Torture is a deliberate and systematic dismantling of
a person’s identity and humanity through physical or psychological pain and
suffering. The United Nations define the torture means; “For the purposes of
[the] Convention, the term “torture” means any act by which severe pain or
suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person
for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a
confession,
punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”
punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”
Torture is illegal in the U.S. because of the 8th
Amendments. The 8th Amendment in Bill of Rights clearly states:
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel
and unusual punishments inflicted.”
In my opinion, I don’t think tortured way is perfect
way of getting information from enemies because the more you torture the enemy,
the more enemy hateful to you, and that enemy never open up what you want to
hear from his or her mouth. In additionally, I found on the web that was a big
examination was done over the CIA’s program under Bush administration that
CIA’s program did not produce any useful intelligence. And I also found the
scientific literature say about torture that “A 2006 Intelligence Science Board
flatly noted that there was no data supporting the claim that torture produces
reliable results.”
The Patriot Act was passed by the U.S. Congress only
days after the September 11th attacks, and it was signed by the
President George W. Bush. The Patriot Act gave too much power to the National
Security Agency and other federal agencies on domestic and international surveillance
of electronic communications and also gave more power to defense agencies from
sharing information about potential terrorist threats and coordinating efforts
to respond to them. However, the Patriot Act raised concerns among civil
liberties groups and other critics surrounding the data privacy rights of U.S.
citizens. I can’t exactly say that I like or dislike the Patriot Act, but I
need to comply that law because I believe the government protects our country,
and I feel that I personally haven't lost any liberties or freedom in my life
up until now. I’m doing what I want to do in every day. However, I like the
title VI of the Patriot Act that “Title VI amended the Victims of Crime Act of
1984 (VOCA) to change how the U.S. Victims of Crime Fund was managed and
funded, improving the speedy provision of aid to families of public safety
officers by expedited payments to officers or the families of officers injured
or killed in the line of duty. Payments must be made no later than 30 days
later.” I’m really appreciated for those people who were killed when they are
protecting us.
The U.S. government can’t torture either its own
citizen or foreigner because of the 8th Amendments. Even if in the
foreign countries, the U.S. government can’t do that because of the 8th
Amendments.
If I have been detained by the government for
information, I definitely cooperate with the government, and say everything
what I have known. If they don’t believe what I said to them, I’ll say what
they want to hear from me. Therefore, I disagree torture is not the right way
to get the information.