tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10249940.post1026242785113555333..comments2024-03-26T20:24:43.919-05:00Comments on Papamoka Straight Talk: We Need to Demand Justice Over Proof Bush Authorized TorturePapamokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611162290397820224noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10249940.post-68434857861712334072008-10-15T15:18:00.000-05:002008-10-15T15:18:00.000-05:00So, there we have it. The White House authorized t...<I>So, there we have it. The White House authorized torture.</I><BR/><BR/>Not really.<BR/><BR/>Is it torture to stick a man in an environment in which he will be raped by other men for years and years? I would say it is, but we do that every day.<BR/><BR/>The problem is that torture has to be defined and any definition is open to interpretation and negotiation. Oxford defines <A HREF="http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/torture" REL="nofollow">torture</A> as "the infliction of severe pain as a punishment or a forcible means of persuasion" and then <A HREF="http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/severe" REL="nofollow">severe</A> as "very great; intense". That's not very specific. Without any existing laws or treaties to provide boundaries, those in power get to define torture as they see fit.<BR/><BR/>Unless you know of a law or treaty that outlines exactly what is and is not torture, I don't think you can definitively say that a crime has been committed.<BR/><BR/>I, too, am against torture. It is only useful as punishment and Americans are supposed to be above that. We're not, but we're supposed to be.bullethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649812197402491992noreply@blogger.com