Why have the US/ the CIA been using torture consistently for decades and yet claim to be spreading democracy?

Question

I am using the example of the US here because it is the leading nation of the so called "Western world" and it is still using torture as we speak. However, my own country (France) also has bad records in terms of torture (ie. Ageria in the 60's) so I don't mean to blame the poor US citizens once more I am just trying to get your reactions on this paradox:we are using the same methods as dictatorships and authoritarian regimes to spread democracy, freedom, justice..you name it and people believe that? It is now even worse than it was in the 70's when the CIA was training South- American police services to torture. Now the word "terrorist" makes anything acceptable: you can torture, arrest people for no reason and without a trial, bomb civilians, breach international laws and conventions (ie.Geneva conventions), invade other countries (ie. Lebanon) illegally but without any consequences and all of this in the name of freedom and democracy. Have freedom and democracy retained any meaning?

Answer 1

SHHHHH!

Guess you didn't get the memo..... US citizens aren't supposed to know (or care) what their government does overseas.

Answer 2

Torture is not unique to any government and began in ages long ago when the first man had control over another and sought to justify his supremacy by making another reveal any real or imagined secret. The Inquisition was another manifestation of using torture not to spread democracy but to spread "The Holy Word". So what seperates that devine cause from our 'own self-defense' or in the apparent pursuit of it? Every government has used it but so have the police, dictators, and sadistic murderers. It is unimaginable that a caring human could inflict such abuse on a person but they do, and they seem to sleep well at night. As a child, I was interned in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in Hong Kong, and suffered beatings, starvation and humiliation but the worst was the unending fear, as we saw people slaughtered and there are still many ghosts that haunt the old British Colony looking for the why of your question.In Vietnam, I saw prisoners subjected to even worse treatment and confined in tiny cages provided by (at great expense, of course) RMK-BJR...a subsidiary of Halliburton with one of their executives being the current Vice President. and the facility was trained and equipped by the US...the graveyard was well filled there. In a few Asian countries, corporal punishment still exists such a flogging but before such flogging is carried out, a medical exam is done by a physician and most physicians would never sign off on such a barbaric treatment. In a way of thinking, we too are being tortured by the nature and savagery of such people as we are still humane...is it time for us to re-think our government and what it stands for?

Answer 3

Because history is written by the powerful... and the gullible tend to believe it.

The US and CIA are very clever in not getting their hands dirty by having someone ELSE to their dirty work for them. Guananamo Bay, as an example, is in Cuba, not the US... and as such does not necessarily have to follow the same rules (though the military claims it does.)

There is plenty of evidence that the US has carted people off to countries for far more relaxed laws in regards to crimes against humanity... but, most people would prefer NOT to believe.

... but the question is Why have they been usuing torture? Because it's effective. It works... as horrible as that sounds, if you want get the answers quickly, torture is the best method.

Answer 4

Everyone else is using torture too... the US is just using it to capture terrorists who would murder as many innocent civilians as possible... don't be a terrorist and you have nothing to worry about... meanwhile, in other countries (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, etc.), they torture everyday prisoners (thieves, etc.)...

Answer 5

All those who r defending this are merely making the point how they are as bad as the dictatorship in Pakistan and KINGDOM of Saudi Arabia!!!! USA kills children because terrorists also do so!!

Answer 6

Hey man talk like that will earn you a visit from the Gestapo (oops I mean Homeland Security, so hard to tell them apart)

Remember the Bush motto; "Know your place and shut your face".

Answer 7

Hi,,, I guess they learned from the Catholics during the Inquistion how to turn people into Christians by burning them and torture also........

good luck

Answer 8

Who cares. As long as they aren't torturing Americans, then i'm ok with it.

Answer 9

What the hell are you talking about? Can we have a few examples here from a credible source?

Answer 10

hmmm, either they could demand information from people who want to kill you, and cause serious pain when they refuse to comply, or they could just give them all candy canes and uzi's and set them loose.

You wanna try to be friends with extremists who want to kill you, by all means go right ahead, i'll start planning your closed casket funeral right now.