The term “Torture” derives from the Latin word “tortus” meaning “twisted. Torture involves the intentional infliction of physical or mental pain on a person to fulfill some desire of the perpetrator or to compel some action from the victim. The following are some general definitions of torture. 1. Torture is the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.…
Diagnostic: “The Torture Myth” by Anne Applebaum After the events of September 11, 2001, America launched into an anti-terrorism fight that was different from any other fight seen before. The aspiration for three-letter government agencies became information. Information became the most valuable asset in warfare. Initially, torture was the obvious choice for extracting information. However, officials started to question its effectiveness.…
Abu Ghraib held one of the most notorious prisons whereby executions, torture and appalling living conditions existed. Abu Ghraib became a U.S. military prison for criminals after its original regime collapsed. To much concern, after America had taken over this prison and replaced all of its inmates, Major General Antonio M. Tuguba found that there were numerous cases of abuse at Abu Ghraib. These illegal instances of abuse were actioned by members of the American intelligence community (Hersh, 2004). This displays that the Americans level of authority over those in Abu Ghraib may have been due trying to conform to their role of power.…
If we use torture tactics we could prevent more major terrorist attacks. Torture is the easiest way to get information out of terrorist. The CIA would only use torture methods on Al Qaeda leaders in order to get information that may prevent future attacks. Personally I believe that these torture methods are justified because of what they do to POW’s overseas. 59% of the American society support the CIA’s methods according to new polls conducted by telephone calls.(Adam Goldman reports on terrorism and national security for The Washington Post.)…
At the same time the opponents of these methods were convinced that one individual could not be an organizer of so many terrorist plots and revealed their skepticism in relation to his claims. They stated that taking into consideration the types of tortures, which could be applied to an individual, there is never a guarantee that his confessions are true to life and were not made purely with the aim to stop tortures and remain alive. This argument makes everybody doubt as for effectiveness of tortures. “For instance, a torture victim deprived of his clothes will feel so “ashamed and humiliated and cold,” said retired FBI counterterrorism agent Dan Coleman, “he 'll tell you anything you want to hear to get his clothing back. There 's no value in it.”…
In his article “A Case for Torture,” Michael Levin creates a faulty argument for torture by disregarding the issue of the legality of torture. Levin’s article is in response to the publication of a shocking report by the Senate’s Intelligence Committee. The extensive report reveals the details of torture on suspected terrorists conducted by officials of the Central Intelligence Committee (CIA) and members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In his article, Levin attempts to defend the individuals and agencies through the use of pathos and other such rhetoric devices, but he has failed to discuss the legality of the act nor did he discuss the hypocritical nature of the scandal.…
The best Way to Deal with Terrorists Is it really necessary to torture or make people suffer just to get stuff that we need from them? After reading “The Case for Torture” by Dr. Michael Levin, I disagree with torturing terrorists to gain information. I am totally against with torture or punish terrorists because first, most terrorists are forced to act in the way they do, they have no power over their actions. Secondly, it is possible to transform the bad feelings inside them to a good one, I believe everyone deserves a second chance.…
They isolate them until they turn the people to their advantage. Even though it is justified because they are getting information from those being tortured, the novel 1984 is connected to the CIA torture report because of its accuracy and effectiveness. But the novel fails to take into account…
Because the justification for torture has been called into question, the credibility of the CIA has also. After analyzing numerous sources about the CIA torture report, it…
Desperate Times Would you ever hurt someone? What if hurting that someone meant that you would be seen as a hero amongst many? What if hurting someone meant that you were able to save innocent lives? What if hurting someone meant that you lost a piece of yourself and what it means to be human? `The topic at hand is if it is ever justifiable to torture someone under any circumstance.…
You awaken in a dark room, with no recollection of how you got there. You realize that you sit across from a few men, with a table separating from you. Next to the men you see a bucket filled with water and a rag. You are blinded by a bright white light and one of the men bangs on the table and says, “We know you are with the terrorists. So where are they hiding?”…
The torture sessions were not for the purpose of gaining information, which is the typical purpose, but to break the soldiers’ will to fight back. When this occurred, the Vietnamese would force them to make anti-American statements as a form of propaganda against the United States. No human being could endure this type of physical torture without his mental state being affected negatively by it. Soldiers watched as their friends were tortured and starved to death, with the knowledge that they were helpless to help and it could be them in their position very soon. Their days were filled with blind terror and pain, not knowing what was going on in the outside world, the state of their comrades or their families.…
It is absolutely abhorrent that you imply that torture was used both in residential schools and as prison segregation. You know very well that torture was abolished world wide in the late 18th to early 19th century’s. Therefore it is absolutely preposterous to accuse the Canadian state of the use of torture. The residential schools were meant to be the aboriginal children’s best chance for success in the new country we have created.…
The Chinese Communist Party has ruled the country since 1949, tolerating no opposition and often dealing brutally with dissent. Within China there are many social issues. Many of the issues are exposed in Chinese media, which show China 's fragile social balance. Issues that cause problems would include the Government, law, and other social unrest. There is a lack of people who actually follow the rule of law.…
The dark side of humanity has been seen throughout the ages. A person’s dark behavior is clearly displayed through the atrocities that they have committed. Individuals who murder, torture, steal, and many other cruel actions are all key to contributing to the dark side of humanity. Events such as using ancient torture techniques, using chemical torture, Satanism, the Stanford experiment, and serial killers are all ways that the dark side of human nature is displayed throughout the ages through history.…