Our new president wasted no time in issuing an executive order barring torture of suspected terrorists. Problem: no one knows what is meant by the word “torture.” President Obama’s new (designated) chief of national intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair, wouldn’t say whether waterboarding (simulated drowning) was torture or not. Hum, this means that there is no change from the previous administration–despite all the rhetoric.br /br /If a terrorist group was at work in your town and the authorities captured a leader who knew what local schools were targeted to be blown up and when–and your kids (maybe grandkids) attended several different schools–would you be willing to let the terrorist be abused (maybe waterboarded) to save the lives of your family? I sure would.br /br /The Bill of Rights (the 8th Ammendment) specifically prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.” That’s torture, right? Sure. But what is torture. The US Navy abolished the use of whips as punishment for rule-breaking sailors in 1850! That’s 60 years after the Bill of Rights was approved–so clearly our founding fathers didn’t think whipping was cruel and unusual punishment.br /br /So, the political BS continues. I hope no one gets too worked up about the rights of people who want to kill you and me and our families because we don’t belong to their religious sect. Speaking of these wonderful people, now that they’re closing Gitmo, I wonder where these nice prisoners will be kept–in a jail near you?
