USG LOVES THE TORTURE

Here's a fun little montage of info for ya:

From [http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/06/congress.detainees.ap/index.html|an article] at CNN.com:

GOP senator criticizes White House torture stance
Sen. Chuck Hagel, considered a potential presidential candidate in 2008, said many Republican senators support the ban proposed by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
...
Vice President Dick Cheney has lobbied Republican senators to allow an exemption for prisoners held by the CIA if preventing an attack is at stake.

From [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5399033,00.html|an article] from Guardian.co.uk and AP.org:

Bush Declares: 'We Do Not Torture'
President Bush on Monday defended U.S. interrogation practices and called the treatment of terrorism suspects lawful. ``We do not torture,'' Bush declared in response to reports of secret CIA prisons overseas.

Ha-ha, sure you don't, Bush. Then what's with the following excerpt from [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iraq_Abuse.html|an article] from SeattlePI.com and AP.org:

Army Rangers accused of abusing detainees
Five U.S. members of an elite Army unit have been charged with kicking and punching detainees in Iraq, the military said Monday.

The charges were issued Saturday against five soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment in connection with a Sept. 7 incident "in which three detainees were allegedly punched and kicked while awaiting movement to a detention facility," the U.S. military said in a statement.

Apparently punching and kicking is standard operating procedure?

Look, this whole argument is absurd here.

Torture is WRONG.

Our "leaders" have forgotten the very morals the USA was founded upon. We do not torture EVER under ANY circumstances.

For the thousandth time, I'd be willing to die to help guarantee the freedom of a person who wants to kill me. That's right--if my death could stop someone from being tortured, I'd be willing to die.

Why do I feel this way?

Because I'd rather be dead and morally right than alive and living in shame.

What's the point of being human if you're not going to have morals?

Our "leaders" are just as bad as our enemies--in fact, they are worse. America is the strongest country in the world, yet her government is using tactics that corrupt, 3rd world governments use to get what they want.

We, the People of the United States of America, are stronger than any terrorists.

The true American Idea is stronger than terror, yet Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and friends are all trying to tell us this is not the case.

The terrorists, (who only number in the thousands) could get us! So, we need to sacrifice some of our rights, some of our freedoms and many of our lives.

Mark my words: There is no way even tens of thousands of Muslim extremists could take down America.

So, why are our leaders so worried?

They think America is weak and unable to defend herself, apparently.

Really, they think that we citizens are dumb children who need them to create enemies for us--so we stay in line and they can stay in power.

We citizens are much smarter than we give ourselves credit for.