by Charles Lagasse

Created on: April 21, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2009

Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:

"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a male or female 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."

Well it is self-evident that water-boarding, sleep deprivation, public nude displays, intimidation techniques, etc.... are to be considered torture by any reasonable human being. Simply renaming it for our own purposes, to obtain valuable information, perhaps in hopes of preventing some future terrorist attack, does not change the violent act from a crime to a forgivable necessity. When we set ourselves up as judge and jury of past war criminals, we are telling the world that we are above recrimination, that we intend to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We cannot choose the moments in which we will seek higher moral ground, it just doesn't play. It doesn't matter that we don't intend to drown them, it only matters that they can't take their next breath. Drowning is actually a peaceful experience, I know firsthand, it is the attempt to continue breathing and prevent drowning that is so terrifyingly painful.

Beyond the reality of torture is the fact that the information that we hoped to gain became old the moment we captured these possible terrorists. We assume that our enemies are less sophisticated than we are, that only we would think of altering future plans if our officers or intelligence personnel were captured, but by our dismissal of our enemies intelligence or abilities we limit our effectiveness. Do we not remember how we rode into Baghdad expecting a hero's welcome, how we declared the war over before it even began. Our enemies know that our egos are predictably our biggest shortcomings. These are patient people, thay have been around for thousands of years, have suffered at the hands of many enemies. They fully expect to see us eventually exhaust our means or destroy ourselves. These are a people who breed bodies simply to be able to outnumber their enemies in generations to come, in direct conflict with the civilized world's attempt to curtail birthrates today.

So yes, this is torture, and no it will not produce beneficial results; it will instead provide fuel for the fires of hatred that our enemies stoke so steadily. We must defend ourselves; we must educate ourselves and our enemies about who we are and be clear about our resolve but maintain a professional attitude toward war and the people we hope to win over. Read about the atrocities the Japanese foisted on our captured soldiers and you will be revolted by their inhumanity to man. Then stop and picture us performing the same despicable deeds. Remember, both sides pray to the same God to obtain His help in annihilating our enemies, we must take the higher ground or risk being no better, no more deserving of victory, in the eyes of our God.

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