The Torture Question

The controversy over using torture in the War on Terror is of much interest to us, the RA Folk. We who are RA are distinguished by our patriotism. We love America and believe totally in her fundamental goodness and nobility. We also believe in her absolute right to self-defense. On September 11, 2001 our nation was brutally attacked and 3000 of our people slaughtered in cold blood. Since then we have been fighting a life-and-death war against the Islamists who carried out the viscious attack.

The first order of this war is, naturally, to prevent another attack on the Homeland. This has been stunningly successful, with not a single terrorist strike against America since 9/11, although some radicals have tried. We've also been successful in much of our anti-terrorist operations abroad and that's where the controversy comes in. Some of the information that has led to our wins against terrorists was obtained through waterboarding, an interrogation technique some consider torture. The CIA's destruction of tapes showing agents harshly interrogating prisoners has added fuel to an already heated debate.

Where should RA people come down in this debate? The partisan nature of much of the torture accusations point us to the answer to that question.

Democrats and liberals are leading the charge of torture against the Bush administration. These are not unbiased people. In fact, many of them are rabid Bush haters who're willing to do anything to bring down the president. They are also very anti-war and have a vested interest in hyping any misstep by America in the War on Terror and the Iraq War. This doesn't mean that the RA Folk should dismiss their concerns out of hand, but it does mean that their motives should be questioned.

The "anti-torture" crowd (ATC) invariably invokes morality in their arguments against harsh methods. RA people, of course, expect America to act in accord with her basic goodness and decency. However, we must ask what the ATC's real agenda is. Remember, most of them are leftists who've shown pronounced fifth column tendencies. Is their we've-got-to-take-the-high-ground rhetoric an attempt to hobble America's war effort? Are they trying to make the rules of engagement so strict there's no way we can win?

Similar questions should be asked about the ATC's claim that America is creating jihadis by "torturing" her enemes. This "blame America first" notion is quite offensive to the RA Folk. Liberals' comfort with it makes them highly suspect to us. It also severly downgrades their credibility. When critics start with an anti-American foundation it behooves us to doubt their intentions. The RA Folk do just that.

RA people are patriots who love and defend our country. We believe our nation is good and noble, but also recognize that she's not perfect. We deal honestly with America's mistakes, faults, and sins but don't define her by them. If waterboarding really is torture we believe it should be stopped. However, in this life-and-death struggle we are in we prefer to err on the side of America's defense. Our government's primary responsibility is our protection, not guaranteeing the rights of those trying to kill us. If it takes harsh interrogation methods to make a terrorist give up the goods, then so be it. RA people would rather have "tortured" enemies than dead Americans. That's our answer to the torture question.

God Bless America!
God Bless our Troops!
God Bless the RA Folk!