Bill Sykes' Newsletter from America.
(December 2001)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
Does "The ends justify the means". ???
 I
watched an American TV program recently where the subject
for a round table discussion group was "Should interrogators
of captives, (declared to be terrorists), subject them
to physical and mental torture in order to obtain information
and confessions?".
The discussion was centered around the current use of
mind altering drugs and medieval methods of torture.
It would appear that from the days of the Crusades, (ad
infinitum) torture has been used to gain information and
confessions.
It has been well publicized, and suggested, that Russia,
Germany, Israel, China, and a number of other countries
have used methods of torture in the past century to obtain
information and confessions.
Wonder whether we in the United States have participated
in such practices? !!!
I was appalled to hear the member's of the panel agree
that "the ends justify the means".
But when asked, say in the case of the kidnapping of a
family member, would they be prepared to personally administer
torture in order to obtain life saving information-the
majority demurred.
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