Is torture ever justified?

[downtroad]

I did say if it would save lives and prevent terrorism. For example if the recently prevented terror attacks were discovered becuase some harsh innerogation methods were used by the Americans they they did us a big favour and we should be greatful to them. I just have a problem with people villifying interogators who obtain information which saves our lives. It shows a remarkable lack of ingratitude to people who are doing a pretty dirty and unpleasant job on our behalf.

 

As for torture as punishment for sex offender etc - no never. it cannot be justified in these circumstances.

 

This kind of thinking come from TV and films, not real life.

 

Here is a scenario right out of 24, but with a different ending.

 

We have a bomb in London, a big one. We catch a man, and we only have 10 minutes to find the bomb. We give the order to torture. We stick pins in his nether places until he tells us the location of the bomb. In 24 we find the bomb and have a happy ending. In real life the terorist told us the incorrect location (what does he care?), which we rush to and the bomb goes off.

[nick2]

To refuse to acknowledge this is a dangerous thing - it makes people look for monsters, when the truth is that the average paedophile is known to his victim - he's their Dad, brother, Uncle or family friend.

 

or mother, sister, aunt.

 

It's not just blokes.

 

I imagine most women would be less enthusiastic about torturing another woman than they would a bloke.

[lotar]

Definately torture paedophiles,rapists,terrorists etc. great idea but only if you live in the real world !!!!

[downtroad]

Definately torture paedophiles,rapists,terrorists etc. great idea but only if you live in the real world !!!!

 

Or a sick, sadistic and vengeful one.

 

The end never justifies the means. We really need to start teaching philosophy in English schools again.

[lotar]

Like I said only in the real world.

[Litha]

I'll repeat the question; would you be prepared to beat, sodomise and electrocute another human being and do you not t6hink that this would compromise your own humanity?

Paedophilia is a loathsome thing, but the people who do it are human beings. To refuse to acknowledge this is a dangerous thing - it makes people look for monsters, when the truth is that the average paedophile is known to his victim - he's their Dad, brother, Uncle or family friend.

thats a very difficult question to answer, if it was my own children i am sure i would be prepard to do it ... but then again i do not know if i would possibly be able to go through with it in the end. its the easiest thing in the world to sit here and say i would but reality is different.

i beleive that an eye for an eye will only endup with the world going blind. but... i cannot help the way i feel about peadophiles. they are sick, evil and IMO not human, then again i feel the same about people who are cruel to animals.

 

ALL of the above is my own opinion , everyone is of course entitled to theirs. i speak as a person who nearly lost my family and my life alot of years ago due to a inhuman spineless maggot.

[peterw]

Could you give a reference for these things, please? You are talking about England? I've read quite a lot about the 17th century but have never heard of these things - but there's always more to learn about history.

 

While we're on the subject, in the interests of balance we should remember the 300-odd Protestants who were burned to death by 'Bloody' Mary I in the 16th century (not forgetting the anti-Catholic reaction this provoked in her sister's reign, of course), and the dreadful persecution of the Lollards in earlier centuries.

 

Persecution of Catholics began in the late 16th century where in Manchester James Laybourne, of Pool Fold Hall, along with James Bell of Warrington and John Finch of Eccleston, was in 1587 found guilty of being a Catholic recusant. Bell and Finch were executed at Lancaster and Laybourne was executed in Manchester. The heads of all three were exposed on the summit of the Collegiate Church (now Manchester Cathedral).

 

In 1590 Manchester had its own Commission for the Punishment of Catholic Recusants.

 

Even earlier than that, George Colliar, whose family lived near Stone, Staffordshire, was in 1532 appointed Warden of Manchester’s Collegiate Church. In 1547 he was deprived for denying ‘The King’s Supremacy’ and the church lands were taken and given to the Earl of Derby. Colliar was reinstated by Queen Mary in 1552.

 

Burning by stake did take place but in the 16th not 17th century. In 1556 John Bradford, a native of Manchester, suffered that fate; although the site of the burning is not known. © Servants of God (an A4 booklet). Author Peter Wright. Facts researched from The Manchester Historical Recorder. Servants of God, incidentally, only deals with the religious history of Manchester.

[downtroad]

Like I said only in the real world.

 

1940's Germany? Or 1800's in England when we burnt women we thought were witches? Or in 2003 when an innocent Canadian was sent to Syria, tortured for 2 years and then released because he was found to be innocent? Unless we learn the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat them.

[Zamo]

Definately torture paedophiles,rapists,terrorists etc. great idea but only if you live in the real world !!!!

What is the objective of torturing them?

[downtroad]

thats a very difficult question to answer, if it was my own children i am sure i would be prepard to do it

 

Oh my god.

 

You could torture your own children? My god.