http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/09/17/torture-tool-fight-against-terrorist-groups-like-isis/1Tfqfk1Amck7Rh9kEra8IN/story.html
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I find torture to be extremely drastic in any angle perceived and I couldn't imagine myself torturing someone's life. Although, I am for torture after I saw a movie called "Prisoners". In the movie, two young girls are kidnapped by a psychotic member of a certain killing group and one of the girls' father gets his hands on the prime suspect; thereafter inducing torture. Even though I couldn't think of torturing someone, I would not think about it for a second if I had my hands on the person who kidnapped my child. At a moment of desperation as humans we will try to do anything to make it better and although it's gruesome I believe torture is justified. In all, I would much rather go to jail for committing such thing towards finding my child than live the rest of my life wishing I could've done something.
ReplyDeleteIs torture ever justified? Yes. We still live in the world of an eye for an eye. Mess with mine, I'ma mess with yours.
DeleteI agree with Sugar, eye for an eye. I feel and think that if a persons kills another person then the killer should be killed t b e same way. For example, if a mother drowns her son/daughter then the mother should also be drowned, and not get away with murder by saying they are depressed or possessed. This would maybe stop all these babies being killed by their own mother/father.
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ReplyDeleteToday, I believe that torture should be used in a "ticking time bomb" situation. If the person is guilty, and lives are at stake, then torture should be a real option. I plan to revisit this post in the future after more research.
Who is to say what is justifiable? What if the person that you think knows something but they really do not? What if someone was using torture on you? Two wrongs do not make a right. It may be necessary sometimes with terrorist or something like that but it is NOT justified.
DeleteI agree with you LaToya. My spiritual believes tells me that torture is not acceptable for anyone. Like the article said, that person could be telling you a lie so his torture would stop.
DeleteI agree LaToya and Dena. Two wrongs do not make a right and my spiritual beliefs tell me as well that torturing someone is not the way. Torturing someone for information should never really be an option. Torture can not be justified by any answer. There has to be a better way to get information from someone without nearly killing them.
DeleteI agree with you ladies, torture can never be justified. My spiritual beliefs also tell me that torturing is not the way. There is other ways to retrive information.
DeleteI agree with you Rebecca because I've always been taught that torturing a person is not the way to get the truth.
DeleteBillie, I undrstand that at the present time, the terror attacks we are happening around the world are very frightening. Torture could be an effective way to obtain tangible information from a criminal, however torturing another human being is inhumane and cruel, and there is no guaranty the accuracy of the information.
DeleteI totally agree Dinorah. My sentiments exactly. There is no justification , especially when torture only works sometimes. Better methods are greatly needed for securing information.
DeleteOk, torture is probably never justified. We already have Capital Punishment and we shouldn't have to torture by any means to collect whatever information we think we may need.
DeleteI think there is a fine line with torture for information. The article does have a valid point such as torturing someone to save lives, but many times once the confession if obtained it still has to be validated. I admire Republican Sen. John McCain, who is a survivor of torture during the Vietnam War, and his response to the release of the CIA torture report caused me to rethink my beliefs on torture. In his speech, Mr. McCain said torture "produces more misleading information than actionable intelligence" and "Our enemies act without conscience. We must not." These statements are true and powerful and I think torture is not a justified means to an end.
ReplyDeleteMarianna, I agree with you. Torture doesn't promise a true answer, the subject could be telling you what you want to hear but its not necessarily the truth. Your right torture is not a justified means to an end.
DeleteNo, torture is never justified. At least on this segment. If you're going to kill me, kill me. Surely the torture will kill me anyway. So don't delay.
DeleteI agree with you Marianna. Torture should never be the answer. You're torturing on chance. There's a possibility that the enemy is lying to you. I just don't think you can trust someone who you're trying to torture to gain info from.
DeleteIt is never moral to justify any kind of torture, but when it comes to having lives at stake, I am with torturing a person for information in stopping something so catastrophically that's about to happen, like a bomb in the middle of a busy city. For instance like President Bill Clinton's response in the article, gave a similar answer: “Every one of us can imagine the following scenario. We get lucky and we get the number three guy in Al Qaeda, and we knew there’s a big bomb going off in America in three days and this guy knows where it is. Don’t we have the right and the responsibility to beat it out of him?” Well, it makes one wonder, America has dealt with a number of threats ever since the 9/11 act & I am with keeping our country safe. If that means beat the answers out of a terrorist to get to the bottom of question or major concern, then torture is fine with me. Another example would also be if you have family, and one of your children get kidnapped, what would you do? Would you take matters into your own hands or let the authorities have at it trying to crack the case? There's a movie called, "Prisoners" that could elaborate my thoughts on this subject more. If you're familiar with it then you would understand why torturing would be moral then.
