Another take on torture of all types
Mona Charen's column on Dec. 24 entitled "Democrats should be condemning al-Qaida torture" offends all sensibilities.
In short, Charen believes that since groups like al-Qaida employ truly horrific methods of torture, we should not even bother to investigate those methods used by the CIA. She believes that investigating torture committed by Americans simply undermines our progress in Iraq. Beyond that, Charen states that she has severe doubts as to whether "waterboarding" constitutes torture, as it only makes terrorists think for a few seconds that they are drowning.
Charen's view could not be more twisted. Here's a brief statement on waterboarding: "Waterboarding is a form of torture that consists of immobilizing a person on his or her back, with the head inclined downward, and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. Through forced suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences the process of drowning in a controlled environment and is made to believe that death is imminent. Although waterboarding can be performed in ways that leave no lasting physical damage, it carries the risks of extreme pain, damage to the lungs, brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation, injuries (including broken bones) due to struggling against restraints, and even death. The psychological effects on victims of waterboarding can last for years after the procedure."
If that's not torture, then I have no idea what is. Has Charen never heard the old adage that if we act like they do, stooping to their level, then we are truly no better than they are?
We live in a civilization where no amount of torture should be tolerable. Emphasizing the difference between al-Qaida torture and our CIA torture does not justify its existence. And no matter how callously Charen derides the Democrats for attacking the Bush administration, torture should not be considered a political issue. Basic human rights should never be violated.
Mona Charen believes that by investigating CIA torture we are undermining success in Iraq. But if we turn a blind eye to torture, then we are undermining our own human decency. Our humanity should never be so easily subverted.
Matthew Braslow
Vernon Hills