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Israeli Scholar Says Torture All Arabs
He's the President Of An Israeli University
2/12/02 12:33:42 PM
Dr. Steven Plaut, professor, Haifa University
Commentary -- http://www.alamanceind.com/intern/intern_3.html
Guest column by Dr. Steven Plaut, professor, Haifa University:
Finally, I am amused to tears by the sudden interest of the world in the
"human
rights" of the al-Qaeda prisoners being held in Guatanamo Bay by the US.
The
poor lads are being kept in prison cages in the lush tropical warmth and
fed
three square a day, unlike most Cubans living in Cuba. How amusing that
the
very same people suddenly concerned about the "rights" of the terrorist
garbage
sacks have never had a caring word to say about any human rights on the
REST of
the Cuban island. In fact, the ordinary Cuban has fewer rights and a
lower
standard of living than the al-Qaeda prisoners.
Meanwhile, suddenly the question of whether it is ok to torture terrorists
has
suddenly become a hot debating topic in the US. Alan the Dersh from
Harvard
says it is ok, and others agree, while naturally the caring Left argues
that no
matter how many civilian lives are at risk, one must never speak loudly
into
the face of a captured terrorist or withhold tobacco.
Dersh and the others have proposed the "ticking bomb" test, that is, where
torture is permitted when there is the equivalent of a ticking bomb that
requires the terrorhoid to spill his guts at once. Israel has long had
a similar debate, and the Left has been pushing to prohibit any
rough-housing
with terrorists by the security forces.
I, however, would like to propose a DIFFERENT terrorist torture criterion,
one
sharply dissenting from Dershowitz's.
I would like to propose that terrorists be tortured even when there is NOT
a
ticking bomb. Even when there are NO other lives at risk.
Terrorists should be tortured because it is the moral, proper, correct
thing
to do. Terrorists who target children and civilians deserve to be
tortured for
its own sake, because they are human garbage. Because this makes a
statement
to the world, that they are neither military prisoners of war nor common
criminals, and deserving of NONE of the rights of those. In other words,
the
torture of terrorists criterion should be that terrorists be tortured
whenever
someone finds it fun to do so.
And let us hear nothing about, Well if we torture THEIR captured
terrorists
then they will do the same to our troops. This is nonsense.
They will torture our troops and civilians ANYWAY (Ron Arad, etc). This
consideration did not deter the Americans in Afghanistan and should not
deter
them in Iraq and Somalia, nor should it deter Israel.
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