That certainly is a harsh and realistic assessment of the problem. I prefer to live in a Pollyannaish world where I do not ever have to face such problems. I want to live in a world where my professed and genuine compassion is returned in kind, where I�m never faced with the decision of using torture on some prisoner in hopes of preventing mass murder.

quote:

One of the purposes of these justifications would be to establish that whatever extreme measures are used are for reasons of nothing but information. Historically, the torture of prisoners has been done for a variety of reasons apart from information, most prominently reasons of justice or revenge. We do not do that. We should not do that. Ever. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, murderer of 2,973 innocents, is surely deserving of the most extreme suffering day and night for the rest of his life. But it is neither our role nor our right to be the agents of that suffering. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. His, not ours. Torture is a terrible and monstrous thing, as degrading and morally corrupting to those who practice it as any conceivable human activity including its moral twin, capital punishment.

I think Krauthammer (as usually) has done a superb job at honestly and realistically assessing the problem. Which is worse, the corruption and bad karma we receive from engaging in torture, or specifically and publicly outlawing it thus condemning perhaps millions to a horrible fate while at the same time practically ringing the dinner bell for terrorists everywhere, for we shouldn�t forget that horrors such as WWII could have been prevented if we did not appear weak.

And Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

I reflect on this and it occurs to me that the hardships and pains of life itself can be corrupting to the individual. Life can be a sort of torture. Pain is supposedly used as a means for us to achieve compassion and spiritual wisdom (and it can work!). Much of theology, as least as I understand it, is based on the premise that the hardships of this life are �worth it� in the long run. And yet we rightly know that torture should be avoided at almost all costs. Can something moral come from it? If you look at life in general, the answer might seem to be �yes�.

I would prefer that we develop some powerful and highly effective drugs that work well and work fast and that do not decimate the recipient. I would, of course, prefer that Islam not spawn such monstrous, evil and destructive people as the Islamo-fascists in the first place. But if they put us in the horrible position of either roughing them up a bit or letting tens of thousands of adults and children be massacred, then we probably ought to seriously head the words of Krauthammer.