I am taking the actions of the United States Congress this week personally.
Today the United States Congress legalized the torture of terrorism suspects and it really is not seen as so important here in my city of Philadelphia. Life moves forward as usual in the streets around me, and that says something very important about our culture, as much as we want to make it about our political system.
In our system of government, each of us is individually responsible for the actions taken by our representatives in government. Today we have condoned the torture of other human beings in order to prevent potential acts of violence being committed against ourselves.
In the West Philly neighborhood in which I live violence is committed every day, but no one would suggest torturing criminal suspects in order to prevent more from taking place. Not during our Revolution, when George Washington's Army was freezing in Valley Forge, not during the Civil War when rebel armies camped within marching distance of the Capital, nor in World War II when we faced millions of men under arms around the globe, did we ever legalize torture.
That is not to say that it did not happen - in fact it happened in all of those conflicts and continues today - but that is a far cry from endorsing it as our official policy. That is my policy, and yours.
Torturer.