American Torture

Torture is abhorrent. And yet it goes on. For a website that keeps current info on what we ourselves are doing try looking at American Torture. It may be true that there will always be those who cross the boundary, but there should always be willing to step up and protest against torture or the threat of torture. The site is a first step and together perhaps we can take more.

Pinochet's death

I think we should find things to celebrate in the life of every person who has died. But about the most I can say on the death of Pinochet is that I won't be travelling to dance on his grave. But only because that is more trouble than it is worth.

Terrorism and Crimes

Terorism is something that humans do. It's not surprising. But it should be condemned. There's an analysis over at Mixing Memory that I'd recommend.

No more female genital mutilation

It is certainly not a tenet of Islam and only practiced in a few areas where Islam is the predominant religion, but outlawing the practice is long overdue. Congratulations are due for the scholars who finally took the step to label female genital mutilation as what it is. And it is just plain wrong.

Torture is a moral issue

To raise your voice against torture go to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Need I say more?

Torture and the truth

Molly Ivins is a better writer than am I. She has a recent editorial that truthout has placed with some other's on the same subject. In the Christian tradition there is a saying that the seed of the church is the blood of the martyers. Acts has a passage or two about one person being persecuted and because of that the believers spread the word to a number of different places. What's going to happen to the reputation of the U.S.A. when the blood of those tortured is the seed of many stories? I pray for my country.

Fair Trials

I always thought that it was an american tradition that we have fair and open trials. Wasn't that one of the thing about which we complained that brought on the American Revolution. I know it's not always been done - we haven't always lived up to our ideal of a fair and open trial, but to see the national government blocking information as it has done in Guantanomo is egregious. But some of the information is coming out. A federal judge has ordered the pentagon to identify detainee abuse cases. We shouldn't have had to have a trial to get this done, but better to start working on doing the right thing later than to never do it at all.

Not in my tradition

The Traditional Values Coalition supports Bush's redefining what can be done to those in custody? I'm sorry, Bush's proposals are not the values with which I was raised. Allowing the waterboarding and stress positions is something I thought we didn't do in the U.S.A. Please don't take this the wrong way, but if those are your traditional values, then those values need to change.

Torture, yes it is torture

The President is just plain wrong. The techniques that he wants to allow are torture. It's not just wrong morally, it is wrong because torture is ineffective. People who are tortured will end up saying what they think the torturer wants to hear. We are, supposedly a light to the nations. I could quote several presidents, many statesmen and people from before we were a nation if I wanted to look it up. But it is just wrong. For a good analysis of the latest speech go to Balkinization.

Torture

There's a good article at truthout on Bush's speech about the secret CIA prisons and torture. There are moral questions about torture, there are ethical questions about even going near to torture and threats, there are legal questions with us being signatory to several treates such as the Geneva Accords and then the question of whether torture even works. If we are to be a light to the nations, then we need to not only avoid torture but the appearance of condoning torture. It seems this administration thinks rhetoric will serve as a shield. At best the rhetoric is a shield of tissue paper.

Torture

I found out about what would happen if Al Queda took President Bush's rules on torture. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish for pointing me to this direction.