Just in case you're still not convinced regarding torture, here is a quote (via Andrew Sullivan's blog) from an American soldier, Matthew Alexander, who interrogated al Qaeda suspects in Iraq.
"The number-one reason foreign fighters gave for coming to Iraq to fight is the torture
and abuse that occurred at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo. The majority of suicide bombings are
carried out by foreign fighters who volunteered and came to Iraq with this motivation.
Consequently it is clear that at least hundreds but more likely thousands of American
lives (not to count Iraqi civilian deaths) are linked directly to the policy decision to
introduce the torture and abuse of prisoners as accepted tactics.
Americans have died from terrorist attacks since 9/11; those Americans just happen to be
American soldiers. This is not simply my view – it is widely held among senior officers in
the U.S. military today. Alberto Mora, who served as General Counsel of the Navy under
Donald Rumsfeld, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2008 that “U.S.
flag-rank officers maintain that the first and second identifiable causes of U.S. combat
deaths in Iraq–as judged by their effectiveness in recruiting insurgent fighters into
combat–are, respectively the symbols of Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo.” We owe it to our
troops to protect them from terrorist attacks by not conducting torture and we owe it to
our forefathers to uphold the American principles that they passed down to us"
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2 comments:
So are the terrorists/Iraqi/Afghani people feeling the same way about torture? When an American is captured and tortured (and you're lying to yourself if you think they aren't torturing us) are their people speaking out over it? Why is it only the left wing Americans who seem to be concerned with this? It's always those who have never served who think they know best. They beat the shit out of us,but heaven forbid they wear underwear on their heads, that's just inhumane, right?
Yes, it is inhumane. And I don't care if the Iraqi's or Afghani's give a rat's ass about torture. That is a *fault* of theirs, not an excuse for us.
Do you believe the U.S.A is the best place to live on Earth? I do. Why? Because we *DO* give a shit about whether we torture people or not.
I am sure that Americans, and American servicemen, have been tortured. That is a sad, horrible result of having gone to war. But it has nothing to do with the standards I believe America should uphold.
Why do only left-wing Americans appear concerned? Probably because right-wing Americans have decided that war is cool. Let's kick their ass! Let God sort them out! Fuck yeah, bring it on!
You want to live in a world where what matters is whether you can beat up the other kids? Great, go back to grade school.
You enjoy the fruits of civilization (like TVs, a job, fair courts, relatively efficient public services) because of two things. 1) Other Americans have laid down their lives to protect this country AND (and the right wing always forgets this one) 2) we have foregone physical intimidation as a means of politics.
Rather than ramble on, let me sum up for you: grow up.
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