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These are all valid points, but they focus on practicality and not the ethics of it, which is what my point was based on. The point is, can we really say that torture is NEVER ethically/legally justified? Because that's the idea I am getting from Catz.
In my opinion, there are scenarios in which torture might be justified. They are rare, and if an agent of the government engages in that act, he/she should immediately submit himself to government authorities to be scrutinized for criminal behavior. That agent should then be investigated for wrong-doing and his actions upheld or punished.
This is exactly the standard that is used in an officer-involved shooting/use of force, fwiw. It's a well-tested method of handling acts by law enforcement that may be an ethical violation.
We do not want, as a country, our government at the highest levels to be setting a precedent where torture is used as a standard MO. And yet, that's exactly where we have found ourselves.
In other words, I want the agents of our government and elected officials to be EXTREMELY WORRIED about unjustified acts of torture, and their criminal culpability in such acts, to the point that they would ONLY utilize these tactics in the most dire of circumstances.
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