YOU CAN'T HAVE A "POLICY" ABOUT TORTURE...OR YOU SHOULDN'T...
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE COPS KNOCK A FEW PEOPLE AROUND TO GET WHAT THEY WANT... BUT IT'S NEVER IN THE "RULE BOOK"...NOR SHOULD IT BE.
THE GOOD COP/BAD COP ROUTINE IS WELL KNOWN...AND THREATS AGAINST SOME CRIMINALS ARE PRODUCTIVE...LEADING SOME TO SAY "TORTURE WORKS"....
BUT TORTURE ONLY WORKS IF THERE IS A SET PROVABLE GOAL...IE TO FIND THE LOCATION OF A BODY FOR EXAMPLE...
TORTURE TO GET ABSTRACT INFORMATION THAT IS NOT PROVABLE IS PROBABLY USELESS...
THE POINT IS...WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE A LITTLE TORTURE "ON THE SIDE"...BUT IT WAS NEVER CONDONED AS A POLICY...AS WAS DONE DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION...
IN SHORT...THIS IS A GREY AREA THAT SHOULD BE LEFT TO THOSE IN CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATION... BUT WITH CLEAR "GUIDELINES" NOT 'POLICIES" AS TO WHAT, WHERE, WHO AND WHY "HARSH TACTICS" ARE ALLOWED...
I DON'T THINK TORTURE WAS REALLY A DISCUSSABLE TOPIC EVEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES WHICH WAS THE GOLDEN AGE OF TORTURE ...MAINLY FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES...
THE THING ABOUT TORTURE IS... WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS IT PUBLICALLY...AND THIS HAS WORKED OUT WELL OVER THE MANY YEARS PRE 911...UNTIL THE BUSH-CHENEY NEOCON DISASTER OCCURRED.
