i know, i know….this debate has been beaten to death but i just can’t believe what is being thrown around out there!

at the end of this blog is an excerpt from the UN convention on torture; a document which ronald reagan signed. i disagree completely with torture and mostly with ronald reagan. i guess i just think it’s morally wrong. i don’t want our country to be in danger nor do i want our troops to be in danger and i feel if we commit torture we endanger or troops abroad.

i heard jonathan turley today in a video clip from hardball i believe it was and he made a much better argument than i could ever think of. essentially, torture is illegal. we signed treaties to that effect. we agreed to prosecute perpetrators of torture. (we’re not so good at holding our own accountable.) i’m disappointed in chris matthews and unsurprised by pat buchanan but i liked turley’s statements. this line was especially nice:

“so we‘re not supposed to be like Serbia, where we say, look, this just isn‘t a good time for us to investigate torture. it‘s an inconvenient thing. It‘s going to be divisive. None of that matters. under the treaties that we helped write, a country is morally and legally obligated…”

Article 1.
1. For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
2. This article is without prejudice to any international instrument or national legislation which does or may contain provisions of wider application.
Article 2.
1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.