Debate

Today's Albuquerque Journal had a full letter's to the editor page on both sides of the argument on the need for the use of torture. Scott Horton has a post today discussing the hypocrisy of the New York Times and Washington Post over the fact that if someone else uses stress positions, waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and element exposure it's torture. If we (Bush) do it then they call it enhanced interrogation techniques. 

Why don't we have a nice debate on if First Degree Murder should or should not be prosecuted?

Why not rename it from Cold Blooded Murder to I was having a bad day, or they had it coming?

We could debate whether holding up a bank at gun point is permissible if the person is unemployed and they're an American Citizen.

All laws have extenuating circumstances, and mitigating factors, but those issues are determined in a courtroom when a law has been broken. Torture is illegal under US and international law. It's not open for opinion or debate. It is the Press's job to report the facts consistently and fairly, not to play linguistic legerdemain. Torture is torture no matter who does it. It is the job of the justice department to apprehend, and prosecute those who have ordered and carried out this policy that has damaged our reputation, ruined lives, destroyed the integrity of our institutions and accomplished absolutely nothing.

Certain aspects of Monarchy, totalitarian rule are being introduced by the lack of starch in the governments backbone. They are: 

• Divine Right of Kings -- That the ruler is the law and not under the law, therefore they can only be held accountable for their actions by God. Our Declaration of Independence is a repudiation of this notion and lists all the actions by King George which cause us to justly break away from his rule.
• Bill of Attainder - expressly forbidden in the constitution. Punishing a person up to and including execution without charge or trial. When people are picked up, held without charge and die. What else can you call this.
• Carte Blance - From the French "White Card" which excuses the person from all crimes based on the authority of the ruler (who is the law). The best example is in Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers. Cardinal Richelieu give Milady DeWinter a note that states: By my order and for the good of the state, the barer has done what has been done. Richelieu. This was and is the defense of all war criminals. "I was just following orders." It was established at Nuremberg in 1948 that there are certain orders a human being does not follow, and our military had been trained in the importance of refusing such orders.