Editorial can’t be serious about bill

I read your June 11 editorial in disbelief (“Transparency required in torture investigation”). You stated that “Congress is the constitutional way to advance a pro-torture agenda.” Has it really come to this? That newspaper editors today can actually envision Congress passing a pro-torture bill? (” … judging by the current congressional make-up, a bill with the right language would stand a good chance of passing.”)

The U.S. has stood at the forefront as a nation that advocates human rights worldwide and condemns other countries for prisoner abuse. The rules of the Geneva Convention are taught to every service member in basic training and are the standards that are used by the International Red Cross when inspecting prisons. They help protect our own service members if captured.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has recently stated that “this administration rejects torture.” We should leave it as simple as that and not try to invent a new definition of torture or of intent to torture. While serving 25 years in the military, I knew that there was no guarantee that I would not be tortured if captured by the enemy, but it gave me confidence that our country would not practice it and that we followed the standards set by the Geneva Convention. Our nation needs to enforce and maintain these international standards, not lower them.

Bill Quistorf

Everett