ReplyDeleteTorture can never be justified. In the article Jeremy Bentham constructed a scenario in which it is permissible to torture someone if the outcome is for the greater good. One life compared to a hundred is a landslide. I do not think torture is a good tactic to get information because for the one who is being tortured, he or she would say anything to be left alone. Not only that but what if the civilian being tortured has nothing to do with a terrorist attack. Or imagine the civilian died in the process of being tortured. Then nobody benefits from this unjust act. Since we live in an age where our technology and science is so advance. Can not one chemist experiment with some type of truth serum that forces the brain to spill the beans on everything it knows from the long to short memory banks in our brains?
ReplyDeleteTorture is never justified. No matter what one has done or said, torture is horrible. Whatever the circumstances, it is not human. I understand if you are trying to get something out of a criminal, but what if someone really does not know anything? You are just torturing them for nothing.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that torture is acceptable in any situation. just because one country believes it works don't mean we should try it. it' morally and ethically wrong. it's very inhumane I don't believe its acceptable. what if the person is telling you anything to stop the pain or just lying through their teeth. it's not natural and no one deserves it no matter how sick they are.
ReplyDeleteNo, what is "inhumane" is thousands of lives wiped away within a 2 hour window in of the most iconic cities in the United States! September 11th 2001, was and forever will be one of America's worst days. Do you think those terrorists cared about being humane and gave even over a second's thought about the lives they destroyed. Not only the victims, but other people that lost their mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters! flash forward nearly a decade after this tragedy and we still have not found the responsible party! (Osama Bin Laden) when you ask me if torture is necessary, I will say absolutely! It has been done for years and years and it is proven to be successful and a solid tactic in gathering information from people that want to bring destruction and terror to our nation and homeland. Slavery was different, those people were definitely mistreated....my opinion on torture is only for people that are creating terror and withholding information that could bring danger and death(s) to the United States. We should never negotiate with terrorists! Ever!
DeleteThank you.
I believe you make a very good point. When there are lives at stake, when it is your child that has been kidnapped, what would you do? I would do whatever was necessary. Why should I care about that person who is withholding information, allowing lives to be lost? Lucia, you are right the terrorist did not care about the victim.
DeleteI appreciate your support..:-)
DeleteI appreciate your support..:-)
DeleteI agree with Amaris. The person you decide to torture could probably care less about what happens to anyone. He/she could be lying to you just to mess with you. Trusting the information you get from someone you're looking to torture could be a huge risk. I guess it just depends on how much trust you really have in them.
DeleteDepends on the definition of torture. If a child is raped and murdered, don't we want the criminal to die a slow death so he can feel the pain that the child succumbed to? I believe that in some instances torture is worthy. Susan Smith from SC - drowning her 2 young boys, then proclaiming to the world that a black man car jacked them. I believe she should have been sentenced to death by drowning, not life in prison for filicide. So, depending on the instance, is depending on whether or not I belive torture is justified.
ReplyDeleteTorture is a reliable action to take when life's are at stake. the only time torture should not be used ,is when it is used to hurt an innocent human being. But I find nothing wrong with torture being used to get information that can save millions or just one person. so I believe torture should continue against the enemy in order to keep our people safe.
ReplyDeleteHow are we to know the person being tortured has any useful information? What if the wrong person was captured and tortured? We cannot torture everyone to get the information we need. We also have to think about Americans in other countries who have been captured and tortured just because they are Americans and think they can get military secrets out of them.
Deleteyou are right, we don't know if the person has any useful information, but that is why I said enemies and our enemies are the ones that are trying to bring our country down. So we should not take any risk by assuming that the enemy might not have any useful information.
DeleteIf the wrong person is tortured, it is because the people responsible for torturing the individual did not get a sufficient amount of evidence to truly find the person responsible or someone with useful information. This is why there is a need for torture warrants if torture is going to be utilized in emergency situations. This way, we do not use methods of torture on those who do not have useful information and the government can confirm whether the individual has information or whether the individual is actually involved with terrorist activities against the country.
