Torture

Those who see abortion as an evil are often frustrated by those who attempt to justify abortion by vague arguments about “choice” or even more practical arguments about exceptions for rape or incest, or the health of the mother. But many of these same people lose their moral clarity when the subject is torture. Suddenly they are the ones bringing up exceptions and parsing definitions. There is so much confusion over this issue that in a recent TV interview, a prominent Catholic journalist let a former Bush Administration speechwriter, also a Catholic, grossly misrepresent Catholic teaching in a shameful apologia for torture.

There is a classical fallacy in logic called a "strawman. " In a strawman argument, one side in a debate creates a set of circumstances - the strawman - that is so constructed that the other side can't possibly disagree. For example, if torturing one person could have stopped the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center, would you do it? The only candidate with the moral courage to skewer this fallacy is Sen. John S. McCain (R. Arizona). Sen. McCain is uniquely qualified to comment on this subject because after his A4 Skyhawk was shot down over North Vietnam, he was beaten and bayoneted in the foot and the abdomen by his captors.

During the Nov. 12 Republican debate, several candidates channeled George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in reply to a question about waterboarding suspected terrorists. Michelle Bachmann announced to an applauding audience that “If I were president, I would be willing to use waterboarding. I think it was very effective.” Herman Cain said, “I don't see it as torture. I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.” With a passion he has also shown for executions, Rick Perry proclaimed that he would use such techniques “that we know will extract the information to save young American lives.

Dear Editor, I find it amazing Mr. Gil Russell believes that the Bush administration doesn't torture when in fact Bush is getting Congress to make it legal right now! Secret prisons, water-boarding and psychological warfare are just the tip of the iceberg for these cronies. Remember when we used to berate Saddam Hussein for such things? Ironic, isn't it? Mr. Russell, you were looking for evidence that we torture, and I point you in the direction of Maher Arar, an innocent Canadian man who was detained a few years ago by U.S. "Homeland Security" and sent to Syria, where he was locked up in a small room and tortured for many, many months at regular intervals.

On Sept. 6, President Bush announced the transfer to Guantanamo of 14 detainees from secret CIA prisons in foreign countries. He acknowledged that the CIA used "an alternative set of procedures" to interrogate these prisoners. He refuses to deny widespread reports that these procedures included "waterboarding" or simulated drowning. He went on to say that "The United States does not torture. It's against our laws, and it's against our values. " He was lying. And he was playing games with words in a way that demonstrates his contempt for the intelligence of the American people.

On Nov.2, 2005, the Washington Post reported that the CIA has held more than 100 suspected terrorists in various "black sites" outside the United States. Their locations are known only to a handful of officials in the United States and host countries. The prisoners are kept "in dark, sometimes underground cells, they have no recognized legal rights, and no one outside the CIA is allowed to talk with or even see them, or to otherwise verify their well-being. " The Bush administration has refused to acknowledge these sites, but has not denied the report.

Dear Editor, Very few people desire an illustrated picture of the barbarous torture and mutilation of partial-birth abortion victims. Neither do we desire a graphic picture of U.S. soldiers killed, tortured and mutilated in Iraq. The question is who are the more civilized? The United States, who says the woman has a right to choose abortion because it's her body, or murderous thugs in Iraq who kill, torture, mutilate and then brag about it all in the name of their god Allah. M. Wendall Anderson Danville

When our children and grandchildren reach the requisite level of awareness, they may ask us where we stood on troubling issues of our time. What will be our answers concerning the continuing debates in some quarters and silence in others about torture and the Geneva Convention barring "humiliating and degrading treatment"? What I am reading makes me worry. A recent Amnesty International report contends that security agents are torturing terrorism suspects for us in Jordan, "a central hub in a global complex of secret detention centers operated by the U.S. in coordination with foreign intelligence agencies.

Butkus had a distressed look on her face as Anna Sum, and Caroline Lynch place her in a tub for a bath. The bath only lasted a few minutes when Butkus grabbed an opportunity to escape the torture during the rinse cycle.

TODAY ? Cooking with kids, 10 a.m., Cooperative Extension Office, 1400 Fortune Drive, $5. For more information, contact Lisa Stephens at Community Education at 745-3946. ? Teen gaming, Clark County Public Library, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., ages 12-18. Snacks provided. Permission slips available at www.clarkpublib.org. ? Make a haunted gingerbread house, Clark County Public Library, 2-4 p.m., ages 12-18. ? Field of Torture haunted house, 237 Cook Ave., 6-10 p.m. SUNDAY, OCT. 25 ?

LEXINGTON - John Calipari couldn't say enough about Alex Poythress following Kentucky's 75-70 triumph over LSU on Saturday at Rupp Arena. Calipari had plenty of reasons to gloat after Poythress scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, securing his fourth double-digit outing in the team's past five games. Poythress had just six points in the Wildcats' 59-55 loss at Alabama last week, but made a strong recovery with a dominating performance against the Tigers. “I was so proud of Alex, I can't begin to tell you,” Calipari said afterward.

A New York City grand jury has indicted Danielle Thomas' ex-boyfriend on first-degree murder charges in connection with her death, officials announced today. Jason Bohn, 33, of New York City, now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for allegedly beating and torturing Thomas to death last month, said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. Thomas was a Weight Watchers executive and a graduate of Boyle County High School. Read more in Sunday's edition of The Advocate-Messenger and online.

During the Nov. 12 Republican debate, several candidates channeled George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in reply to a question about waterboarding suspected terrorists. Michelle Bachmann announced to an applauding audience that “If I were president, I would be willing to use waterboarding. I think it was very effective.” Herman Cain said, “I don't see it as torture. I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.” With a passion he has also shown for executions, Rick Perry proclaimed that he would use such techniques “that we know will extract the information to save young American lives.

Those who see abortion as an evil are often frustrated by those who attempt to justify abortion by vague arguments about “choice” or even more practical arguments about exceptions for rape or incest, or the health of the mother. But many of these same people lose their moral clarity when the subject is torture. Suddenly they are the ones bringing up exceptions and parsing definitions. There is so much confusion over this issue that in a recent TV interview, a prominent Catholic journalist let a former Bush Administration speechwriter, also a Catholic, grossly misrepresent Catholic teaching in a shameful apologia for torture.

TODAY ? Tiny Tots, 10 a.m., Clark County Public Library, ages 6 months-2 years. ? Story time, 11 a.m., Clark County Public Library, ages 3-7 years. ? Field of Torture haunted house, 237 Cook Ave., 6-10 p.m. ? Generations Center Fall Festival, 10 a.m., sponsored by the George Rogers Clark High School FFA. The event includes a cookout, games, prizes and a costume contest. ? Fountain Circle Health and Rehabilitation, 200 Glenway Road, invites children to come and trick-or-treat with the residents, 6-8 p.m. ?