In his May 1 letter, “We must prevent future terrorism,” the writer says I ought to OK the waterboarding of a terrorist who has information on my kidnapped loved one. What he overlooks is the fact that torture doesn’t work. The U.S. Army’s own intelligence manual states, “The use of force is a poor technique, as it yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say whatever he thinks the interrogator wants to hear.”
This statement is backed up by the false statements made by al-Qaida leaders, students and others tortured by U.S. officials. Even the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that there is no evidence in support of the efficacy of torture. So, no, I will not OK waterboarding, knowing terrorists will say anything to make it stop, leading investigators down the wrong path and wasting valuable time that could be used pursuing real information to find my loved one.
Here’s another scenario for the writer: Let’s say that the U.S. government is holding your loved one. The government needs information on a suspected terrorist and believes your loved one has it. Then is torture OK? Then is it OK for the government to inflict pain on your wife, child, mother, father?
One of the fundamental truths of criminal justice is that we don’t always get the right person. The terrorists work by inspiring fear in innocent people. If we do the same, we are only validating the terrorist’s methods and proving that we are no different and no better than they are.
Amy Smith
Arlington
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