The word itself is torturous. One shrinks from the horror of one inflicting pain on another; unless, perhaps, it is depicted in modern films and arenas for some weird, vicarious catharsis. Whenever another child has disappeared we pray that he or she is not sadistically tortured, though we know there is little chance of its not happening when a molester, slaver, or kidnapper is himself obviously sadistic, such as depicted in Zarqawi’s blockbuster videos of beheading or in frightful confessions of serial killers.
Most of us, not having experienced its terror first hand, sit up and take notice of its political and military consequences when someone like John McCain takes the high road in reminding the administration that it should refrain from such practice, lest we pull ourselves down to the criminal level. Torture is always evil and should not be rationalized as necessary practice in order to save more lives by gleaning information from those who reportedly engage in the hideous practice. True, in an extreme case in which there is a race against time and the “bomb is ticking,” reluctantly such practice may have to be used when the prisoner is clearly privy to the operation, but it is not the decision of interrogators, but must come from higher up. In reality, however, most scenarios are not as dramatic, and usually the prisoner is only vaguely suspect without benefit of habeas corpus.
Proponents of the administration’s view are thus, because of instinctive revenge — an “eye for an eye.” Yet if Israel itself which invented the term can by its own supreme court strike down torture, it would appear that ninety senators have taken the road most traveled and that it will make a difference in behalf of the dignity of ourselves.
Copyright © 2005 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: November 20, 2005.
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