There's strong reaction to President Obama's decision to make public secret Bush Administration memos on torture. The American Civil Liberties Union fought for the disclosure and hails the move. But the former director of the CIA and the former attorney general, both members of the Bush administration, accuse Mr. Obama of making America less safe. As for anyone will be prosecuted for for torture, the President appeared to absolve CIA interrogators who were acting in good faith. What's he intends for others, higher-up in the Bush Administration isn't clear.
Do you approve of President Obama's decision to release the 'torture memos'?
Should CIA operatives who were involved in 'harsh interrogation' be exempt from prosecution? Does the disclosure of the torture memos make America less safe?
absolutely not. i find his actions disingenuous. it appears to me to be part of his first 100 days strategy. in fact, i think everything he is doing right now is motivated by his desire to look good for the history books. i also find it foolish that a president, so early in his term, would release such documents. of course it makes America less safe! it makes us all the more despised. as for the cia operatives, that's a difficult question. first of all, i am tired of this America that loves to see people prosecuted. i do not believe in our legal and penal system, and i sure as heck don't believe in a jury of my peers. i do not believe americans seek justice or that most people see the accused as innocent until proven guilty, in fact, if accused of anything, we typically consider the persons guilty....even iafter they are proven innocent. so as far as the cia operatives go, i don't think they would stand a chance. but overall, i would need a great deal more information before i could answer that question.
so do i approve of the president's decision? short answer -- not at all.
How are we less safe? It was already public that our government was using these methods - which our own country defined as torture in WWII and in Korea. It is the fact that we used these horrific methods that may make people retaliate against us. We played right into the terrorists by lowering ourselves and our normal standards. The United States is a country based on a system of principles and values. How can we argue that our democracy is better if we start acting like a secretive government that spies on our own citizens and tortures detainees?
Yes, I approve of the release of the documents. Actions were taken in the name of the American citizens. We need to know what those actions were so we can have a public discussion and make our opinions known. I believe the citizens need to know what the government is doing in a democracy.
04/20/2009 9:39:10 PM
