Torture and Moral Values
Reported by Deborah - January 5, 2005
John Yoo, author of the infamous memo defining torture, joined Hannity in expressing disbelief that people might object to the use of torture in interrogation of detainees. Hannity actually tried to make torture a patriotic imperative while John Yoo assured the viewers that it was all perfectly legal.1/5/05
Hannity,a self proclaimed Christian constantly preaching moral values, advocated torture tonight with an arrogant bravado that sent chills down the spine.Showing pictures to remind his viewers of what had been done to them he tried to make the case that the people held as terrorists should be given no rights and anyone who disagrees hates their country." Don't you love being lectured by liberals who voted for a war criminal?" he asked Yoo.
Yoo explained that the Geneva Convention rules do not apply to terrorists and he sees no reason why suspects shouldn't be held until the end of the conflict.He defended his memo which defined torture as a way to tell people how much pain they can inflict during interrogation as if that was completely reasonable. Hannity said, "Ted Kennedy should explain how he would get these barbarians to talk."
Comment: Where are the moral values here? Torture is obscene, a taboo like incest and child molestation. There is absolutely nothing that justifies it especially in our culture.Yet, there are influential people now praising torture and a political party who supports Alberto Gonzales who dismisses civilized behavior as quaint.
What about the terrorist suspects who have been held by mistake. What about all of the people who have been questioned and then released without charges. Was that torture justifiable? Inflicting torture unleashes a darkness in the human spirit that we must reject and we need to accept that people condoning this behavior are weak, depraved and lacking moral values.
