Felicity Sullivan

Period 8
3/5/14

Is the use of torture on suspected terrorists Justifiable?

A simplified definition for torture is the forceful extraction of information from
individuals using violent motivation while the tortured individual is defenseless. I
know that this method of information gathering can be vital to the self-defense and
even the offence of an entire country. Terrorists can carry vital information on the
whereabouts of their next target, weapon force, base of operations, total member count,
and other aspects that may give the other country the complete advantage. This may help
the US defend better against tragic attacks such as the ones on 9/11. But there is also the
question of morality and innocence. Just because a person is suspected to be guilty of
terrorism, does not mean that they are. If the military/police were to torture an innocent
individual that was suspected of terrorism, the citizens may come to fear and hate the law
enforcers and defenders of their own country. This could cause panic and distrust
between people and government, bringing about the collapse of the civilization we were
so desperately trying to protect. All exaggeration aside, it may cause fear within the
people and make them feel vulnerable to being seen as a terrorist. It may also affect
tourism and immigration into the US, which is the country of interest for this particular
report. Foreigners may feel threatened, because to the public and other countries, it may
seem like Americans see anyone who is not a US citizen is seen as a potential threat. This
information comes from comparing terrorism to other similar; violent events and
practices that have happened within the US in the past. This includes the way that our
defense has dealt with riots and other violent situations within my lifetime as seen on the
news and other media. Other sources include documentaries and television shows. I have
also used knowledge that I have acquired from cartoons, and pop-up books.
I chose this subject because I have had an interest in the morals and justifiability
of torture since I learned what torture was. Even in my religion (Catholicism) there is
question as to whether or not it is acceptable under any circumstances, so I felt that with
this report I might be able to find an answer that I can justify with my own thoughts. I do
not like to be told what to do, so I like to look deeper into contradictory subjects in my
faith, and I find it fascinating how close-minded and conflicting these subjects are to
people who do not understand why they are unacceptable/ frowned upon in the Catholic
faith. I like to weasel around the close-mindedness to see these subjects in a way that
works both ways, because I absolutely despise not being able to understand both sides of
an argument. This may be why I chose this subject. Or it could be my disgustingly neutral
and passive personality screaming for me to write a report with arguments for both sides,
but with no clear answer. I also chose this subject because I would like to know more
about torture and how the US deals with terrorists, seeing as I want to work in crime
analysis and law enforcement. Although it will be somewhat controversial, I believe that I
will have enough motivation to do this project as I have to wake up, so I should be able to
somehow complete it somehow.