DeleteTorture away. The fact of the matter is, torture is a device used by military and yes police force. Not all forms of torture are physical. There is psychological torture meant to undermine individuals to get information. I believe that if torture is used for a positive gain, then it should be used as a tactic to obtain necessary information.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response. Military and police do use physical and psychological torture to get the answers they want. It shouldn’t be allowed, it gives a bad image to the country. The author in the article did say there could be an exception if there was a bomb threating the whole country. In a drastic situation like that, I would considered torture.
DeleteUnfortunately we cannot have it both ways. We can't make an exception for one instance and say we went to far in another. Bad image to the country? Seems to me that this country has a bad image in many areas. police killing innocent people and not being punished for instance. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't.
DeleteStormy, I totally agree with you. Unfortunately our country does have a bad image for torture and in police brutality. Getting back to the subject of torture, I don't think its justified, especially when our government is using it, to me that is another excuse for others to torture us Americans.
DeleteIn reference to the article I am too opposed to torture. Many law enforcers do abuse the power they have over people. Torture is still used in this country in order to get an answer to help solve the case or situation. I do believe there are other options like using a lying detector. The author did state that it would be an exception if it was a national emergency like bombing the whole country. In that case, I would too considered that option.
ReplyDeleteHow can you oppose torture but it is ok when the country is at stake? Those are just statements that impliment fear into the people within the country to say it is ok. There is a high possibility that it would not occur unless it was a plot within it's own system.
DeleteLie detectors are extremely accurate, but that is only when the operator is asking the RIGHT questions, this would mean we would have to have some sort of knowledge of what we are asking before the lie could be detected. So in your opinion one form of torture is more justified than the other kind of torture. How contradictory can one be? Listen, torture has worked in the past in all the cases it has been tested in a war setting. Now, when an officer does it because he has a power high...that, yes I agree is completely unjustified.
DeleteIs torture justified? Of course not. Who wants to be tortured? Nobody. Law officials, parents, slave owners, spouses, or animal owners (just to name a few) are not supposed to torture, but it happens. We cannot abuse our power to get others to act the way we want them to. Torture is barbaric and we should be able to get "information" without the atrocious ways we often obtain to get that information. Would you want to be tortured in any way? Neither would I.
ReplyDeleteIs torture justified? Of course not. Who wants to be tortured? Nobody. Law officials, parents, slave owners, spouses, or animal owners (just to name a few) are not supposed to torture, but it happens. We cannot abuse our power to get others to act the way we want them to. Torture is barbaric and we should be able to get "information" without the atrocious ways we often obtain to get that information. Would you want to be tortured in any way? Neither would I.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well with your opinion Ms.Sugar. I would not like to even think of being tortured but as for those who are in a higher ranking and have the power, it gets over their head and becomes overwhelming.
DeleteI totally agree with you Sugar. Even in our history, forms of torture are never held at high standard or presented in a good light. Slavery, the holocaust, how women have been treated in history just to start off the list. Torture is inhumane. Some people may have thoughts of wanting to torture someone, but some thoughts should remain mere thoughts.
ReplyDeleteColbie..... That is absolutely correct, torture is not the right albeit sometimes effective in terroristic situations. It is just not the right solution
DeleteThe holocaust, slaves, the police, these things are not what the article was about. It was about stopping a situation were thousands of lives were to be lost due to terrorist bomb. There is a bomb to go off and flatten Dallas, would you say "please, tell us" or work it out of the terrorist?
DeleteIf a bomb is to go off and flatten Dallas, torturing the terrorist is not going to make them talk. Terrorists hate America, so they will be honored to deliver a bomb or fly a plane or two into a tower on American soil. They're ready to die for "the cause" and that's what they are most looking forward to. Torture is not going to make them say anything.
DeleteSugar, you do have a point there. If they are willing to die for a cause, they're not going to say a word. Torture would most likely not work on these people. I also believe that some might have even been put through in -depth training not to talk.
DeleteThe fact of the matter is that although torture is not the best answer, its always going to be used in some form or another to get answers. Humanity has always preyed on weakness of others, either physically or mentally. Those seeking power will always use it as a method to get ahead. It may not send the best message, but it does send a clear message. Of course no one wants to be tortured. So what's the right answer? If a person means to do harm first is it justified then? I think it would be an issue of circumstance.
