On September 27 the House passed a piece of legislation that approves torture methods for the interrogation of terroist suspects. The legislation places restrictions on the type of torture that is to be used but its definition of "cruel and inhuman treatment" is very loose. In addition, the bill can deny detainees the right to legal counsel and habeas corpus. New York representative Jerrold Nadler believes that denying habeas corpus to detainees would be a mistake, in an interview he said: "This is how a nation loses its moral compass, its identity, its values and eventually, its freedom..." Bush is also pushing to protect CIA officials from prosecution for using "aggressive interrogation tatics."
Should we really be allowed to torture these people and take away the prospects of accountability? No one wants to live in a world with terrorists and terrorism, but terrorists are people too and according to Donelly the purpose of human rights is because we have a vision of human potential. "Treat people lioke human beings...and you will get truly human beings." Are we justified in torturing these people because we think they are bad people, that makes us no better than the Latin American governments of the 70s and 80s who tortured people because they thought they were a threat. Americans today are generally sympathetic with the victims of torture from the past, not with the torturers. With this passing of this legislation have we, as Nadler says "lost our moral compass?"
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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Yes. We have lost it... and if we keep going this route, it may never be found. Our country was founded on liberty and freedom for ALL. People want to come here from other countries to have the freedom to live, work and raise a family. People get on rafts to brave the ocean, risk dying, to get to the United States. We are the strongest country... going to other countries to fight 'the war on terror,' trying to be the peace keeper in situations, sending volunteers and aid around the world... so why then, must be resort to the level of the terrorists themselves? The strongest country... the country that people risk dying to get to... the country that is founded on freedom... has now said it is OK to torture. It's ok that we abuse people, but you, you terrorists, it's not. We have become hypocrits, maybe because our government decided to defend the actions of the CIA, instead of admitting they may have been wrong. But our country now has made it clear that we believe the ends justify the means ... whatever way we have to find the 'bad' people, the terrorists... whatever 'means' we need to do, we will do them... because the end result gets us what we want. John A. Boehner, a republican for Ohio stated that "It is outrageous that House Democrats, at the urging of their leaders, continue to oppose giving President Bush the tools he needs to protect our country." Gee... so, to 'protect our country' now, our president has to turn to forms of torture... I'm ashamed, and angry that people with such simple immoral minds are making decisions that go against the very nature and foundation of our great country. and what happened to habeus corpus? Anyone suspected of committing a crime is entitled to a trial... anyone arrested is entitled to a trial... our goverment is a democracy. We cannot shake the foundation of our country; our government is a democracy, one which believes in laws and legal proceedings - without such rights being upheld our country is no longer a democracy.
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