Tick, Tick

Torture defenders across the nation have loved, embraced, adored and had inappropriate sexual congress with the image of Jack Bauer beating the snot out of a suspect to prevent the horror of more terrorism.  We quaintly refer to that as the "ticking time bomb" scenario.  Can you hear the ticking?

The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.

A Justice Department spokesman said the threat was being taken seriously and additional protection had been ordered for abortion clinics last week. But a leader of the anti-abortion movement derided the accused shooter as "a fruit and a lunatic."

Violence is planned.  Horrors are imminent.  People will die if we don't waterboard the living piss right out of this terror loving lunatic!  Fire up the electrodes with his balls in mind.  Break out the hard rubber hoses.  Grab the broomsticks that his asshole feel the burn!  We've lives to save here!

Oh wait.  Maybe destroying this man's humanity isn't such a good idea.  As John Cole lectures,

So when do we get to start torturing this guy?

And of course, the answer should be “NEVER.” Torture is wrong. Torture is immoral. Torture is evil. Torture is illegal. Torture does more violence to our values than it does to the individual being tortured. Torture is unreliable. Torture is counter-productive- everything someone says after being tortured should be treated as suspect.

Perhaps torturing this guy would be okay if we just called it fiction and presented it on the TeeVee?

Comments

[Steve]

How many bales of straw had to die so uselessly for this post?

[Wulfgar]

Lame, Steve. If you see a straw man, point it out. I'll still crush you like a bug, but please, show some courage. Please?

[Rocky Smith]

If the man knows of plots to kill more doctors in the future, I'd look the other way while you twisted his arm a bit.

[Wulfgar]

But Rocky, as Steve so clearly didn't show, to think anyone would support torture is a 'Straw Man'.

[Rocky Smith]

Yea- didn't know quite how to broadcast the "wink" in that last one. Can't I have a little fun with you?

[Wulfgar]

You can, Rocky. I'm just poking a little fun at Steve as we do it.