I define torture as any tactics that can inflict physical and emotional trauma.

My relativism! Justin you’ve just provided a definition of torture which is completely subjective — it changes with each individual and their individual susceptibility to trauma. Hell, it is even better than that, according your definition, the mere “possibility” (can) of trauma would, even without trauma actually occuring, be defined as torture. Merely being spooked, or high agitated could qualify. This would cripple even what you would define as “interrogation.”

Look, I don’t think that the U.S. should be engaged in “torture” either. But my definition is more in-line with the traditional concept of torture as is understood in Latin America, Egypt, exc.

On the other hand, interrogation is asking somebody questions for a prolonged period of times. Interrogation does not subject the prisoner to threatening dogs, intense climate changes, stress positions, waterboarding or prolonged sleep deprivation. These tactics can and will continue to give the interrogated horrible cases bad post traumatic stress disorder that they have problems functioning normally for the rest of their life. In other words, those tactics are torture.

And let’s be realistic here with your analogy. County prisoners are absolutely not stripped of their clothes for long periods of time and left chained for long periods of time. Yes, they have to change out of their clothes. Yes, they can be chained up for a period while they’re being moved. But those things aren’t the same, and you know it. Also, if they ARE in jail, they get access to a hearing to determine their guilt. Come on Dos, you’re a lawyer! You know about due process.

So, in short, the your relativism doesn’t work here, and the only reason our administration can get away with it is by using their own special definition of “enemy combatant”, which is basically “anybody we want to grab and hold indefinitely” since this is a global war against a tactic. If that’s not wrong, I don’t know what is.

Of those five actions, three of them (stripped, chained to floor & imprisoned for months) are done to prisoners on a regular basis in any county jail in the United States with no liability at all.

“Torture” is a loaded and inflammatory term. It does no good to say “we should not have a torture policy” if one is unwilling to define “torture.” That is why this post prompted that question.

Mine would be something like: Inflicting severe physical pain on another human being.

Some would define torture as: A denial of due process.

Since this is obviously an issue that you feel quit confident on, I would like to hear yours.

It is past time we, the people took back our country before it is too late. Then again, maybe it already is.