Those Who Torture, Those Who Were Tortured!

I had the exact same reaction as Kevin Drum to those trying to "defend the indefensible." Torture is Not a Hard Concept.  There are all those "stony-faced men" trying to tell us that what happened wasn't really torture, and anyway it was necessary to fight the terror, and well, what's the big deal anyway?

These same "stony-faced men," should be facing prosecution for Crimes Against Humanity. Yes, it is that simple and clear. Of course what they did was torture. Do a thought experiment. Imagine our soldiers, our sons and daughters experiencing those procedures.  No doubt it was torture. And turns out that it's not a very effective method for extracting information, but it is a tremendous tool to debase and dehumanize - both those who tortured and those who were tortured.

Vox has a handy overview of the 16 Absolutely Outrageous Abuses...

Yes, and Mr. Cheney should be handcuffed and put on a plane and dropped off at the Hague to answer for his crimes.

And Torturing people doesn't make you a Hero. And it isn't a badge of honor, and it doesn't make you tough and clear-eyed. And it isn't the "right thing" to do in "difficult circumstances."

Torturing people is cowardly. Torture is for cretins and sadists. It is an act of weakness. It's an act of desperation and fear. Only the worst of us would resort to torturing other human beings. There is no justification for it. And to "institutionalize" it, is an abomination and a stain on us all!