"By whatever means necessary"

cal thomas writes a column syndicated by tribune media services that is published in more than 540 newspapers.. he is the most widely syndicated political columnist in the u.s... i emailed mr. thomas regarding his may 2 column on terrorism in which he defends torture as a legitimate interrogation technique... i particularly wanted to comment on this quote...

"These people are evil to the core. The only way to protect ourselves is to extract information they might have by whatever means necessary."

(more)

(more from cal who is obviously taking w-a-a-a-ay too much testosterone supplement... i wonder if he knows ollie north... hmmm...)

The barbarians are at the gate. In fact, they have broken down the gate. Why are we letting them in and treating them only a little more harshly than unwelcome holiday relatives?

Some will say harsh tactics will cause the Arab world to hate us even more. They already hate us enough, or haven't we noticed? This isn't about winning a congeniality contest. It's about winning a war and defeating an enemy so they won't try this garbage again. Let's put the fear of God into them and stop putting it unnecessarily into ourselves.

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Mr. Thomas,

I'm finding it difficult to summon the right words to respond to a statement like this.

"These people are evil to the core. The only way to protect ourselves is to extract information they might have by whatever means necessary."

I have always believed that people who thought like this either lived in another country, were from another time, or were seriously warped in their thinking. Now you seem to be coming out of the woodwork.

I am seriously afraid, Mr. Thomas, for what I see happening in our country. The fact that opinions such as yours are printed and read around the U.S. saddens me beyond words and makes me deeply fearful for our future as a nation.

I sincerely hope you never have to experience the shoe being on the other foot. Listening to your macho, hate-filled rhetoric directed back at you or, worse yet, having someone take "whatever means necessary" to coerce you into whatever it might be they needed you to say or do would not be something I would wish on another human being.

In closing, let me ask you this. Think about how you would like America to be. Think about how you would like America to be admired and respected. Think about the millions of people around the world who have looked to us for inspiration, for hope, for leadership, and for the affirmation of basic human values. Then read your words again - slowly and carefully.

Best regards,

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