Senators,
I write to you to strongly urge that you to oppose the Defense Appropriations bill if it comes out conference without containing the entire McCain Amendment (#1977). Senators, to put it frankly, the torture of captured persons is just plain wrong.
Torture hurts our troops. When one engages in torture it sets the precedence for the other side to respond in kind. Now, it may be said that our enemies would engage in torture regardless our actions and, in many cases, that may be true. But, it certainly cannot be said for all cases. If by categorically rejecting torture we protect one American it will be well worth the effort. Torture further hurts our troops by making the enemy less likely to surrender. During the Second World War Japanese military men were told that if captured by the Americans, they would be tortured. This resulted in many Japanese being willing to fight to the death, despite impossible odds, rather than surrender, inflicting more U.S. causalities (not to mention thousands of civilian suicides). Finally, torture hurts our troops by causing grave damage to those who are chosen to inflict it. Dehumanizing another soul requires one dehumanizes oneself first, leaving deep scars that will never fully heal.
Torture makes our nation less safe. When we even tacitly approve of torture we weaken the bonds with our allies. By not expressly prohibiting the practice under all circumstances our allies will be reticent to assist us in military operations. Furthermore, by not codifying a ban on inhume treatment we weaken our moral standing to condemn nations when they abuse Americans. Our protests lose international force and echo with hypocracy. Additionally, the perception that we condone torture gives extremists a rallying cry and helps create a sense of legitimacy to their claims of being a defender of the oppressed, therby aiding them in raising their recruitment numbers.
Much to be lost; little to be gained. Historically, torture has proven ineffective at producing truth. Under the duress of physical or mental abuse, a prisoner is apt to say anything to stop the suffering. Look at the Salem witch trials, many tortured confessions, no witches. The Gestapo of WWII fared no better. While trying to determine future French military plans, the Gestapo tortured captured resistance fighters. Under torture, Resistance members told the Nazis what they wanted to hear which, in no way coincided with future attack plans. Senator McCain's own experiences further illustrate this. After weeks of brutalization, the North Vietnamese were only able to extract from him his squadron and ship (information readily available from the carcass of his aircraft) and the names of the frontline of the Green Bay Packers. Not exactly what one would call hard intelligence.
Perception is reality. For those who would say, "We just want the enemy to think we will torture them. We won't actually do it." I think the above paragraphs make clear the fallacy of that argument. Whether the torture occurs or not, its perception will strengthen the position of the enemy and weaken ties with our allies making our nation and our troops less safe. Additionally, following abuse occurrences and allegations at US run prisons and, the resulting loss of credibility we have suffered in the Muslim world, we should leave no doubt in the minds of our troops, our intelligence service officers and our contractors as to what US law is.
No justification for torture. Advocates of torture frequently use the allegory of the ticking bomb. "A bomb is set to go off and you have the person with the code to disarm it, isn't torture now justified to save the thousands of people in the building?" This argument fails on at least three levels. First, you can't be absolutely certain that the person in custody has the code. You're dealing in suspicions, so while you waste your time torturing someone who does not have the code (and may in fact be innocent of any crime at all), the bomb continues tick. Secondly, as shown above, torture frequently produces false information. The "information" gained through torture may actually detonate the bomb. Thirdly, if we accept torture being allowed here, we open up other much less palatable situations. Let's say we "knew" torture wouldn't work on the bombing suspect but we also knew she had a deep affection for children. Would it be just to torture a child in front of her to get the information we need? How about two children? Three? Ten?
Finally Senators, this is the United States of America. For us "We don't do torture" cannot merely be a sound bite. It reflects the conscience of our citizenry, our military, and our heritage. If the Senate does not show the courage to give those sentiments the force of law it will place our nation and our military in greater peril and denigrate the values of both.