ReplyDeleteI believe that torturing someone is a 50/50 risk. We shouldn't torture someone to get something from them. You don't know what the outcome will be. The person you decide to torture may not care anything about the situation at all.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe in torture, especially if it's a situation with a "ticking bomb". I would rather torture one person and get the answers I need, to save a hundred people. Even if we capture someone overseas that we're in a war against, I definitely think torture should be considered. They torture Americans so why shouldn't we torture them right back?
ReplyDeleteI am reading the comments on torture. Many of us don't believe in torture at all but you believe in the death penalty. I agree with Latoya when she says two wrongs don't make a right. But isn't sitting someone on death row for years and years or any amount of time awaiting their death torture?
ReplyDeleteSitting on death row for years with today technology would be torture. So we should cut down the wait time.
DeleteI couldn't agree more Billie Jordan. I'm all for cutting down the wait time for sitting on death row. It is torture I guess to have an actual date set for when you're going to die. Death row inmates need one year to reflect on their unforgivable crimes and be put down and no longer breathe our air.
DeleteI couldn't agree more Billie Jordan. I'm all for cutting down the wait time for sitting on death row. It is torture I guess to have an actual date set for when you're going to die. Death row inmates need one year to reflect on their unforgivable crimes and be put down and no longer breathe our air.
DeleteI agree with billie jordan , because i believe just sitting in jail is torture enough , but they are there for a reason in the other hand.
DeleteTorture is a very "touchy" subject, because many Americans have not seen gruesome enough things to think that it is justified. We live in a country where we are shielded from horrible acts of violence and deprivation, But the point of this matter is that we actually do live in a country that these horrible acts are going on. If we as Americans knew exactly what was going on in our own country we would say yes allow that man to torture that other man because of his crimes. You don't think that 25 to life in prison is not torture? These people that we convict have done horrid things. Enough bad things in their lives that we can say "Go directly to jail, Do not pass go" we need to understand that there are all kinds of torture.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd love FILLING our prisons with numerous amounts of criminals and terrorists....that should sit well with the taxpayers, including yourself...notice the sarcasm, I'm putting it on pretty thick, sir :)
DeleteNot the point of my comment MA'AM. Read what I wrote fully then comment. I was saying that the many people believe that torture is wrong yet, they put people in jail and say one day they will be better. That is a form of torture and I personally would rather torture a person and find out where that family member is or where the bomb is, not put them in jail.
DeleteThat is more effective than just putting them into a jail to rot. If they have already committed violence to a certain extent, especially on a massive level, there dues should be paid. In one way or another. If they are already going to be put to death, maybe the sparing of life for some information is comparable for them. Its a really sticky situation but obviously filling up prisons with terrorists and more criminals is not the most effective solution.
DeleteIt would be unjust to torture an individual who has done no harm to anyone. It would also be wrong to torture someone who could prevent some type of harm because they still have not done anything harmful. To go to prison sounds like torture. Most people being tortured have done something wrong in the eyes of another and have some type of information that could spare them anyways, but whether they should be held to giving that information up should be determined by the extent of their future.
DeleteSince war began in America, war tactics and strategies were tried, tested, and proven to work. When torture was introduced, information from our enemies began to give our soldiers the whereabouts of potential dangers that avoided taking millions and millions of lives in the course of using torture as a tactic during war time! Like I have said in my relies above, the criminals and terrorists that want to bring destruction to America have not a thought in their minds about the well being of American citizens. Torture has and always will be an effective strategy during acts of war and the determent of danger towards America and it's innocent civilians.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great point Lucia! If someone wants to come in from another country and harm the United States in any kind of way, then they are susceptible to being tortured. This strategy has worked for centuries and there is no reason why we America should change their ways. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
DeleteCompletely agree with you Lucia. If someone endangers the lives of those who live in America, either during war times or in attempt to scare or harm the general public, torture is justified in order to preserve the protection of American societies. Is it not that I agree with the idea of torture, but I do agree with the reason behind what the torture is used for. Given the right circumstances, torture should be justified if it can prevent an unnecessary evil from occurring.
