« What Kind of a Humanist am I?
Main
Off to the Gezer Reunion »
November 15, 2005
Jimmy Carter on Torture
I've already reported on Jimmy Carters Op Ed piece in the Los Angeles Times . I want to take this opportunity to highlight one topic he touched on that I didn't quote or reference previously.
Of even greater concern is that the U.S. has repudiated the Geneva accords and espoused the use of torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, and secretly through proxy regimes elsewhere with the so-called extraordinary rendition program. It is embarrassing to see the president and vice president insisting that the CIA should be free to perpetrate "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment" on people in U.S. custody. [emphasis added]
To me, this is beyond embarrassing. I absolutely fail to see any rationale for thinking that one agency of government can use "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment" while others cannot. If it is wrong for the military, it is also wrong for the CIA. Separate from this piece of bad ethical logic, torture is evil. The hypothetical short fuse scenario aside, "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment" is never morally justified. Even in a short fuse scenario where many lives might be spared, such treatment is not justified unless there is evidence of two things: one, the person being tortured has useful information and two, he or she can be compelled to truthfully disclose such information. The second criterion may be hard to determine so, even here, the default must always be "do not torture."
A pragmatic note postscript: In a short fuse scenario, misinformation coming from anyone is likely worse than no information at all. Precious resources and time are spent chasing a lie, a lie motivated by a desire to see that the attack is successful, coupled with the desire to remove discomfort or pain of torture.
Posted by Duane Smith at November 15, 2005 2:39 PM | Read more on Current Events |
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.telecomtally.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1450
Comments
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.
Send me an email if it is important.