San Diego Untion Tribune: No to torture

[question everything]

UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL

No to torture

Congress must approve McCain amendment

December 10, 2005

A headline in a Canadian newspaper tells us more than we want to know about how the United States is often perceived: "World has lost its human-rights champion."

This headline appeared on a column about the debate over whether the United States should engage in torture. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Europe, to defend this country against charges that Americans are torturing terror suspects, and a House-Senate conference committee is beginning debate over a bill containing an anti-torture amendment. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, sits on the conference committee.

The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would make language in the Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogations – which prohibits torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of detainees – binding on all U.S. personnel. That includes those employed by the CIA and private contractors.

The Senate approved the amendment on a 90-9 vote. It won the support of such hawks as Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. President Bush, insisting that the United States must do what is necessary to protect its citizens, has threatened to veto the entire bill if it does not exempt the CIA from the anti-torture provisions. The House version does not contain the anti-torture language.

(snip)

McCain has said he will not approve of any exemptions. He has said that whether or not Americans torture is not about terrorists' values; it is about ours. He is right. As the world's most prominent defender of human rights during modern times, America's disavowal of torture must be unambiguous.


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051210/news_lz1ed10top.html

[Cha]

1. And San Diego is a big repig area..

just ask randy cunning-ham how well he did there for such a long long time.

[question everything]

2. Indded. This is why I found it of interest to post here (nt)