The Topic of Torture

I am appalled that torture is even a topic of conversation in 2009 in the United States. It seems to me that the proper context to examine that subject would be in historical accounts of the Spanish Inquisition, the Tower of London, and the Japanese atrocities during WWII, but here we are. We have been placed here by the arrogance of an administration who believed that accomplishing their goals, whatever they may have been, were more important than our reputation in the world. Our reputation has suffered, we are no longer an example for the world, or at least an example that we want to show the world. We have shown an ugly side of ourselves, and whether or not we discuss it openly or keep it hush-hush within the confines of internal investigations and memos, the information is out there. I only hope that this information is not used against any one of us that is unfortunate enough to be held in a jail or a brig on foreign soil. The excuse for using torture was the same excuse we have heard repeatedly for other violations of rights in the past 8 years, staying the course, and keeping the country safe. It had become an old mantra that thankfully, is now being seen for what it was, a diversion from an ineffectual leadership who had nothing meaningful to say.