Gulag, Anyone?
Torture and America

The new NEWSWEEK edition is now online at MSNBC. The Debate Over Torture is a pretty thorough discussion of the topic, which obviously needs much more light shed upon it, according to the magazine's polling numbers.

The American public seems split. According to the latest NEWSWEEK Poll, 44 percent of the public thinks torture is often or sometimes justified as a way to obtain important information, while 51 percent say it is rarely or never justified. A clear majority—58 percent—would support torture to thwart a terrorist attack, but asked if they would still support torture if that made it more likely enemies would use it against Americans, 57 percent said no. Some 73 percent agree that America's image abroad has been hurt by the torture allegations.

Those of us who consider terror a no-win moral abomination need to speak out more.