Should suspected al-Qaeda members be tortured?

[wig]

Originally posted by gigi@Mar 7 2003, 01:25 PM
The above is why I feel the way I do. It will hurt America far more than it would hurt these fuckers. America would be letting them win...again. And for what? To appease a feeling of vengeance. [as far as what is being expressed on this board]

To say 'This will teach them' or 'Next time they might think twice' is naive. Let's look at 9/11. Did those men fear death? No. Their motives and beliefs were far stronger than any fear. That is the scariest part about these morons. The anticipation of torture would only strenghten their resolve, not chip away at it.

Gigi,

I have to say that I personally do not think that torturing terorists will hurt America more than it would hurt the terrorists. If we tortured them, we would likely uncover additional information that would lead to the further dismantling of their network. We could also torture them in secret.

Further, their motives and beliefs are easily strong UNTIL they get caught and tortured... then, things have a way of changing. Clearly, in the fight to prevent further attacks and win the war on terror, torturing captives for information will help this effort more than it will hurt America. I just don't think America can do anything extra to make these ppl hate us more than they already do.

IMHO, the philosophy to not torture should be on principle only. Sometimes, what is right in principle is not right strategically which makes it a difficult decision.

I would expect to see the captive terrorists "interrogated" for long periods of time under deprivation of essentials (sleep, water, food, etc). Certainly there is a way to obtain information without having to cut off body parts one at a time. It just may take a little longer to get the info.