“torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”

I respectfully disagree with your assertion and the phrase in bold print proves it as it comes from quotes from both senators.

As for releasing prisoners, a number of prisoners released have been recaptured on the battlefields. Granted, it isn’t a big number but I know that it’s more than a dozen. That’s a dozen more people than I want to take a chance on.

Quite frankly, the human rights issue has become a whiner’s paradise. This process used to be governed by common sense but that’s gone out the window. The process is now littered with self-serving claims with no proof of harm.

And frankly, if they truly were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, how would we know? Take their word on it? That’s so twisted that it isn’t worth listening to.

No one is saying that Secretary Rumsfeld should be prosecuted unless he gave specific permission for torture which he has not given; he is against torture, too.

Yes it does if you know how to interpret international reports. When it says “And any allegations of “torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” must be investigated by an independent authority and those involved, “up to the highest level of military and political command”, must be brought to justice, the report said.”, that’s dealing specifically with the ICC. In the UN’s mind, the term independent authority can’t mean the originating country. That means the world court, with military investigations going to the ICC.

The other argument that we’d better treat prisoners well so that our guys get treated well is laughable. Does anyone think that soldiers captured by the Taliban or al Qaida will be treated humanely? Whether we treat them nicely or not, our soldiers will be brutalized.

I’d take a different perspective if we were fighting a traditional war, however.

Besides, the US Government has been releasing them in small numbers anyway, to governments where they face no charges. The writer has focused all of his attention on the UN when, in fact, this is about prisoners. They have been captured, not charged with any crimes and they may never be charged. If there are true terrorists among them, then, certainly they should be charged and tried. Trials would give international legitemacy to their detention.

Regarding the author’s citation of McCain-Graham, it is not mentioned in the quotation from the UNHRC. The author should agree that all alegations of torture, whether they be against Americans or foreign nationals should be investigated. President Bush has said likewise on numerous occations. No one is saying that Secretary Rumsfeld should be prosecuted unless he gave specific permission for torture which he has not given; he is against torture, too.

The only way to promote human rights is to be in favor of strong international human rights treaties and their strict enforcement. Surely the author agrees with this premise.

We must support President Bush during this time of war, but we must, at the same time, support the continued United States committment to humane treatment of prisoners, just as we expect our citizens to be treated humanely when captured abroad for whatever reasons.