I have gone back and forth on this issue but in the end it is this,
We have to stand for something.
We do. We stand for freedom, liberty and all the rest. We don't attack people because of their religious views or kill innocents and justify it because of some bogus cause.
Your logic makes the same mistake as people who say "killing is wrong". Killing is simply an action. It is neither wrong or right. If I kill someone to take their wallet that is wrong. If I kill someone because they are going to shoot me, thats not wrong. Its the motivation, not the action that is important.
As stated in the article though, where do you draw the line?
You draw the line at torture. Again, this technique doesn't kill people, doesn't drown people, doesn't cause any permanent or even temporary injury. Messing with someone's head isn't torture.
When is it no longer acceptable to drown someone?
I suggest you read up on waterboarding because it doesn't involve drowning at all.
Should prisoners of American forces have to fear for their lives every time a US soldier approaches their cell? Should they constantly worry about the treatment they will receive and torture which may await them?
You mean that guys who plant IED's that kill our soldiers or the guys who kidnap innocent people and murder them? Are you really going to make the argument that we need to create an environment where terrorists are not afraid?
Sorry but no. If you want to drug them for information to save lives fine but resorting to the tactics of pain and fear are NOT what America is about.
And ironically, drugging someone for information (which isn't as reliable) is far more physically dangerous to the suspect than waterboarding.
Our actions in this matter have caused the entire world to question what this nation stands for, and with good reason. If we are going to assume the role of global crusader, righter or wrongs, then we damn well better not be committing the types of actions we would deplore being done by others.
Well I don't know what you deplore, but I certianly don't like decapitations, explosions, RPG's or being shot. Seems that on the moral comparator we have the high ground.
Ask this question, would the US gov't ever state it acceptable for a foreign gov't to water board American citizens should that gov't believe it necessary? Especially American citizens who might have been taken on American soil?
Well lets see. If we had an american citizen that was engaged in acts of terror against a foreign nation as part of a larger organization that had resulted in thousands of deaths within that nation, then I don't see a single problem with it.
Again your logic fails here. You seem to think that because we waterboard people will hate us and retaliate. Well I've got news for you these subhuman pieces of trash were blowing people up and sawing heads off
BEFORE anyone knew we were waterboarding. Its also patently clear that they aren't going to stop killing us if we stop waterboarding. So the choice we have is to get useful information via a proven technique or not.
If that does not make the point clear I don't know what will.
Quite.