About torture

Can a society allowing torture of a fellow human being call itself a civilized society? Can a government approving torture of a person, no matter who he or she is, call itself better than any other totalitarian regime that does that? In Senator McCain's word "it's not about who they are, it's about who we are". A letter (from more than a dozen retired officers, including generals, admirals and former prisoners of war) said, in part, "The abuse of prisoners hurts America's cause in the war on terror, endangers U.S. service members who might be captured by the enemy, and is anathema to the values Americans have held dear for generations."

If our administration, who talks so much about morality, God, and values, is so righteous, why do they need an exemption on torture ban for CIA, why does the White House threatens to veto a proposed torture ban legislation? John Hutson, a former admiral who is now president of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H. cautioned that if the United States fails to get its act together with regard to the humane treatment of detainees, we will "have changed the DNA of what it means to be an American."