Ever since the beginning of mankind, we have had all sorts of torment and persecution to interrogate and physically persuade victims. And, recently Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was found to have authorized the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Former U.S. Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who ran the prison until early 2004, said she saw a memorandum signed by Rumsfeld detailing the use of harsh interrogation methods. But, is this such a bad thing?
The American public seems split on this topic. According to the a Newsweek poll, 44% of the public thinks torture is often or sometimes justified as a way to obtain important information, while 51% say it is rarely or never justified. A clear majority, 58%, would support torture to prevent a terrorist attack, but asked if they would still support torture if that made it more likely enemies would use it against Americans, 57% said no.
