What is Torture Anyway?

Torture. What does the word mean to you? That is the debate going on inside the political circle these days. What may be torture to one may not be seen the same way by others.

Torture is defined in many ways. I wanted to use the definition used by the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Yes, that really is the title of this group. This group defines torture this way:

Definition of the word Torture

"Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

Now, if we use the definition and apply it as "law" then we would have to set every person in prison free. Bet the liberals would love that. More votes for them! Seriously though, I'm sure we all have our own definitions of torture.

Going to your in-laws house is torture in my book. Having to get up and go to work, 5 days a week is also torture. Having to listen to Barack Obama say "umm" 30 times in a speech is torture. Hearing Chris Matthews talk about his tingling sensation is pure torture. What do you think? Torture?

Does this fall under the definition of torture? Not really. Even though it subjects me to great pains and suffering, I live to see another day. Almost in the same way our enemy combatants survived. Oops! I forgot! We can't use that word anymore. We might make the radical Muslim terrorists mad at us.

What brought about this debate is good ol' Nancy "my face is so tight I can't even blink" Pelosi wanting a "truth commission on torture" to investigate the Bush Administration. This coming from a woman who has so much scandal in her own party that it makes the word truth seem comical. Torture is watching her get in front of the news media to twitch and gyrate her hand gestures in explaining how she was present during the CIA briefings on "enhanced interrogation techniques" but did not know about water boarding. PLEASE!

Torture to me was waking up on the morning of 9-11 and viewing our citizens jumping from the World Trade Centers, in their desperate attempts to escape the fires set by radical Muslim terrorist when they flew those 2 747's into the buildings. It was torture for every American citizen and we can all agree with that.

Looking back on history, was it torture when we drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How many of us believe Harry S. Truman did the right thing in order to save hundred of thousands, if not more, of our U.S. servicemen lives? Do you not believe that caused severe pain and suffering for those that lived through it?

We all have are opinions and ways we define words. Torture is a word that means something different to each individual. I like to use this analogy when I speak to those who are anti-gun/anti-self defense. Say you are in your home and a intruder breaks in. The intruder threatens to kill your children. Would you sit there and wait for the police to arrive or would you grab that gun to protect your children?

Most always answer with a resounding YES. OK, here is another scenario. You have captured a terrorist who has kidnapped your child. Would you use so-called torture techniques in order to save your child? If you are a parent, I know you all just answered YES.

So, what do you think the Bush Administration and those in charge at the CIA decided to do when faced with the possibilities of follow up terrorist attacks upon our nation? Faced with the threat of attack, these individuals did what most of us would do. They did what they could to protect our nation and I, for one, agree with that decision.

Now we have liberal Democrats speaking out against torture on the pretext that they had no knowledge of such tactics being used. Graciously, the CIA, under Leon Panetta, released the "enhanced interrogation techniques" memo and it shows in detail those members of Congress who were present for these briefings (See Nancy Pelosi not blink).

All in all, torture can be defined by the way you lean politically. I'm a moderate Independent who believes both parties have their faults. However, using torture to gain a political advantage is torture itself. It tortures the American citizen when we have to listen to each party points fingers and direct blame.

Our country is going through "change" and its not for the benefit of most. The last thing we need is for our leaders to take their eyes off important issues to argue over what is or what isn't torture. This is the end of my soapbox. I'm going to call the United Nations and see if working 60 plus hours a week while being a single dad can be labeled torture. That's all folks!