Argumentation- Torture Essay

Submitted By jrbrumbeloe
Words: 813
Pages: 4
Open Document
Torture
In the past several years since the tragic day of September 11th, 2001, the talk about terrorism has been nonstop. The War on Terror began and the government has expressed constant deliberation about how to ensure a similar attack will never happen again. One of the huge topics revolves around the use of torture on suspected terrorists. In 2002, the head of the CIA counterterrorist center stated, “There was a before 9/11 and an after 9/11. After 9/11 gloves come off” (Priest and Gellman). This statement expresses pretty vividly the attitude the CIA had toward suspected terrorists after the attack, and in a country that just experienced a great loss, most would not think of questioning it. The use of torture on suspected terrorists, while sometimes seemingly justifiable, violates a person’s basic human rights and creates distrust of the United States in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Any connection between a country and the use of torture is going to immediately create a distrust of the country for outsiders. A prime example of the recognition of this is when President Obama, in 2009, placed the FBI in charge of interrogating suspected terrorists abroad. The reason in this being that there is more worldwide trust of the FBI than the CIA, the agency formerly in charge, because of the CIA’s reputation of the use of torture. Because the FBI typically performs its duties within the United States’ boundaries, risqué interrogation techniques are not something that they can successfully use without threat of legal troubles. The FBI is known to use tactics very similar to that which a parent might use with their children, focusing more on rewards than simply punishment. To get information from suspected terrorists, the FBI has been known to offer rewards such as medical procedures for loved ones, opportunities for their children, financial rewards, or the chance to live a better life in America (Rangappa). This method not only gains the information that we are after, but also creates a trust of the United States and one more ally.
Undoubtedly, there are people who, no matter what is offered, will not betray their country. In this situation is it okay to use torture? Some say yes, but why? That act coming from an American is held up with great honor by most Americans. So why should it differ for someone of a different origin? This person, no matter how they are labeled by Americans, are doing the same thing our American agents are doing for us, doing what they can to protect their own country. If their objective is going to hurt our country it is only natural to want to stop them. But we must do this with respect of every person’s natural human rights. What we call terrorism is often a person doing what we praise our own for doing.
A Current US national security official who supervises the capture and transport of accused terrorists states that, “If you don’t violate someone’s human rights some of the time, you probably aren’t doing your job” (Priest and Gellman). When these suspected terrorists are tortured, their human rights are ignored. The main purpose of human rights is the fact that is applies to all human rights. Any condition
Show More

Related Documents: Argumentation- Torture Essay

Jonathan Edwards Causal Argumentation

Jonathan Edwards utilizes analogical and causal argumentation to persuade an audience of everyday people who are unconverted, by using this argumentation he hopes to convince some of these people that it is in their best interest to be converted to the Christian faith. The basis of his argumentation is to evoke fear in his audience by claiming that those who do not go to God will have “The wrath of God burn against them” this is analogical reasoning to those who believe their fate lies with the God…

Words 367 - Pages 2

Annotated Bibliography On Gender Equality

Maleanie Richter-Montpetit has a continuous, strong argumentation during her expression in her written article. : Female soldiers enacting acts of torture on bodies of detainees in Abu Graib prison are horrifying and constitute a sign of ‘gender equality’ Ehrenreich Author: Soldiers follow a preconstructed heterosexed, racialized and gendered script. Right to dominate others for their own good, others who are expected to be grateful 40 Torture and murder of prisoners were acts of colonial violence…

Words 1480 - Pages 6

Essay about God cannot be proved

Heretics were considered enemies of the state. The penalty for heresy was torture and death and The First Crusades- wars against pagan peoples, Christian heretics, and political foes of the papacy. - are perfect examples to illustrate this point. (Shermer 49) Both examples illustrate how man has used God to justify his greed and quest for power. When the leadership was challenged, it used divine decree to justify the murder and torture of the…

Words 2301 - Pages 10

Sources of Ethics Essay

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0- JOHN STEINER AND GEORGE STEINER SIX PRIMARY SOURCES OF ETHICS: 6 1- Religion: 6 2- Genetic Inheritance: 8 3- Philosophical Systems: 8 4- Cultural Experience: 8 5- The Legal System: 9 6- Codes of Conduct: 9 2.0- EXPLANATION OF THE SOURCES OF ETHICS: 10 2.1- RELIGION: 10 Teaching business ethics 12 2.11- Impact Of Religiosity: 13 2.12- Ethics Of Islam: 14 Nature of Islamic Ethics 17 The Human-Environment Relationship: 20 The Sustainable…

Words 20200 - Pages 81