DeleteI do not believe in torture. I think torture is a gruesome thing to do, no matter who the victim is. Torture is primitive, unhuman, unjust and cruel. As a nation we have to set a role model of humanity and respect of everyone's equal rights.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response torture is something no one should go through ever! It is cruel and it plays with people's minds. When someone is being torture they just say the things the torturer wants to hear, so I don't think it is a very reliable source.
DeleteI do not believe torture is ever justified as method to push any person (criminal) to confess any information. I believe that torture is a criminal accion as well. However, I do understand that torture might seen as the only option in extreme cases, but I also believe that violence is not the solution. Plus there is never a guaranty that the person been tortured will confess the truth.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Dinorah. Some terrorist are trained not to break down. I am sure they will be honored to die. Violence is not the solution because we are sort of acting like them when we torture people.
DeleteIt is the responsibility of the Chief to do what is necessary to keep America safe. If he must authorize torture to save lives he should be able to do it without a warrant. The President in time of war has a responsibility to the people. The definition of torture is
ReplyDeletethe action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain.
Notice the last section? For the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain, that is your terrorist. He inflects pain on the US for his pleasure. We use torture to save lives.
Is torture ever justify? After reading this article it captured my mind that it stated about how if the president would considering making a law with torture. Is that what people really want, then it is just basically meeting for revenge and not justice. There is plenty of people who are tortured because they are trying to get information out of them and half of them don't even speak and they just die, do regardless the people torturing lose! If they would make it a law it would not make us better people nor would it bring justification. I do not agree with torture ever bring justify, because it is the same as murder is murder then justifiable?
ReplyDeleteIs torture ever a form of justice? Maybe not a form of justice but a way to get justice , because without torture i think we would never gotten to the killing Osama ,just for example.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that people that kidnap, murder other people should be tortured. Maybe if they are tortured other people that want or feel that they might want to commit a crime like this one will think twice before doing something. If these people don't have the heart to hurt an innocent person then no one should have sympathy on them and torture them. I also feel that terrorists should also be tortured, they are the worst people ever and no one should feel bad for them..Many may say that even if you torture someone to get information, or the whereabouts of a kidnapped person this will not help at all, but I think that if it helps or not they should be tortured. Torture is the only way that maybe these criminals may stop crime.
ReplyDeleteNo, torture is never justified. Regardless of the purpose, it is inhumane to cause pain to another person for any reason. I would imagine that torture is used to attain information or knowledge of some sort, from the person enduring the pain. I am a human who feels for all humans equally, with that said I can't live with myself knowing that a person is tortured. If one party tortures or kills another then the family members or friends of the deceased feel obligated to attain revenge. In the moment, I myself would probably seek revenge.
ReplyDeleteNo, torture is never justified. Regardless of the purpose, it is inhumane to cause pain to another person for any reason. I would imagine that torture is used to attain information or knowledge of some sort, from the person enduring the pain. I am a human who feels for all humans equally, with that said I can't live with myself knowing that a person is tortured. If one party tortures or kills another then the family members or friends of the deceased feel obligated to attain revenge. In the moment, I myself would probably seek revenge.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Cesar. Revenge should be at the family's discretion. I also believe that all humans should be treated equal.
DeleteIf something were to ever happen to one of my children or even my husband, and it was the fault of a second party, I would want to make sure that they were punished to the fullest extent and if that is some type of torture, then so be it. Solitary confinement is a type of torture, and we have prisons who have inmates in solitary for weeks/months at a time, based on experiments conducted by various sources, solitary confinement is mental and physical torture, your body slowly deteriorates and your mind lacks the social simuli and the person basically goes insane at a very slow pace. So whether we think so or not, torture is an every day thing for our prisoners...
ReplyDeleteI never knew that solitary confinement was a type of torture. It makes sense because a prisoner has no one to talk to and see. I do think that there is a lot worse ways to torture and I think that the U.S. government uses those with terrorists and they have every right to.
DeleteI believe that Alan M. Dershowitz has it right. If the president was faced with a decision to either torture a terrorist and save American lives, or not to torture and lose those American lives, the president would consider to utilize torture in order to prevent a disaster. If we use torture warrants, the American government would be able to monitor and account for the actions that are committed during the torture process or whether it is actually necessary to use torture in the emergency situation. This way torture can be controlled. Torture is still not morally right because of this, but is it morally right to allow a terrorist to potentially kill thousands of Americans? It is better to use a necessary evil to save a greater good than allowing an action of good will to cause an unnecessary evil to occur.
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