I don't see how TORTURE can help us at all...

[neoteric lefty]

Bush and Dick want to have a provision that says that we can torture terrorists if there is a credible threat against American interests and American lives. Let me pose this question: If we already have enough information to know that a credible threat exists and we have enough information to have someone in custody who we know to have important information about the threat, then don't we have enough evidence and materials to either know what the threat is or investigate the threat and uncover it?

Bush and Co. are playing out this Tom Clancy scenario that there could be a madman who hid a dirty bomb in some public area, and we have 3 hrs. to find out where it is before it goes off. I'm sorry, but no terrorist organization acts that way. If we tortured someone to extract information, then that person is going to tell us what we want to hear, truth or not. If we have enough time/information to figure out that he is lying, then can't we uncover the threat without torturing him in the first place?

[Ilsa]

1. Cheney thinks he's Jack Bauer from 24.

He thinks he can blow off a kneecap and get the real truth from someone in custody.

[Aimah]

2. It helps Bush create more terrorists with a vendetta n/t

[Rufus T. Firefly]

3. The only problem with their Clancy scenario

Is that we're torturing people without that situation existing.

Besides, wouldn't it be more likely in their "doomsday" scenario that the people involved would kill themselves rather than be captured? Or at least have the good old "fake tooth with a cyanide pill inside?"

And if, somehow, the Clancy scenario happened, you're telling me that if torture was illegal (and last time I checked, it already IS) that the subject wouldn't be tortured anyway?

[Loge23]

4. Count me out

They don't spaeak for me or, IMO, the majority of Americans on the torture issue. Isn't this ridiculous that this is even a debatable issue in America?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Yup... we've got one up on Nazi Germany.... at least we debate

the issue, regardless the outcome, at least we talk about why we should or shouldn't torture people.... god help us all.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Tens of thousands of Americans die each year because they

lack proper healthcare. Torture those responsible for this fact... until they give you a good excuse as to why this is the state of the American reality today.

Furthermore, jail the ones responsible for the obscenely inadequate response to hurricane Katrina victims.

We could go on... but it gets old.