What We Oppose

To oppose torture is not a distinctive position.  To not oppose it defines sadism.  Sadism is the derivation of pleasure or satisfaction from the deliberate infliction of pain, humiliation of others through domination, and abuse of the helpless.  It reflects psychological fixation at a developmentally primitive, very dangerous level.

George W. Bush who threatens to veto the McCain bill outlawing torture has a long history of personal sadism, from exploding frogs with inserted firecrackers as a child through branding fraternity pledges with branding irons in college through ridiculing the clemency appeals of death row inmates as Governor of Texas.

It was the long-time counsel of Mr. Bush, Alberto Gonzales, who signed off on these appeals with perfunctory review, signed off on the torture which has subsequently emerged at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and has now been appointed Attorney General of the United States.

Donald Rumsfeld now measures progress in Iraq by comparing American and insurgent body counts, about which he speaks with no visible feeling.

Our country is clearly in the hands of sadists.  And what we oppose, beyond torture alone, is state-sponsored sadism. This includes the use of all weaponry and methods that are cruel, unusual or indiscriminate.

By cruel, we mean weapons or methods that inflict pain and suffering upon an enemy beyond what is necessary.  By unusual, we mean weapons, variations of weapons, and methods of war that have been prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and similar treaties or agreements under international law.  By indiscriminate, we mean weapons and methods that fail to differentiate combatants from innocent civilians.

The well-documented and widespread American use of violent and degrading “interrogation” techniques with helpless prisoners is understood by all professional interrogators to be useless since it produces unreliable information, motivated only to end the torture.  Therefore, its only function is the sadistic pleasure of the torturers.

In addition:

The use of cluster bombs in urban warfare where civilians are at risk is sadistic.

The use of depleted uranium shells that have increased permanent radiation levels 2000-fold in some areas of Iraq is sadistic toward both present and future generations of Iraqis.

The firing of flesh-melting white phosphorous directly at human beings is sadistic.  The light-hearted reference to this as “shake and bake” is sadistic.

The use against human beings of MK77 napalm that blends flaming jet fuel with flesh-adhering styrofoam is sadistic.

The use of thermobaric weapons, if in fact they are being used on people, is sadistic.

Our sadistic leaders are cloning our troops, trained and compelled to obey, into fellow-sadists, which will endure for many as searing, lifelong memories and nightmares among those who are not themselves sadists or psychopaths.