Does a policy that allows us to torture our prisoners help our troops in the battlefield or does it harm them?

Question

In my opinion any policy of torture is cowardly. The idea that those who aren't wearing the right clothes have no rights is also childish and cowardly. Be a man. Fight in the right way and your victory will be more certain and much sweeter.
What's the matter are you afraid to fight fairly. Scared you might lose that way? That's not how it works. Right makes might. Not the other way around.

The typical attack continues. I say that a policy that allows us to violate Geneva whenever we find combatants that are violating Geneva is a cowardly policy. The response is that I'm calling the soldiers cowardly. Please, don't misunderstand me. I am calling the policy -- devised by Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush cowardly. I am calling THEM cowards.

I know our soldiers are very brave. And I commend them for serving even an imcompetent President with honor.

Think about if the Police said, "Well, none of these criminals are following the law, so therefore they are not entitled to the protection of the law." That would be ridiculous. So is the claim, "Well, none of these insurgents is obeying Geneva, so they are not entitle to the protections of Geneva." Equally ridiculous.

Answer 1

It harms us as well as all nations. Others who would normally not lower themselves to torture will say ' what good for the goose is good for the gander'

Answer 2

Some one said that torturing under minds the Geneva convention but the Geneva convention specifically says that the enemy must have a uniform for the laws and rules of the convention to apply therefore we are not breaking or under minding the convention in the current war in Iraq

Answer 3

First, the policy does not allow "torture", by definition.

It does allow the use of aggressive interrogation techniques of illegal combatants - i.e. combatants with no standing under the Geneva conventions.

And the inhabitants of Gitmo are illegal combatants, and are thus subject to aggressive interrogation. Since these people torture and murder their prisoners, and violate every requirement of Geneva conventions, it doesn't hurt us. And the info we get helps.

It's too bad so many people have more consideration for illegal combatants than they do for their victims.

Last point - we do not torture or use aggressive techniques on Geneva-recognized POWs.

Answer 4

You know what I think is cowardly? Driving American planes into American buildings, costing American lives and depriving American children of their American parents. I think it's cowardly to force children to carry explosives, so that when kindly American soldiers are pulled by their sympathies to stop and help a poor child in need, they get killed themselves. I think that's cowardly.

If we have to do a little torturing to help our soldiers in the field, to help them accomplish this mission and get themselves home, then torture away. It's no different from what those prisoners would do to their own countrymen, their own children, their own wives and parents. Maybe they need to have a little misery in their lives, get a taste of agony, and maybe they'll see the error of their ways.

You don't send your child to school every day and tell them that, when that bully pins them to the wall and threatens to beat the dear life out of them, they should just turn the other cheek. You don't accuse them of being cowardly if they decide to fight back, fist for fist, punch for punch. You just don't let your children come home every night, bruised and broken, and tell them that they're doing the right thing. And if you do, you're sick.

Don't you dare say that our American troops are afraid to fight fairly. We have given these insurgents and terrorists more of a chance than they gave any one of the men and women in the Twin Towers. Don't you dare say that our troops are afraid. They are braver than you will ever be.

Answer 5

There are rules and those rules are to be followed. At the same time, I do not believe that every American would agree with all of the rules. There is a thin line between the right of the general public to know that the rules are being followed and the specific events. Interrogation within the rules that results in usable intelligence obviously helps our troops. Nonsense, like Abu Grah (spelling?), will obviously hurt since it enrages the enemy.

Answer 6

Fighting fair when the opponent is fighting dirty is an invitation to get our asses kicked. Insurgents are placing bombs under the roadways of Iraq which are killing innocent civilians and wounding American troops who haven't yet fired upon that particular insurgent, but we're getting the shaft for 'torture'?

Gotta fight fire with fire if you're gonna win. Besides, the Geneva Convention protects those who agree to respect its terms. No one in Iraq has. Game on.

Answer 7

I'm sorry but I don't see how making them drink a cup of sea water, stripping them of all clothes, putting a full body harness on, running them up a flag pole, playing Black Label Society full blast and having a smiling Donald Rumsfield picture in front of their face constitute torture.

Seriously, ya gotta make em' talk. Life can't be comfortable for them. I agree Abu Graib was out of hand and the ones behind it got punished. I don't agree that these folks are citizens, under the Constitution and deserve less than prisoner of war treatment.

Answer 8

What policy allows the torture of prisoners of war? The Geneva convention does NOT apply to terrorists, only to uniformed soldiers. What "torture" are you referring to? Listen, if these insurgents and terrorists get ahold of any of our troops, they won't be concerned about being "nice".

Answer 9

In previous wars out of uniform enemy combatants were routinely shot. Notable examples were the group of Germans caught in Florida during WWII, German soldiers dressed as US military police at the battle of the bulge, and US soldiers who had escaped from Nazi prison camps and were caught dressed as German civilians. All of which is in compliance with the Geneva conventions.

The entire group being held in Cuba could be executed in full complaince with the Geneva convention. As could Iraqis dressed as police or civilians and caught shooting at American or Iraqi troops. We should have kept only a few for questioning and executed all of the rest.

The severe penalty for being caught out of uniform is a Geneva convention designed to protect civilians. Because if combatants are allowed to disguise themselves as civilians it increases the chances that non-combantants will be killed by accident.

I'm not opposed to the Geneva convention we just need to carry out the penalty portions of it to the letter. There wouldn't be any complaints about the treatment of illegal combatants because they would all be quickly executed.

During the civil war a civilian boy, I can't remember the age but around 14 was caught in Little Rock, AR by federal troops with drawings of the Federal defenses. He was hanged. O' Dodd was his name I believe. Don't act like combatants dressed as civilians have any special protection by the Geneva conventions, the fact is full complaince requires their execution.

Answer 10

The word torture has a lot of definitions. To some, not supplying cigarettes to prisoners is torture. To others, pulling out finger nails with pliers is interrigation.
The threat of torture ( some would call it torture too ) has loosened tongues, helping save many lives.

Answer 11

There is NO policy of torture for prisoners
A rumor spread by the Haters of he USA