Torture isn’t Constitutional

I subscribe to my congressman’s rss feed. I like to know what they are doing on Capitol Hill and I discovered that Trent Franks, US Congressman for the 2nd District of Arizona and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, does not believe in torture but does believe in “severe interrogations.” He believes water boarding is necessary.

“My definition of severe interrogation has never included – nor would I ever condone – torture. Torture of prisoners in American custody is a felony.”

It is upsetting to see such a blatant contradiction. I was reminded of an episode of Fresh Air on NPR I listened to a month ago: TV Torture Changes Real Interrogation Techniques, which aired 8 days before Michael Mukasey’s Attorney General Confirmation hearing where he claimed that he did not know what water boarding was and used semantics to avoid stating its constitutionality:

Today is Prayer and Repentance day in Germany. Americans would never have such an overtly religious holiday, but the Germans have no qualms about such a thing, even if its timing is uncannily aligned with the end of Ordinary Time, in the Catholic Church, and the beginning of advent.

In my kitchen, I can hear the church bells. They have been ringing for the last hour. And though I am being called to confess and repent, I do not move from my chair because I feel innocent. And even though the Dominicans of the Spanish Inquisition would not believe me, I feel I have the moral fortitude to make that call.