9-11

I posted this link to my Facebook page only to be accused of "politicizing" those who died that day. This, by the way, from a Republican who thinks that Bush did a great job in the "war on terror." Oh, and who has defended torture to me on several occasions.

But it is the best articulation in some time of the problems of fighting a war on terror by using those tactics. As I patiently explained to my moronic friend, when we decided to change our values in response to terrorism, we did exactly what they were hoping for.

Anyway, read what a couple of military veterans have to say about torture:

"On this solemn day we pause to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11. As our leaders work to prevent terrorists from again striking on our soil, they should remember the fundamental precept of counterinsurgency we've relearned in Afghanistan and Iraq: Undermine the enemy's legitimacy while building our own. These wars will not be won on the battlefield. They will be won in the hearts of young men who decide not to sign up to be fighters and young women who decline to be suicide bombers. If Americans torture and it comes to light -- as it inevitably will -- it embitters and alienates the very people we need most."