Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (382737)	5/5/2008 9:08:17 PM
From: RetiredNow	Respond to of 1574478

Well, I'll tell you the issue of torture is a tough one, because like you said, I'm sure there are Jack Bauer moments. I hate the idea of torture. However, if I was in that situation and I was convinced of the person's guilt and that they held knowledge that could save thousands of Americans, I'd probably smack them around a bit myself. So I can see where this idea comes from. Hell, I could guarantee I'd smack them, if my family was at stake. Having said that, what scares me most is that if we allow it, then the next on the list could be American citizens, for all the best of intentions. Then an evil President could go after his own enemies using the same excuses. A very slippery slope indeed. Anyway, this one is a tough one to debate. If you had caught me on any day from 9/11/2001 to 2004, I would have agreed with you 100%. But I've changed quite a few of my opinions as I've watched this President make mistake after mistake and dig this country deeper into the hole. What's funny is that if you were to go back to prior to 2004, you'd find that most of my posts were very similar to yours. Something in me has changed since then. Don't know when it started, but I believe it started with my loss of respect for Bush and Cheney.

To: i-node who wrote (382737)	5/8/2008 12:33:50 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574478

It is a fairly well known concept that if we don't aggressively protect our citizens from the government, we can very quickly find ourselves in a situation where the constitutional guarantees we have are rolled back and adulterated. It can happen with surprising swiftness, even in a country with a strong tradition of valuing human rights like the US. I guess it could happen, but even if it did (e.g., the internment of Japanese Americans), they country acknowledges it and fixes the problem within a reasonably short span. This country did not make amends with the Japanese American community until the 1980s.....30 years after the offenses. You consider 30 years "a reasonably short span"? I wonder how many Japanese Americans who were in camps would agree with you.