Shepard Smith - Never Have This Tool on the Show Again!
"America does not torture."
We want to hear the truth and law from Judge Napolitano, not the regular Fox News propaganda and deception from likes of Shepard Smith.
Never invite Shepard Smith on the show again!
anonymous
shared this idea
Re-posting Nick’s comment:
Shep’s statement was ideological, not factual. That is, he wasn’t saying, “No, the U.S. government has not tortured anyone.” He was saying, “American ideology is inconsistent with torture, and the U.S. government ought not to torture anyone.”
-shelly
2 comments
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Aaron Miller commented
It's sometimes suggested that the Constitution prohibits torture under the "cruel and unusual punishment" clause, but torture is a means of interrogation and not punishment. However, Part 3, Section 1, Article 17 of the Geneva Convention does prohibit not only torture but even "any other form of coercion" in relation to prisoners of war. The U.S. signed that treaty, right? That puts us in an awkward position.
Morally speaking, prohibition of coerced interrogation doesn't make sense. I think both Democrats and Republicans are generally wrong on this issue. I dislike how Republicans submit to political word games by supporting "interrogation" but saying "torture" is inherently immoral. I would define "torture" as deliberate infliction of pain, and I believe that is the common sense definition that all Americans instinctively know. Torture can be as mild as sensory deprivation or sensory overload (such as blaring music / noise loudly nonstop for days), or torture can be as severe as cutting and drowning. In any case, there is risk of long-term effects, but also opportunity for aid in the healing process afterward. Politicians ought to publicly admit that some forms of torture are acceptable while others are not.
Another consideration when considering torture is how our actions reflect a hedonist disposition. Most people are more likely to reject physical torture than psychological tortures, even if those physical methods leave no physical scars after mere weeks or months.
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Nick
commented
I think Shep's statement was ideological, not factual. That is, he wasn't saying, "No, the U.S. government has not tortured anyone." He was saying, "American ideology is inconsistent with torture, and the U.S. government ought not to torture anyone."
