RE: Ineresting Editorial

[jimcraig@moscow.com]

I think that this proposed hypothetical is flawed.  For the same reason that we 
don't ask the victim's family to sentence a murderer, we should not base our 
decision on how to treat the terrorists by this hypothetical.  Our decision on 
what we would do to the kidnapper in this hypothetical is obviously going to be 
biased by our love for our child.  In that situation, most people would be 
unable to make a rational decision based upon what is morally right.  Their 
judgment would be clouded by their emotions.

Do not misunderstand me, I am not trying to argue that the U.S. treatment of 
the prisoners in Cuba is wrong or right.  In fact, I think the U.S. treatment 
of the prisoners in Cuba has been more than generous at this point.  I am also 
not trying to argue that we should or should not torture the hypothetical 
kidnapper to find out where the child is.  I am simply stating that the 
ultimate decision on how to treat the terrorists, or the kidnapper, needs to be 
made by somebody that is as unbiased as possible.

Jim Craig


> Greetings Visionaires -
> 
> There was an interesting analogy concerning treatment/torture of prisoners
> on television the other night.  It was all summed up with one question at
> the end of the show.
> 
> Scenario:  Your son or daughter has been kidnapped.  The kidnapper has been
> apprehended.  You (and the police) have been informed by the kidnapper that
> your son or daughter has been buried (alive) in a box with enough oxygen to
> last three more hours.
> 
> Question:  How far would you go to force the kidnapper to tell you where
> your son or daughter is located?
> 
> This same scenario (with minimum modifications) can be applied to these
> prisoners and the potential for future terrorist attacks against the US.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Tom Hansen
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: debismith@moscow.com [mailto:debismith@moscow.com]
> >Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 10:55 PM
> >To: thansen@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com; jaycron@turbonet.com
> >Subject: Re: Ineresting Editorial
> >
> >
> >Thank you, John. You said it far better than I could. I do hope the
> >US will not be in the same morally indefensible position as the
> >nations who have violated human rights on the basis of "but they
> >did it to us".
> >Debi Robinson-Smith
> >
> 


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