Today I read yet another article about the European community wanting to prosecute former President George W. Bush and his high officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the torture that took place during his administration. Torture which his administration has yet to call torture. Torture which was rationalized by his administration as well as other scholars as not actually being torture. I have read letters and essays that grossly distort and rationalize things which if mentioned over the dinner table would take away even the meanest of appetites. Letters which make tying a man up to a board and pouring water over his face legal in the face of International law which strongly says otherwise. Whether or not he will be prosecuted is one concern I have, but more importantly I wonder how one wakes up in the morning and decides that torture is not really torture perse. How one wakes up and decides to buck standards our country has followed for years. How one wakes up and rationalizes actions for himself that he has condemned for others. How so many have in essence just said, "oh, you dog, you" chuckled a little and walked away.
The biggest rationale that has been offered is the "greater good" theory. That in this time of war where every American is at risk a every moment, waterboarding one man in order to save millions is justified. That in this time of war, in this new kind of war; this is the only way we will get information. My problem with this however is where do we stop with this rationale? How do we judge whether someone is evil enough or has enough information to justify torture? And if we begin justifying torture on non-Americans to serve the greater good, what will stop us from committing such aborations on Americans?? Now that may sound a bit far fetched especially in light of the fact that each of us have certain fundamental rights; but when you open yourself up to the idea of torture, the idea that you are actually doing something good and that its not even really torture, where do you stop? In my eyes this is exacerbated by the fact that even though those that have been detained or tortured are on the wrong side of justice, they were purposely placed where they would have no rights at all. I definitely don't propose that they have nearly the amount of rights Americans enjoy, but there are basic human rights that everyone should be entitled to. They were purposely placed out of the scope of any zone of justice so that anything could be carried out without consequence. This to me and to many is unconsciounable. Moreover most reports have show that such methods are not effective.
I think we have gotten over the fact that much of what is going on is not really in the name of 9/11 so I'll just skip over that piece. But I will just note that I was there, I was frightened, I am still nervous to watch any plane fly over any building; but I still oppose this method of "finding" information.
Secondly while I didn't find that John McCain was the right person to be President, and don't always agree with him; he is the perfect example of what comes of turture. We have all heard his story, we have witnessed the lasting wounds. Most of us at heart would consider him a good and honerable man in light of some of his politics. So, how many John McCain's are we or have we tortured? Many will say this is hardly a good example because McCain was fighting for the honerable ideals of America and not for radical Jihadists. But at the heart of it did McCain have any information? Was what was done to him humane in any way? Did those who were torturing him think they were fighting for their country's greater good. Those who we are fighting against may not be fighting for something good, they might be evil; but that doesn't give us the right to change our ideals because of who we are fighting against. We cannot change what torture is based upon who it is being tortured. When an act is wrong it is wrong for all. And when we as a country give ourselves authority to bend the rules based upon who we are fighting, it opens the door for us to bend and get rid of the rules whenver they do not suit us. And that is a beginning to an end.
Lastly, as a Christian I am tought to love and to forgive. That doesn't mean that I can't fight for myself or for others, but it does mean we still adhere to righteous principles. It does mean that we are to be salt and light to the world. That when people look at us they will hopefully see the God in us. Many of the positions the Right and many Republicans are supposedly based upon Christian principles. I won't comment on those now - but I will say that torture is not light. It is not making us appealing as a nation, it is doing the exact opposite. I don't think it shows the God in anyone, or that it could be attached to Christ in any way. I know as professionals that we sometimes have to set aside some of our ethics for the roles we play, but do we set them aside enough to allow torture? And of all things how does one say that God has called them to do this?
Well that was a lot for a first post, hopefully they won't all be so serious. I know that we are moving away from this standard, from this expansion of power; but there are still many who are proponants and I hope they consider the effects of their actions.
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