Torture Warrants Discussion Revisited

So, the other day I was talking to a very dear friend of mine concerning our past group discussion about torture warrants and I was so impressed by what he said that I thought I'd toss it out for you guys to see what you have to say (if anything) in response. I urge you to please not just brush this perspective off as silly or too idealistic because, after all, doesn’t America pride itself on being a place where ideals can be achieved?

Essentially his response was that underground torture or legalized torture--either way--was still torture and still wrong and, in fact, so morally wrong that it should be eradicated in any and all cases--even including the ticking bomb scenario. He said he would rather be victimized and innocent than be safe and a practitioner of such evil.

This is, of course, amazingly idealistic and I'm sure plenty of you are thinking he's either radically religious or he's just not thinking it through or he's just flapping his gums to sound good while he's in such a comfortable position as Southwestern, but I assure you, though he be religious, he's hardly radical, and he's in the top ten percent of our class -- if not the top five, and throughout our discussion proved to have shown this a great deal of serious, considering thought. This is a well-rounded individual who was able to say with great confidence that which I would've liked to have said but lacked the courage and self-assurance within myself to say. It’s true, we could brush a statement like this off with a simple: “it’s never going to happen, so why talk about it?” – but that’s precisely why it won’t happen! We didn’t say that to Cait’s suggestions on how to end world hunger and malaria and yet that, in my mind, is every bit as radical and idealistic and possible as this idea of an America that doesn’t sink to the use of torture.

However, on the flip side, I am still convinced that should I be put in the situation, should I be given the choice between the potential loss of my family and the torture of an individual who could potentially produce the information necessary to keep them safe -- I am almost completed certain that I would fall very, very short of what my religious beliefs demand of me and of what I personally feel is morally sound. Despite all rights and wrongs, good and evil, I don't know if I could ever risk my family over sticking a sterilized needle under someone's fingernail. I hope, eventually, to be able to say with all confidence that I would do otherwise.

Idealistic or not, this is feasible and it is capable of switching out America’s reputation as one of the most hated to one of the most respected nations on earth – so why should we stick up our noses to the possibility?