Torture, by any other name ...

What the world expects of Christians is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear, and that they should voice their condemnation in such a way that never a doubt, never the slightest doubt, could rise in the heart of the simplest man. That they should get away from the abstraction and confront the blood-stained face history has taken on today. -- Albert Camus

Jesus wants us, commands us, to speak truly and clearly:

But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.-- Matthew v. 37.

and from the old dispensation:

Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. --Isaias v.20.

The United States of America is the most powerful country and state on earth, therefore, its influence is great. The US came to the fore with Thomas Jefferson's Declaration. Jefferson was this new country's political theorist, America's Plato, America's Machiavelli, America's Hobbes. His political philosophy -- democracy, yes democracy, not monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, absolutism or tyranny was to guarantee, not grant, guarantee, the rights of men. As a further guarantee, The Bill of Rights was made part of the constitutional ordinance of governance.

Clearly, some things are germane to american political life and some are not:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. -- Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The Senate has confirmed Mukasey as the country's chief law enforcement officer, a man who publicly refused to recognize "water boarding" as torture. Only an idiot or a calculating liar could do this, and Michael Mukasey is a great deal sharper than Alberto Gonzalez.

Water boarding was called the water cure when the Japanese performed the practice during war time. They were convicted for such at the Tokyo War Crimes Trial. Such practices are forbidden by the Geneva Conventions, which is also US law. American soldiers were court martialed for the same practice done to Filipino guerrillas at the turn of the last century

Water boarding is orwellian language and disinformation for controlled drowning. Its use during “enhanced interrogation” is one method amongst others within torture sessions.

What sort of people do this, allow this or command this be done? Convicted war criminals, Mukasey, 53 american senators*, georgebushjr and unnamed individual practitioners at secret prisons. Now, some things have come to light from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, there is more to come. Mukasey is an apologist and proponent of greater "executive privilege" which is newspeak for presidential absolutism which extends to dictatorial, tyrannical and unchecked abusive rule.
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*40 senators voted no, not one republican in that group. A filibuster promised by Dodd, did not occur, he was absent as were four others in the presidential race.