12 February 2008

Jon Stewart - Torture Talk

I am so glad a reporter finally asked the question! If it has been considered torture for centuries and we convicted people for it after WWII, why is it not considered torture now? Finally!

The response is typical: Evasion, redirection and refusal to state an opinion. Our representatives are acting like criminals and attorneys at the same time. Is this what we are supposed to teach our children to aspire to? Should we teach them to operate in self-serving ways, be evasive in public and never take responsibility for their actions?



Ted Kennedy: Would waterboarding be torture if it was done to you?

Michael Mukasey: ... I would feel that it was.

Mike McConnell: Being a water safety instructor and teaching people to swim, he said. “Well, what about if water goes up your nose?” And I said that would be torture. That would be very painful to me.

Unidentified Reporter: American prosecutors actually obtained convictions against Japanese after WWII because of what they did to American captives. What about it—makes it not torture now? Is it just the circumstances?

Tony Fratto: I don’t think that’s a question I can answer… I'd refer you to DOJ on that.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The defense of torture is ridiculous and sad.

To answer the question from that reporting--what has changed is that we were once an example of justice in the world and now we are a mockery of it.

MakeTraffic said...

Hi Erik, Thanks for visiting my blog and your words of encouragement. It means alot to me! Cheers! Maketraffic

Erik said...

Aptly put Andy. We are now an example of what goes wrong when a populace does not pay attention and demand accountability.

My hope is that there will be a morning when Americans will rise with a sudden sense of responsibility and a drive to act on it.