- + Tracy Barret voted on the debate Prostitution should be legalised to protect sex workers from HIV/AIDS
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Elena Porjazova voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Plally7 edited the debate Will mankind make it to the next century?
- + Explonential joined Central London Debating Society
- + Arnavnarian joined Debatewise
- + Elena Porjazova voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Jiwoo Cj 1127 voted on the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Thebabeofbengal edited the debate Are women superior to men?
- + Ll Blynch edited the debate Are London Underground staff justified in their strike action?
- + Loretta voted on the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Golmindalin joined Debatewise
- + Crissieboy joined Debatewise
- + Maparent joined Debatewise
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
Torture should be allowed against terror suspects
Current version: 27 Mar 2010 | 23:21 | MDonahue
All versions
Key
- Text coloured Greenhas been added snce the previous version
- Text marked
red and striked-throughhas been deleted
Yes, because... Ticking bomb theory
The ticking bomb theory goes, there is a bomb in a busy public place somewhere which if detonates will kill and maim many innocent lives (possibly your wife and child) the whereabouts is unknown by anyone except the person that planted it and that person is in custody of police/inteligence services, he says he wont disclose the location. So what do you do to get the information, and evacuate the area, who's "human rights" are more important one man that is willing to kill and maim innocent members of society or the innocent members of society. Is the short term pain and discomfort more important to avoid or the loss of hundreds of lives. It could be your child, wife, loved one. Do you sit there and do nothing or do you torture the terrorist for the information, you decide, tick tick tick.
Then let's be practical. Maybe not hundreds of thousands of lives - just ten. Is that acceptable? "Oh, it's only ten people. Let the culprit be." In Iraq alone 11,611 fatalities have occurred just between 2000-2006 due to car bombs and things of that nature. These are small and do not put hundreds of thousands in danger. But if it is possible for lives to be saved through methods like this - what is the problem? Torture should not be the go-to solution, nor is it always the correct tactic, but it should be an option. Let it be regulated. Standards to be met. Perhaps, warrants to be granted for more long-term actions. Not the answer, just an option.
Here might be the first concession of the debate. If the government has in their custody the person they know has set the bomb into place, and hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives are on the line, then torture very well may be the best option.
However, this is a very narrow circumstance. First, how many bombs actually put hundreds or thousands of lives at risk? Two types of people can pull this off.
First, is a deranged figure on a mission. For whatever reason they believe they are deranged enough to pull this off. With the
And forget about the Ticking Bomb Theory being validation for torture against a trained operative. You get a well trained Al Qaeda, Taliban or Hamas operative who would have the resources and ability to pull of an attack like this, and they won't give up information so easily.
Modified:
28 May 2010
