My first diary was a personal statement on torture, which got a kind response from a small number of Kossacks. So I sent it to my newspaper (minus the links) and got a very negative response from the editor, who wanted me to cite sources and consider the "other side of the argument", namely that torture does work, wasn't used much, and they want to kill us. Yeah, sure, but he did offer to consider publishing a revision as an op-ed, so I submitted one.
Follow below the fold to see my proposed op-ed. Head to the comments to see the editor's strong but strangely non-specific condemnation, compared to his very detailed condemnation of my first draft. Critiques of the text (and comparisons to my first effort) are welcome, since I still plan to use this in some form. Sent out as email, I'd include a link to further information on my web site (to be specified).
UPDATE: I removed the op-ed text pending a new revision. I am taking the advice of one of the commenters and seeking other places to get it published. I will restore the content once I've either succeeded or given up. Thanks to those who commented!