That aside, there is a discussion within the Bush Administration and the Congress about whether the United States should completely and unequivocally outlaw torture as a means of interrogation against enemy combatants. That there is even a discussion among civilized and, presumably, reasonable persons about the legitimacy of such actions boggles the mind.
Senator John McCain of Arizona has come out and called torture at the hands of the American people a disgrace. If we want to assign any "moral authority" to speak to a situation, it would go to one who endured such treatment. Senator McCain is a former POW in the Vietnam War. He was tortured by the hands of his captors so if anyone would know about the negative ramifications of such actions, it would be him.
One great concern that politicians have had over the years is the United States' willingness to sell its weapons to foreign nations. Time and again, it has been shown that more often than not, these very weapons have fallen into the wrong hands and have ultimately been used against us. Should the idea of using torture as a weapon not raise the same concerns?
Limited training I received during my time in the Marine Corps addressed the issue of torture and its consequences. The bottom line was that we were taught that should we be charged with custody of enemy combatants, we were then responsible for their safety and well-being. There were several reasons why mistreating a POW was a bad idea, not the least of which includes:
- Giving a prisoner humane treatment diminished the chances that there would be problems while the POW was in US custody.
- Word getting out about the humane treatment of prisoners might encourage others to throw down their arms (remember the en masse surrenders during the first Gulf War? The US had a favorable reputation then) since there was no fear of being mistreated.
- Word getting out about the maltreatment of a POW would increase the risk that Americans in the hands of the enemy would suffer likewise.
- We would soon digress to become the enemy we so despised.
Senator McCain has a unique perspective about the mistreatment of POW's, and we should pay attention to him. Our mission in Iraq is an admirable one; we are fighting an enemy that has no moral qualms whatsoever about murdering innocent men, women, and children. The evidence also clearly shows that they have no regard for even civilians who would be reduced to begging for their lives and still being painfully and maliciously decapitated while being filmed!
However, this admirable mission will be lost on those who are watching should we come to resemble our enemy. After this, there are no more "good guys".
2 comments:
As you can imagine, for the family of a Marine who is still MIA in Vietnam, this issue has many facets to it. First, it is important for you to know that those involved in the POW/MIA issue have some serious reservations regarding Sen. McCain. He has done everything in his power to make the return of our loved ones next to impossible. He along with Sen. John Kerry, while serving on the Senate Select Committee on the POW/MIA issue in the early 1990's, treated those providing testimonies like hostile witnesses at times and refused to believe anything except what they wanted to believe. Both of these Senators wanted to establish strong economic relations with Vietnam and the fact that the Vietnamese were not being cooperative with the POW/MIA issue was simply ruining their plan. There are several questions raised by those who were held at the Hanoi Hilton with McCain. It is believed that he was given preferential treatment because of his father and grandfather holding high positions within the US Navy. He was allowed visits from many reporters and gave interviews when asked, more than thirty of them. He was well fed during his time in captivity due to his exposure to the press. In fact, there are some reports that state that he actually gained weight, up to 10 lbs. during his six plus years in captivity. Was he tortured during his captivity? I wouldn't doubt it, yet, I am confident in saying that he wasn't tortured to the same extent as others without a famous last name. Additionally, he fought to get a bill passed that makes access to POW/MIA files much more difficult for family members. (It is actually referred to as "The McCain Bill") It is important for you to also understand that the US Government does not "investigate" these MIA cases. It is the family that usually does the research and the digging through military and CIA/FBI documents to find answers to the fate of their loved ones. Then, we must convince someone in the POW/MIA governmental offices to look at what we have found and act on it. Something that may seem quite simple yet, I can tell you that just getting an answer to a simple question can take up to six months if you get an answer at all. We presently are waiting to hear from the Marine Corps Casualty Office on four major issues and can't even get them to return a voice mail message. One truly has to question why Sen. McCain is introducing this bill now when it has been over 30 years since he was released from captivity. If this issue was so close to his heart as he claims, why wasn't it presented until his name was among those to possibly run for our nation's highest office in 2008? Additionally, I must add that I have not seen the language of the bill but I would hope that "torture" is well defined within this bill as it could well have a very broad interpretation. I also believe that if the definition of torture is too rigid it could well tie the hands of interrogators and put our national security in grave danger. In closing, I would like to suggest a few items for you to read and view to better understand the POW/MIA issue. First, there is recently released DVD called, "Missing Presumed Dead" by Bill Dumas which tell the story of Bob Dumas, the brother of a POW from the Korean War and his 50 year plight to find answers about his brother's fate. This will give you a fabulous introduction to the issue. Also, I would recommend the book, "Is anyone listening?" by Barbara Birchim telling her personal journey of dealing with the US Government in an attempt to get answer regarding the fate of her husband, also MIA from Vietnam.
In closing, to sum up the POW/MIA family's view on McCain, he has turned his back on the POW/MIA Community and we now look at everything he says and does with a very critical eye.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
Thank you for responding. You bring up many interesting points that I freely admit that I was not aware of. The POW/MIA issue is important, of course, but I also believe that how we treat others is a reflection of our collective values as a nation. We are not the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese, and we are certainly not al-Quaida though it would be too easy to digress to such a state so that in the end the only difference between "us" and "them" would be the uniforms.
Whether Sen. McCain had, or has, ulterior motives is the same kind of second-guessing that insists that President Bush had ulterior motives in the Iraqi invasion. Whether it is true or not is not nearly as important as whether or not it can be proved.
Sen. McCain endured torture; you acknowledge as much. But do you suggest that his torture, even if limited as you suggest, somehow dismisses his input as valid? Never having endured such, I withhold judgment.
My heart goes out to families of POW/MIA's. This is yet another item I cannot begin to imagine just as I cannot imagine being the parent of a "missing" child whose fate is still not known. The moral authority of a nation, however, hinges on its ability to rise above the temptations to return evil for evil lest we become the enemy we have come to despise.
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