579>> What is meant by torture, going without your weeties for a week. In days gone by they would pull your arms and legs off one at a time.
While there are acts like stoning and cutting limbs off in the world i think it is hard to know what is torture<<

There you have it 579, one is barbaric and comes from a culture that lives by pre medieval laws and the other is modern first world country acting medieval.

The only thing that inhumane captivity achieves is disenfranchising the rest of the moderate Moslems. Criminal acts should be punished under the law. We have to be vigilant against Moslems who strive for a global caliphate but remember that we Caucasians went to them, now they are coming to us and inhumane or degrading treatment of prisoners is not justifiable. We didn’t do it to the NAZI’s, and they killed millions. Perhaps it is because they were Caucasians.

There is a racial as well as religious fascet to it.

Just a couple are using this thread to kick the USA and ignore the primitive religion that kills in fear its youth may be a tracked to American culture.
Useless to try talking, years of avoiding truth have stalled thought.

It is convenient to pursue a nihilistic line of argumentation where each side can point the finger at the other.

Personally, I have no issue with a frank statement of intent wishing to dominate the world according. That would demand clear intentions and levels of accountability, responsibility.
and competency now entirely absent.

My objection is to the mendacious platitudes to freedom, democracy and human dignity. Truth twisted by our mass media to an increasingly stupefied and gullible populace; daily rendered less aware of reality and thus less competent to deal with the serious challenges ahead.

Testament to this growing atrophy is daily more apparent in every strata of our culture: from the irresolvable financial crisis in Europe and AMerica, the pointless wars in the middle east, impotence in the face of environmental threats or corporate malfeasance. Whether it is the sheer banality of what we watch on our TVs or the acceptance and justification of torture.

We have come to this sad point, where we joke of torture and justify it because those who are significantly less educated, and impoverished, who's nations are occupied by us- when they respond violently to our intrusions we must demonize them and dehumanize them - not as freedom fighters but as crazed animals

Sorry bloke, I saw a warning in your post so this is my last in this thread.
Every time those BIG WORDS are used to highlight one sides wrongs and forget the others its time to go.
Yes the torture was wrong, very much so, it defamed those who did it and those who hid it.
Yet I see no reference to the every day every hour hate and torture of even fellow country men, women, and yes children.
Enjoy but ignore at your peril

I've read many of the various opinions herein, apropos 'Gitmo' and what allegedly occurs down there, and I simply don't know ?

But some of the views you're peddling YEBIGA about 'Prisoners of War' is absolute nonsense. My understanding of those who are allegedly detained down there, they're terrorists. Terrorists do not enjoy the protection of being deemed POW.

Terriorists are criminals, nothing more or less. It was BELLY who put it quite succinctly, they target women, children, civilians, not regular, and armed soldiers.

So my friend, I do apprecite your comments of the deleterious effect such unpalatable work must have on those who are tasked with guarding these individuals. I suppose it could well be argued, they're not part of the cultural elite ?

But after all, aren't they all soldiers, perhaps even provost corps, and does it not form part of their regular duty ?

If there is evidence of an inordinately high level of emotional dysfunction amongst staff thereat, perhaps a more carfully considered selection process should be employed, in order to choose more emotionally stable and mature staffing levels are maintained ?

@O sung wu
I am astounded at the number of posters who no longer believe torture is unacceptable. If the rationale is because of the barbarity of the "terrorists" how are we then any better.

The IRA placed bombs in public places which targetted the public. We did not demonise them as sub-human.

The US reluctance to take these "detainees" or to trial them with laws which prevent them defending themselves is quite bizarre. 12 years after 9/11 and no one has been convicted in any approaching a hearing with verifiable evidence.

@belly where on earth are these extremists torturing us westerners?

Come on folks lift your game!