Torture

WHY are people trying to rationalize using torture? There is no reason for the government or any individual to ever use torture, EVER! The argument often heard is, "Well, if there were a nuclear missile heading here and you had someone who knew how to stop it and the only possible way to prevent this from happening was to torture that individual, how could you not?" Well my opinion, and the opinion expressed in our law in The Constitution, is that no matter what torture is inexcusable, irrational, and wrong. My opinion is that torture is immoral. Your morality may differ than mine, but let us look at history to shed some light on an interesting situation.

In the Vietnam conflict, American bombers flew almost countless sorties over Hanoi. These missions unavoidably killed thousands of North Vietnamese civilians. Of course, the population of Hanoi was outraged by the bombings, and whenever a US pilot was shot down and captured the North Vietnamese would invariably torture these Air Force and Navy Pilots in the name of obtaining information to stop the attacks. Practically no one in the West condoned the North Vietnamese, not because they opposed Communism, but because they understood the dangerous philosophical web you entangle yourself in when you condone using torture. Looking back now, most Americans are sickened by what the North Vietnamese did to their captives. I know it's easy to say, "But we are the Good Guys, Communism was wrong, and terrorism is wrong!" We became the Good Guys by simply following our Constitution.

After World War 2 the rest of the world looked at us and saw in us the ideals we sacredly uphold as being the spearhead of Freedom and peace. As that spear slashes through the centuries, we follow that glorious path, narrow as it is, between tyranny and despotism. Now is not the time to sacrifice our Ideals for security; a security sold to us by shady used car salesmen.

There are two ends, Freedom and slavery. They are not a means, they are the ends, and the only ends. I take that as a truth, and I consider it to be the Prime Truth in my
philosophical outlook. That being said, I conclude that torture cannot be a means t0 freedom. Torture is slavery and we condemn ourselves to that end by using it.