Joe Carter and I don’t always agree. Tonight I want to give an unequivocal ‘Amen’ to his piece Our tortured silence
Even more disturbing than the idea that a future attorney general doesn’t know what’s involved in waterboarding is that we live in an age when a familiarity with torture techniques is to be expected of our leaders. How did we get to the point where such a question needs to be asked of an attorney general? Who allowed our country to succumb to such fear and moral cowardice that we parse the the meaning and definition of “torture?”
I blame myself, and implicate my fellow Christians. We have remained silent and treated an issue once considered unthinkable–the acceptability of torture–like a concept worthy of honest debate. But there is no room for debate: torture is immoral and should be clearly and forcefully denounced. We continue to shame ourselves and our Creator by refusing to speak out against such outrages to human dignity.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Joe Carter 11.07.07 at 6:29 am
***Joe Carter and I don’t always agree.***
I always thought you secretly agreed with me but just couldn’t admit it because your British.
Or is it Irish?…Scottish?…It’s one of those islands isn’t it? ; )
Kim 11.07.07 at 8:06 am
From a true patriot. Well roared, Joe.
And, yeah, we’re one of those islands that, notwithstanding lied Rice and an outraged British public, the CIA has been using for its “extraordinary renditions” (don’t you just love the sanitised language - it makes complicity in the torture you excoriate sound like a performance at the Met).
Keep up the good work!
ee 11.07.07 at 10:06 am
Extraordinary renditions are just another fine example of corporate outsourcing, really. We don’t do {child labour/torture/80 hour weeks} in the West anymore, so we outsource operations which require that to Developing Countries. Then we bask in the clear conscience that no {child labour/torture/80 hour weeks} takes place anymore.
It’s torture, but with a dollop of management jargon on top to add insult to injury (literally).
paul griffin 11.07.07 at 2:25 pm
And then they came for me…….’
first they came
for the socialists,
and I did not speak out-
because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionsts,
but I did not speak out,
because I was not trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out-
because I was not a jew.
Then they came for me-
and there was no one left
to speak for me.
Pastor Martin Niemoller 1946.
Who will speak for these people who are treated unjustly
Torture is not an option in a civilised world.
We still have such much tolerance love and passion to learn.
A scared nation is one who resorts to such behaviour
Joel 11.07.07 at 8:09 pm
Joe’s piece is very fine indeed.
At “In the Agora”, I found unconvincing Eric Seymour’s view (comments)that one has to be a pacifist to oppose all torture.
Bene D 11.08.07 at 4:51 am
I’m glad you linked up to Joes post Richard, I see Joe isn’t getting agreed with by some of his ‘Christian’ commenters.
He spoke out about Ann Coulter long before anyone he hangs out with would have. He didn’t win any brownie points then either but it was the right thing to do.