Tortured Logic

I can't believe this country is even debating the topic of torture.

Here's what we know:

1. Torture often leads to "false positives" in the intelligence world. In short, a person will admit to anything, even something that is not true, to stop the infliction of severe pain or fear. The prisoner will especially admit what he or she thinks the torturer wants to hear.

2. Military leaders cringe at the idea of our side torturing because it opens up our troops to being tortured. Having American troops tortured is a bad thing.

3. TORTURE IS IMMORAL!!!

The Geneva Convention was established as a world-wide contract between nations acknowledging that the practice is immoral and agreeing not to do it to each other. If you think about it, that worldwide contract can be boiled down to an application of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The idea that we are dealing with savages who "want to kill innocents" and therefore must torture to "win the war on terror" is a ridiculous argument. It dismisses the importance of maintaining morality in a struggle, lowers our nation to the level of cold-blooded killers and compromises our principals.

I am not willing to compromise our principals. Our values have been our biggest asset in every struggle we have encountered, have kept us above the dirt as much as possible in war and has served as an inspiring example.

It offends me that this country tortures. I know we torture because this debate continues. Our new Attorney General won't say water boarding isn't torture. Bush says we don't torture, but he is evasive and vague when pressed about what he means by torture and has defined torture in various memos (written by YOU Mr. Gonzales) that essentially allow it. (The Geneva Convention is NOT quaint, Mr. Gonzales!!)

A president with any morals would step up and shout to the world, "this country does NOT torture under ANY definition of the term; our methods are and will continue to be moral and we will ALWAYS err on the side of humane treatment. We welcome the Red Cross into EVERY detention area we hold. We will never torture because it is wrong, unjust and unbecoming of a civilized people and because we refuse to win dirty!"

Anyone who suggests that the above statement from a president would embolden the enemy is foolish. If anything, such a statement would make clear that America would hold the moral high ground, which is every bit as strategically important as holding a hill in physical battle. Our enemies would cringe at the reestablishment of American moral authority.

Such a statement would do a lot to re-establish some moral authority and take off some of the smudges from our previously white hat.

For God's sake, why is this even being debated? America is supposed to be better than this.