Friday, August 26, 2005

Would you, could you, with a bomb?

Someone brought up torture on RedState before I was banned, and I followed up with my "I'd rather be dead than a monster" line. In response I got a good question:
I agree that the "ticking bomb" scenario is unlikely however if that were the case, would you be willing to see others die so that you wouldn't become a monster?
My answer was "Ideally, yes."

It's a weak answer. It'd be hard to resist saving my loved ones by doing something horrible, particularly if it were done to someone who deserves it. That having been said, I hope I'd actually stick to my principles instead.

This is a question that's clearer to me when asked in reverse. Would I want someone else to torture someone to save my life?

No, I certainly wouldn't. I won't torture another to save my life, and I can't condone torturing on my behalf for the same reason or any other. Perhaps I'm in the minority on this, and the majority of Americans want our troops to sully themselves and our country through the use of torture on their behalf. I don't know. I'm only speaking for myself here.

No comments: