Anybody who supports the McCain amendment is calling our troops thugs. We had a few jerks who stepped out of line. Overall, our troops have not been and are still not torturing people. This is a piece of feel-good legislation that doesn't do anybody any good. Here is my point.
When legislators take on a cause to criminalize some behavior, they have not solved the problem. Let's say that we criminalize drugs, for example. People will still do drugs. The law only applies to those who get caught. If we criminalize torture, it only applies to those who get caught. I've broken so many laws, yet have not been caught. I break the law every time I go 56 in an 55 mph area. I break the law when I sell some crap in a yard sale and don't report the income. I break the law when my insurance expires for a couple days. I am a hardened criminal. The laws were meant to stop me from doing these things that I do often.
More importantly, the fact that such legislation was ever proposed makes the statement that people such as the Senator from Arizona, who will never get my vote should he run for President again (I'd rather abstain), believe that our troops are a bunch of thugs out there torturing people. I say this because legislation generally goes out to address something that the lawmakers believe is wrong. If there is a belief that people aren't wearing seatbelts, pass a seatbelt law. If legislators think that not enough people have auto insurance, pass a law requiring it (we know they're in the insurance industry's back pocket). If legislators believe we have too many weapons, even if we are constitutionally entitled to them, they pass laws. In some states, like New York, God help you if you have a weapon and no permit. Why is this? Because legislators want to make a statement that something is not acceptable and to make us think twice about breaking the law, since we do it anyway. So, McCain and his supporters are saying that our troops are torturing thugs. I'll stop now because I need to step outside and curse.
When legislators take on a cause to criminalize some behavior, they have not solved the problem. Let's say that we criminalize drugs, for example. People will still do drugs. The law only applies to those who get caught. If we criminalize torture, it only applies to those who get caught. I've broken so many laws, yet have not been caught. I break the law every time I go 56 in an 55 mph area. I break the law when I sell some crap in a yard sale and don't report the income. I break the law when my insurance expires for a couple days. I am a hardened criminal. The laws were meant to stop me from doing these things that I do often.
More importantly, the fact that such legislation was ever proposed makes the statement that people such as the Senator from Arizona, who will never get my vote should he run for President again (I'd rather abstain), believe that our troops are a bunch of thugs out there torturing people. I say this because legislation generally goes out to address something that the lawmakers believe is wrong. If there is a belief that people aren't wearing seatbelts, pass a seatbelt law. If legislators think that not enough people have auto insurance, pass a law requiring it (we know they're in the insurance industry's back pocket). If legislators believe we have too many weapons, even if we are constitutionally entitled to them, they pass laws. In some states, like New York, God help you if you have a weapon and no permit. Why is this? Because legislators want to make a statement that something is not acceptable and to make us think twice about breaking the law, since we do it anyway. So, McCain and his supporters are saying that our troops are torturing thugs. I'll stop now because I need to step outside and curse.
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