Enhanced interrogation is yet another euphemism that belies it’s real purpose and effect. War and especially modern warfare as practised in the United States and Western Europe is full of these poppycock descriptions for degrading human life. Let’s call a spade a spade and say that in our country it became okay to torture people whom we viewed as a threat to our national existence. The apologists for enhanced interrogation were policy makers at the highest levels of our government, including the President of the United States. When the images of this torture began to flood the media our then president described the situation as a few bad apples at the bottom. It’s now become apparent from recently released documents that the bad apples were at the top. The bad apples have now become hot potatoes because no one wants to cut to the quick and prosecute those who advocated and authorized the torture. On one side of the aisle allegations are raised that we threaten to further weaken the country and our ability to conduct intelligence operations which in effect are coveting our neighbor’s goods. Intelligence is yet another euphemism for spying and we spy along with the rest of the world because we are afraid of the other guys or gals.
I don’t want to tear the country apart with a witch hunt, but as a former member of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps and a person who at one time fell under the Geneva Conventions, I’d like to see U.S. soldiers, sailors and marines be afforded a measure of humanitarian protection in war zones. It’s more than ironic that most of the defenders of these practices never served our country. Once again its the chickenhawks who are squawking the loudest. How about a little enhanced common sense for a change? Why not a return to the Golden Rule? The phony Christians are often invoking our Judeo- Christian roots, then why not start acting like Judeo-Christians and loving our enemy and treating others as we’d like to be treated.
Turn the bad apples over to the International Criminal Court and let them deal with them and exonerate American and Judeo-Christian principles and protect soldiers, sailors and marines everywhere. That would be really supporting the troops.
The ultimate poppycock degradation of human life is abortion, loved by Democrats…they never saw an pro abortion measure they wouldn’t support. You call yourself Franciscan and cannot see the ultimate intrinsic evil of abortion!
Apparently from your distorted logic torture is okay as long as one is against abortion. Pro-life for you is apparently a singular issue, not part of a continuum that supports all life. All that God created is sacred and not just unborn children.
I can understand why you say that it’s illogical that someone would oppose abortion, but think torture was all right (not that I do). I think what this country needs is a dialogue. There is so much division and hate being spread by people on both sides of issues.
As for torture, there have been 775 detainees at Guantanamo since 2001, some of whom have been tortured. I am really on the fence on this. However, they never have been charged and it is, in the eyes of many, against the Constitution. It is definitely against what America has historically and traditionally done. I also know that one act of terrorism could destroy the lives of thousands. I know that one of the Franciscan charisms is hospitality. Perhaps you are better at this than me because I don’t think I would be comfortable having a released detainee living in my neighborhood. But God bless you that you would be more welcoming.
Then there is capital punishment. The number of executions since 1976 is between 1100 and 1200. These are people who have been convicted by the laws of this country and given much benefit of the doubt, but there may still be errors.
I see illogic in those who abhor torture, but think abortion is okay. When does a baby feel pain? Is it when saline is in its eyes? Is it when a surgical instrument slices into its body? More than 49,000,000 elective abortions have been performed in this country since Roe v. Wade. That number is astonishing. According to the most recent CDC stats, there are 246 abortions for every 1000 live births. One in 5 pregnancies ends in abortion. The baby has no choice when he/she is tortured and killed.
I think that ultimately all people need to take responsibility for their own actions. Murderers have to take responsibility and not say execution is inhumane; those who recklessly conceive children they don’t want need to be more responsible before conception; those who wouldn’t be caught dead in resale slacks, but instead run up credit card debt need to own up to their debts. Everyone wants perks, with no responsibility.
I’ve gone on much too long and am wandering off topic. After all this is your blog. Take care and God bless.
I abhor abortion too. As a Navy Corpsman I helped deliver dozens of children. I love babies and cannot bear the thought of people killing them. I don’t hunt animals either, but I don’t say other people can’t. I believe all that is created is sacred. Not everyone holds to that. I admit to being an idealist. You and I are having a dialogue and this is good and I hope that more of this can happen too. I agree our country is very divided on these issues. God bless you too. 🙂
I’m sorry, but water boarding, although unpleasant, is not torture. Neither is making someone put their underwear on their heads. It is considered extreme torture by those from within and without who hate America! Torture is filming the decapitation of an enemy soldier/civilian while shouting, “Ali Allah Achbar!” or pulling fingernails out with pliers, or sticking bamboo shoots under the nails.
No one hates war more than those of us who fought to preserve this nation’s way of life (spelled f-r-e-e-d-o-m).
Thank you for your service to our country, but if as you say, you spent your time in the military delivering babies, that does not automatically qualify you as an expert in the art of warfare.
But let’s not take my word for it, rather, let’s look at what Saint Francis has to say:
“The minister general [St. Bonaventure] said to us: Here are some anecdotes that Brother Illuminato who accompanied St. Francis on his visit to the sultan of Egypt told us:
…The same sultan submitted this problem to him: “Your Lord taught in his gospels that evil must not be repaid with evil, that you should not refuse your cloak to anyone who wants to take your tunic, etc. (Mt 5,40): in that case, Christians should not invade our land?” – “It seems,” Blessed Francis answered, “That you have not read the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ completely. In another place we read: if your eye causes you sin, tear it out and throw it away (Mt 5 , 29). Here he wanted to teach us that every man, however dear and close he is to us, and even if he is precious to us as the apple of our eye, must be repulsed, pulled out, expelled if he seeks to turn us aside from the faith and love of our God. That is why it is just that Christians invade the land you inhabit, for you blaspheme the name of Christ and alienate everyone you can from his worship. But if you were to recognize, confess, and adore the Creator and Redeemer, Christians would love you as themselves.”
St. Francis of Assisi
Omnibus of Sources
Thirteenth-Century Sources
Verba fr. Illuminati (Ms Vat. Ottub. lat. 522)
Golubovich, Biblioteca, vol. I, pp. 36-37
Waterboarding is torture, at least according to the Geneva Covention. John McCain, Jesse Ventura, and some other’s qualified to judge. I honor your service, but not your wisdom. I like this interview segment from the View recently where Elizabeth Hasselbeck questions Jesse. I think his statement almost mirrors my own sentiments.
Waterboarding prisoners of war, non-combatants etc. only endangers our own troops and removed the United States of America from the moral high ground we enjoyed up until the previous administration began this unfortunate practice. According to a recent interview with Senator McCain the practice actually recruited more terrorists than it stopped.
I would not be so quick to quote John McCain. Here is a man who endured real torture. Unfortunately, once he cracked under interrogation, he has never again been able to rediscover his bravery, much to the detriment of our military personnel.
As far as actually recruiting terrorists because of water boarding, that comes straight out of the mouths of the George Soros’s of the world! Even though the facts actually refute these absurd statements, many people continue to quote it because of the old adage, “repeat a lie often enough and people will eventually begin to believe it.” (as example; J. Edgar Hoover being a cross-dresser!)
Pax Et Bonum!
McCain, not Soros said that in a recent interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR493DAMIcM. Nothing I can say will convince you even the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.”
More recently Mahatma Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” It is simply a matter of common sense that your “eye for an eye” approach will yield the whirlwind.