(UK) Judge's anger at US torture

[corksean]

A high court judge yesterday delivered a stinging attack on America, saying its idea of what constituted torture was out of step with that of "most civilised nations".

The criticism, directed at the Bush administration's approach to human rights, was made by Mr Justice Collins during a hearing over the refusal by ministers to request the release of three British residents held at Guantánamo Bay.

The judge said: "America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours and does not appear to coincide with that of most civilised nations." He made his comments, he said, after learning of the UN report that said Guantánamo should be shut down without delay because torture was still being carried out there.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,1711833,00.html

[babylonsister]

1. While I totally agree w/this judge, seems like the pot's calling

the kettle black here. How civilised was it for British soldiers to beat the crap out of people? That too is torture in my book.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. But the difference is that gets investigated as a crime

while Guantanamo is official government policy.

[melody]

3. Official government policy of a dictatorship

Small wonder.

[badgervan]

4. Torture

40 to 50% of Americans condone the use of torture by this administration. Think about that, and what it tells the world about what we have become, as a country, under the emporer bush and his enabler, grand inquisitor cheney. This makes me sick.

[President Kerry]

5. Those percentages are tricky.

It really depends on how you frame the question. And repugs are master of phrasing poll questions in such a way as to get the results they want.

Clearly, "Do you approve of presidential authority to use torture?" is different than "Do you approve of the use of torture in exceptional circumstances where a major terrorist act can be averted through its use?"

Of course what they don't get is that torture doesn't work, however you use it, and it harms the US a lot more than it could ever help. Plus of course it's morally base.

[melody]

6. Untrue

That's a distortion of the statistics.

It's actually 32-37%. That's bad enough.

Most Americans are avowedly against torture, which is the reason they have to hide it from us and deny it.

[DearAbby]

8. It's actually 32-37%...and a small portion of that

don't believe "that panties on the head" is torture, will not under any circumstances, view the latest photos, they outright call them liberal propaganda & lies...at least those that I have had the misfortune of speaking too.

[goforit]

7. Somebody is slamming Bush?

[Higans]

9. K &R