The Truth About Torture

From the Times Online:

Torture is morally abhorrent, self-perpetuating, and illegal. But the most important argument against torture is that it doesn’t work.

No, no, no, no, no! The most important argument against torture is that it is morally abhorrent, self-perpetuating, and illegal! Once you permit the discussion to go in the direction of utility, or, "Does it work?", you yield the moral ground. Moral people, civilized people do not torture, whether it works or does not work. It is shameful that we even have discussions in the media about whether torture is justified. It is never justified.

And now that I've had my little rant, I'll move on to Robin Stephens, the man pictured above and the subject of article in the Times.

Colonel Robin “Tin Eye” Stephens was the commander of the wartime spy prison and interrogation centre codenamed Camp 020, an ugly Victorian mansion surrounded by barbed wire on the edge of Ham Common. In the course of the war, some 500 enemy spies from 44 countries passed through Camp 020; most were interrogated, at some point, by Stephens; all but a tiny handful crumbled.

Stephens was a bristling, xenophobic martinet; in appearance, with his glinting monocle and cigarette holder, he looked exactly like the caricature Gestapo interrogator who has “vays of making you talk”.

When Stephens questioned suspects, he was not Mr Nice Guy. But here's what he said about physical violence:

Stephens did not eschew torture out of mercy. This was no squishy liberal: the eye was made of tin, and the rest of him out of tungsten. (Indeed, he was disappointed that only 16 spies were executed during the war.) His motives were strictly practical. “Never strike a man. It is unintelligent, for the spy will give an answer to please, an answer to escape punishment. And having given a false answer, all else depends upon the false premise.”

Confessions extracted by inflicting pain are most likely to be whatever the victim believes the torturer desires to hear, whatever is necessary to stop the agony.

Yes. Anyone with a functioning brain should now know that torture does not provide useful information, but I doubt that the pro and con discussions will cease. The talking heads on the tee vee and radio will continue to provide "balance" by giving national exposure to advocates of torture, including Darth Cheney.

And those amongst us who believe torture is acceptable may find food for thought in the words of Jean-Paul Sartre:

“You cannot make your young people practise torture 24 hours a day and not expect to pay a price for it.”

Paul the BB and I have discussed the subject of including utility in the discussion of torture more than once in his comments threads, and I thank him for the link to MeMeMeMeMe at Daily Kos, who references the Times piece.

While you're at Paul's place, look at the pictures of his gorgeous roses and the other plants that grow in his garden. He worked hard in his garden today, but he did not go to church. Just sayin'.