ACLU Supports Anti-Torture Amendment by McCain

[No Limit]

WASHINGTON - In anticipation of tonight’s Senate approval of an anti-torture amendment to the Defense Department spending bill by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the American Civil Liberties Union applauded McCain's push for reform and urged the administration to drop its veto threat. The legislation has strong bipartisan support, but the president has said he would veto the entire defense bill if it is included.

McCain's proposal uses the Army's field manual on interrogations as the legal standard for interrogation policies. McCain, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, said following those procedures would have prevented abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=19218&c=206

I gained a lot of respect for McCain and any Republican that votes for this bill (it will pass in congress). The problem is that our idiot president has promised to veto it if he can't torture muslims. Another example of Bush being the most extreme neocon there could be, and they had the nerve to say Kerry was on the far left. Remember Republicans, your party is being hijacked by these neocons and it wont help you in the long run.

 

[CptStern]

but they've been using the Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual since the 80's and KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual since the early 60's ..call me a pessimist but while it may help at gitmo I have high doubts anything will change in the many secret prisons throughout iraq and afghanistan. Definately a step in the right direction but seeing as how the US has a long standing tradition of using torture I have little faith in any initiative that promises to do away with torture all together

 

[Icarusintel]

people act like the US is the only country that uses torture, why doesn;t the world focus on other countries that use torture regularly?
i personally think certain forms of torture can be valid in certain cases, but it should not be widely used... I understand where McCain is coming from, especially since he clearly knows about torture first-hand, and I like how he's trying to make the US look more humane to the rest of the world, I just hope everyone understands that no matter what example the US sets, other people will keep doing whatever they want to

 

[CptStern]

people act like the US is the only country that uses torture, why doesn;t the world focus on other countries that use torture regularly?

are we supposed to turn a blind eye to the US' use of torture?

i personally think certain forms of torture can be valid in certain cases, but it should not be widely used...

torture is unreliable and is one of the reasons stated for why the US wanted to overthrow saddam ..not to mention that you often accuse other countries of using torture ..it's a double standard

I understand where McCain is coming from, especially since he clearly knows about torture first-hand, and I like how he's trying to make the US look more humane to the rest of the world, I just hope everyone understands that no matter what example the US sets, other people will keep doing whatever they want to

most of the countries that use torture are dictatorships ..do you really want to be associated with them?

 

[Ikerous]

It passed 90-9...
Bush would have to be a moron to veto it...

 

[No Limit]

It passed 90-9...
Bush would have to be a moron to veto it...

If he doesn't that would make him a liar, wouldn't it? Not really news just figured I'd point it out.

 

[Last One In]

Torture shouldn't be outlawed due to the fact that it is the only way to get pertinent informations out of terrorists or murders who would otherwise laugh in your face. Without torture, we probably wouldn't have as much information about terrorist activities as we do.

 

[gh0st]

we should pass it but torture them anyways.

 

[JNightshade]

bah. troll.
Anyway, yeah, we have a long ways to go but this is a step in the right direction. Senator McCain is one of the few republican officials I really have very little against.

 

[falconwind]

an anti-torture bill? wow... that's just left-wing craziness right there!

 

[CptStern]

an anti-torture bill? wow... that's just left-wing craziness right there!

ok can we just stop with the partisan bull please? left, right, who ****ing cares ..people are being tortured even murdered in your name, if you find that acceptable then you need to examine your conscience.

 

[Direwolf]

Well at least theres support for it. Thats better than nothing by a large amount.

And while it wouldn't prevent all torture (something thats likely impossible), it would hopefully help prevent massive incidents like the Guatanamo and Abu-Ghraib scandals. And failing at that, it would likely add to the motivation to punish those parties responsible.

 

[CptStern]

but when the orders come from those in power I have little faith the practice of torturing suspects will end


Donald Rumsfeld in a memo from 2002 about torturing suspects:

"However I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to 4 hours?"



but something is better than nothing