Letters to the Editor
-
re: David Frum's response to Rudy's waterboarding musings
Right wing hero (and "axis of evil" speech writer) David Frum posted a response to Joe's article on the National Review site, where he blogs. See "Dumberer", of 26 October 2007
(http://frum.nationalreview.com/)
I sent an email back to him, posted below. My words are all caps.
SPEAKING OF DUMB, YOU SAID:
As Joe Conason and hundreds of other bloggers, commentators, and assorted hecklers put it, "If it's not torture, Rudy should try waterboarding himself."
Smart point!
In exactly the same way:
Anyone who thinks that a prison sentence is an appropriate punishment for armed robbery should go spend 20 years in penitentiary himself!
NO, TO MAKE A SIMILAR CASE A PERSON WOULD HAVE TO DENY THAT 20 YEARS IN PRISON CONSTITUTES PUNISHMENT. SUGGESTING THAT THE ONE "TRY A TWENTY YEAR STRETCH" BEFORE DECLARING IT SOMETHING OTHER THAN PUNISHMENT SEEMS, TO ME AT LEAST, REASONABLE.
Anyone who thinks it okay for police to shoot a suspect who draws a gun should submit to be shot himself!
NOOOO .... AGAIN, TO MAKE THE SITUATIONS PARALLEL, SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO BE DUMB ENOUGH TO SUGGEST THAT SHOOTING THE SUSPECT WOULD NOT CAUSE INJURY AND PAIN. THE RESPONSE: TRY IT YOURSELF, AND SEE IF IT HURTS.
And - let's take this reasoning to its logical conclusion - anyone who thinks it permissible for the US to drop bombs on foreign enemies should logically volunteer to have the US armed forces drop bombs on his or her own house!
SIGH .... WELL, IF ONE WERE TO ASSERT THAT DROPPING BOMBS DOES NOT CAUSE DESTRUCTION OR HARDSHIP, SURELY THAT PERSON WOULD BE WILLING TO HAVE THEIR OWN HOME BOMBED (SINCE THE EXPERIENCE IS SUCH A MARDI GRAS).
THE RUDY QUOTE RELATES TO WHETHER WATERBOARDING IS TORTURE -WHICH IT CLEARLY IS (IT IS A RELIC OF THE INQUISITION FOR GOD'S SAKE, AND THE U.S. TRIED THE JAPANESE FOR DOING IT). YOU MIGHT FEEL THAT TORTURE IS JUSTIFIED IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES (I DO, IN VERY, VERY RARE CASES), BUT YOU SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE THE GUTS TO CALL IT WHAT IT IS.
OTHERWISE, YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF BOTH DUMBERER AND COWARDLIER.