However, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reported (http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/111005/news4.html) November 10, 2005, that the day before, on November 9, 2005, Lott told reporters "that he had been talking about another Post article. He said he was not talking about the article about the detention and interrogation facilities."
That pretty much confirms that Lott either was misquoted, or retracted his statements. But I'm neither confirming, nor denying, the possibility.
but with all respect, this is not pertinent to the torture issue.
The hell it's not pertinent. It's pertinent because it provides perspective from which to view the issue of physical coercion during interrogation.
Michael, the people we have detained and who might either be in one of these alledged "secret prisons", or in Iraq under intensive interrogation, are illegal combatants engaged in a terror campaign against civilians (as well as coalition forces and Iraqi security), not children who have p*ssed off their parents by being naughty. They likely have been deemed of "special interest" for the knowledge they possess, not just some gunman involved in a terrorist act.
Yet, most human society tolerates, if not condones, FAR GREATER levels of physical violence in disciplining children (so long as no lasting marks or injuries remain) than we do with people trying to commit terrorist acts.
Again, I'm not advocating beatings/slappings during interrogation anymore than I am corporal punishment against children. But I am saying that sometimes they can be quite effective in obtaining the desired results. I know certainly never repeated my errant behavior.
However, neither should such methods be over-used, or excessive to the point of crippling the individual, or leading to death. That is DEFINITELY where I think a line has to be drawn, not out of respect to the detainee, but for the salvation of our own humanity.
What I'm trying to do is to present the issue with some perspective. Do you imagine many parents would respond favorably is the law told them that, in spanking their children, they were committing torture?
Come on now...
Hawk |
