61% Of Americans Say Torture Is Justified... WHAT?!?

[Gold9472]

Most in U.S. Say Torture Can Be Just

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-torture7dec07,1,1776716.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

From Associated Press
12/7/2005

WASHINGTON — Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea said that torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least in rare instances, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

The survey, taken in the United States and eight closely allied nations, found that Canadians, Mexicans and Germans were divided on whether torture is ever justified.

Most people in Spain and Italy opposed torture under any circumstances.

In the United States, 61% of those surveyed agreed that torture is justified at least on rare occasions. Almost nine in 10 in South Korea and slightly more than half in France and Britain shared that view.

[Partridge]

Yeah but what was the actual wording of the question. Was it

"Do you think torture is justified in rare circumstances?"

or

"Do you think torture is justified if it will DEFINITELY save lives?"

Polls are all about the wording.

[Gold9472]

Doesn't matter... we torture them, they torture us... it's not rocket science. Torture, in any form, is bad.

[somebigguy]

Thats what spreading freedom and democracy is all about, Torture!!!

The poll does say "terrorism suspects", not necessarily terrorists. Given the patriot act's depiction of what a suspected terrorist is, then I would be considered a terrorist as would anyone else who doesn't tow the party line, therefore after thinking about it, I would have to disagree with it.

Now, torturing convicted terrorists, might be a different story. Lets get Bush/Cheney into the stretch machine and find out what really happened on 9/11.

[Gold9472]

Good idea!

[amman254]

heh this is crazy!!! 61% !!!!

it reminds me of michael moore's "bowling for columbine". what happens at the canadian border, that they seem to have their heads screwed on somewhat more correctly???

any thoughts on that one SBG?

and of course the whole questioning behind at which point something like torture is responsible, or at least condonable...ok, we say today for "terrorists", it is acceptable...who are the terrorists tomorrow? or how dow we difine what is terribly criminal?

remember "fahrenheit 451"? which book did you read today.....

[somebigguy]

Never saw Bowling for Columbine. I'm not into sports...

[jetsetlemming]

Thats the movie that tried to claim the nra was really the kkk. Oh, and that Canadians are magical, uber-peaceful perfect people that never ever have to lock their doors.

[jetsetlemming]

When people say they approve of torture in rare situations, they're thinking of the "24" style situation, torturing a terrorists in order to find a nuke hidden in the city or something like that.

[ThotPolice]

heh this is crazy!!! 61% !!!!

it reminds me of michael moore's "bowling for columbine". what happens at the canadian border, that they seem to have their heads screwed on somewhat more correctly???

any thoughts on that one SBG?

and of course the whole questioning behind at which point something like torture is responsible, or at least condonable...ok, we say today for "terrorists", it is acceptable...who are the terrorists tomorrow? or how dow we difine what is terribly criminal?

remember "fahrenheit 451"? which book did you read today.....It's bullshit the way Moore painted Canada, we may have less problems but most of our homicides are the result of stabbings, if he had tried that unlocked door thing in some of our inner cities he would have got stabbed or shot.

[jetsetlemming]

That was a very entertainly dumb movie. His interview with Charlton Heston was the igh point.

[ThotPolice]

I don't like Moore any more, It's not what he is trying to do it's the way he does it. His good points become moot surrounded by all his heart tugging propaganda.

For instance the gun stats he gave in the movie were not broken down for capita, witch is weird because when you do it with the figures he gave it still shows the states have major problems though they don't appear as bad.

Or like banning bullets from K-mart will have an impact on anything other than his image. I think he should focus more on cold facts otherwise he will have less impact.

He does good but is too easily dismissed.

[amman254]

ok, ok, i got it, you guys are defenitly not in love with michael moore....

but i was not trying to plug him, just the comparison with the violence, in the two countries, and then in the above report about torture. it seems to be obvious that there is a difference there somewhere in the mindset, that can surely not be explained simply through the border. i can say that the germans obviously voted lower on that one, in part as the accumalative awareness of what happened here 60 years ago. the sensibility for that kind of thing is just generally a bit higher.

but what i was also saying is that even in pointing out the "24" type situation, or whatever we want to place as, "extremely" worthy of using drastic measures....those situations are merely a system of definition...and that definition can change with the global mindset, morals, what have we. and at any given time, then it is you and me that are dangerous because we represent something other than the excepted norm.

[jetsetlemming]

It's just that most people think its okay because they can imagine a situation where a bombs going to go off or whatever and torturing the one terrorist they've got captured is definitely going to help them stop the bomb. The wonders of TV, huh?

[amman254]

It's just that most people think its okay because they can imagine a situation where a bombs going to go off or whatever and torturing the one terrorist they've got captured is definitely going to help them stop the bomb. The wonders of TV, huh?

let's face it...in that given situation it's gonna be done...if we don't believe that, then we are living in some parallel universe where walt disney is the creator....

but that is not what is happenning everyday here, there, and everywhere ! and certain self-acclaimed "people on the right side" are completely disrespecting everything that we would even half way call the basic human rights.

and i'd bet my bottom dollar...or euro...that this is the situation where the most of the 61% have no fucking problem with...and not just when kieffer sutherland is saving the world, or at least los angeles....