The reverse side also has a reverse side.
--Japanese Zen Proverb
With the destruction of CIA videotapes showing "harsh interrogation techniques" -- a PR buzz phrase for torture -- we find ourselves having a national discussion about torture. This discussion often veers off into the stupid, the inane, and the insane. Over at FOX News, ex-CIA spook Mike Baker compares torturing people to shooting a woodpecker that was poking holes in his house.
Because my mind tends to wander, I had an interesting thought while tossing some dirt over the dead bird. By the way, he did receive a proper burial and headstone. I view the situation with the woodpecker with the same attitude I have towards terrorists and dealing with terrorists. Frankly, this could be my best segueway ever.
Here's where I'm going... I'm a family loving, god fearing, good neighbor kind of person. Be considerate, play well with others, work hard, provide for your family, be honest and don't whine. You can go a long ways in life just following a few simple guidelines.
Concurrently, while trying to be a good person, I have no problems with infringing on the rights of terrorists through the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. Conflicted? Not a bit. No angst, no moral dilemma, no fuss no muss.
It goes on like that. A sort of rambling, roundabout route to his point -- despite having come up with his "best segueway ever" (it's just "segue," BTW). That point being that people who oppose torture are "all frothy at the mouth" and that we can torture and still be good people. The piece is actually a not very compelling argument -- torture is both really, really evil and something we shouldn't worry too much about. Baker tells us, "Personally, I think we can have our cake and eat it too."
It's typical of the incoherent arguments of torture apologists. The argument works pretty much like this -- torture is OK, because the stakes are so high and if we don't torture people we'll all die in a big flaming terrorist attack. But don't worry about; we don't actually torture, because that's bad. If we don't allow torture -- something we'd never, ever commit -- the light of Liberty will be extinguished in the world. And that's why we have to torture, because we don't...
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