Over 40 percent of Americans condone torture

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/news/international/Sizeable_minority_in_U_S_condone_torture.html?siteSect=143&sid=9263397&cKey=1214456867000&ty=ti

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The number of Americans who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives, has risen over the past two years and now stands at over 40 percent, according to a new opinion poll.

The poll released by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a project managed by the University of Maryland, found that a narrow majority of Americans -- 53 percent -- think all torture should be banned.

But 31 percent would accept it in terrorism cases to save innocent lives and a further 13 percent said it should be allowed in other circumstances as well, the nationwide poll of 1,309 people found. The remaining 3 percent did not know or did not answer. The margin of error was 3.3 percent.

WorldPublicOpinion said a 2006 poll found that 36 percent of Americans would accept torture in terrorism or other cases, compared with 44 percent now.

[Echo In Light]

1. The "save lives" meme has been as successful for the establishment as the magnet ribbon...

...support of the war effort has.

[annabanana]

2. That is a truly horrifying statistic. It is only possible because we

have been thoroughly shielded from depictions of the actual use of torture, except in the most abbreviated, circumscribed forms.

[G_j]

7. doubt if American TV shows help much

24 etc...
:puke:

[agentS]

3. How many would still support torture

if their own child wound up being tortured by mistake, a la Abu Garib, GiTMO, 24. etc?

Some Amerrycans think this is like 24, where you punch a guy and he starts talking, or like OZ where prisoners get raped every other episode.

[Echo In Light]

4. Why? They've been convinced the US is surrounded by and harboring damn, dirty TERRORISTS!

[NightWatcher]

5. my biggest problem with torture...it doesnt work

torture and the wiretapping of us doesnt help provide good intel. It muddys the waters with tons of bad info. I learned a long time ago that the US govt does not focus on the "ends" but the "means" in the war on terror. They dont want to stop the terrorists but instead want to use the terrorists as an excuse to control the population.

[Echo In Light]

6. Big Brother, Inc isn't looking for what it claims to be

Dissidents, anti-war demonstrators/organizers, various peace groups, etc ...those are the "terrorists" the U.S. govt is primarily concerned with.