THE DEBATE OF whether or not torture is acceptable to obtain vital information on an impending terrorist attack as devastating as that of Sept. 11, is raging again in the United States.
The famous Harvard Law professor and supposed human rights champion Alan Dershowitz has written a new book where he argues that torturing terrorist suspects is allowable if it will produce information that would save the lives of thousands of people. Appearing on MSNBC's The Abrams Report on Tuesday night, Dershowitz argued that the United States should legalize torture in exceptional cases, and require that judges approve such methods when needed.
He argued that non-lethal and non-scarring torture be used, like sticking sterilized needles under a suspect' fingernails. (Ouch!) This he claimed would produce excruciating pain, but that only four hours later the victim would be fine. I doubt though if the victim would ever forget the ordeal, leading to permanent psychological scarring that will torment him for the rest of his life.
I find the whole idea ridiculous and distasteful, to say the least. Dershowitz claims that every industrialized nation resorts to torture occasionally, but since it is banned, must do so in secret where it can't be regulated. Far better to legalize it and do it openly with a judge regulating and reviewing each case of it, is his argument.
With the shocking news this week that over 100 of the 158 Al-Qaeda detainees at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba are Saudi, one wonders if the detainees were white and European would Dershowitz still so enthusiastically push for torture? Probably not. I do believe it's much easier to demonize other human beings when you believe that they are different from you and don't share the same cultural values as you.
The world has always looked at America as a beacon of democracy and human rights in a Third World dimmed by torture and a lack of basic human rights. That the US should now be considering using torture is not only ironic, shocking and disgusting, but also deeply saddening. I don't think our Founding Fathers ever thought it would come to this!
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Filipinos support US troop deployment
THE SOCIAL WEATHER Stations survey results released this week that showed 84 percent of Filipinos approve of US military aid to the Philippines, proved the point that everyone knew already: Filipinos in general are pro-American, and will not object when the US military tries to help release American hostages being held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels in Basilan.
The small groups of left-wing protesters that get daily coverage by burning effigies of Bush and Arroyo in front of the US Embassy in Manila, are not representative of Filipino sentiment at large. We really didn't need a survey to tell us that, but its results are I'm sure nevertheless reassuring to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the US government.
The truth of the matter is that the Philippine military needs all the help it can get in modernizing its equipment and maneuvers. GMA has strongly defended the deployment of US troops in Basilan, alongside Filipino troops, as allowable under the 1951 Mutual Defense Agreement and the Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999. Militant groups that disagree have been challenged by the president to present their case to their Supreme Court. The administration said it would abide by any Supreme Court decision.
In a move that is sure to put more pressure on the Philippine and US governments, the sister of Gracia Burnham, one of the American hostages, suddenly appeared in Cebu this week with her husband to press for the rescue of her sister and brother-in-law. Someone must have given her good PR advice, as it is well known that governments sometimes don't respond until high-profile publicity about a kidnapping case spills out in the media, making them look like they're not doing anything.
Even after the Burnhams are rescued, the US military should remain and provide more training to Philippine troops. The Abu Sayyaf should be wiped out once and for all. The havoc it has caused the Philippines is incalculable. Even if the group was originally started with the help of the CIA and the Philippine military, it has become a monster that has turned on its creator and threatens the stability of an entire nation.
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Good news for Nur Misuari
RECENT comments by Arroyo administration officials, most notably Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, hint at a possible presidential pardon down the road for imprisoned former ARMM governor Nur Misuari.
I think that GMA is determined to show that she is tough and is not willing to tolerate rebellion against the government. Following this line of reasoning, I think she will insist that Misuari be tried and convicted for leading a bloody rebellion in Basilan last December against her government. I also think that she will show compassion and astute intelligence by later pardoning Misuari after he has served a few months in jail. The president realizes that she will have to if she wants to maintain peace in Mindanao and keep the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on track.
