by Brian Harrington

Created on: October 01, 2008

Since our founding fathers made the bill of rights roughly 200 years ago, our nation has remained a gloabal beacon of light, a sterling example of just what humans can accomplish when they are so inclined. Whether it be our technilogical advancements or the preservation of our civil libertys, this country and its leaders have done nothing short of a spectacular job in showing the world that our nation nhas earned its tiltle as the land of the free and the home of the brave. Of courese their are those who disagree with this stratement, but what they fail to realize is that the fact that we live in this country is the only reason they or I can make our opinions known. The biggest complaint aganst our goverment as of late in regards to civil rights is the acts of torture supposidly being commited at the Guantanmo Bay naval facility in Cuba. Their are a whole host of reaons that i disagree with the word torture being used to describe the interrigation techniques that are used aganst enemy combatents during questioning however let us first look at the definition of torture as stated by the United Nations in their resolution aganst torture formulated so many years ago. Torture as outlined in that resolution is described as-

"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.y act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include

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