a terrorist. If a government does it, it turns from a government of law into a government of men. And besides, torture is among the most ineffective intelligence gathering methods. The overwhelming body of evidence summarized in history proves that torture is ineffective. Yes you get your confession, of course you do. Advocating torture means you're looking for a confession. Not truth. @Steve: If your whole argument is “they do it too”, then it’s an invalid one. You don’t torture because you’re the united states and you have higher standards, for the same reason that you treat prisoners of war according to the rules, even if the other side doesn’t. It is this moral standard that gives you high ground over the ideas and ideals of terrorists.

If you do not share these moral standards, and believe that torture is a necessary evil in “times like these” (sic), then you are not just becoming like the terrorists, you become a terrorist. If a government does it, it turns from a government of law into a government of men.

And besides, torture is among the most ineffective intelligence gathering methods. The overwhelming body of evidence summarized in history proves that torture is ineffective. Yes you get your confession, of course you do. Advocating torture means you’re looking for a confession.

Not truth.

]]> By: Steve http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/05/detainee_interrogation.html/comment-page-1#comment-3640 Steve Fri, 22 May 2009 15:31:26 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/?p=2542#comment-3640 I wish everyone arguing for prosecuting were captured and interrogated by terrorists. Then, if their heads weren't cut off, and after the scars healed, we could hear just how much nicer their methods are. I wish everyone arguing for prosecuting were captured and interrogated by terrorists. Then, if their heads weren’t cut off, and after the scars healed, we could hear just how much nicer their methods are.

]]> By: Reg http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/05/detainee_interrogation.html/comment-page-1#comment-3619 Reg Tue, 19 May 2009 00:56:53 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/?p=2542#comment-3619 We have the crime. We have the evidence. We have the confessions. What the hell are we debating? Google Kafka for Dummies - torture. We have the crime. We have the evidence. We have the confessions. What the hell are we debating? Google Kafka for Dummies – torture.

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