Star Tribune Letter of the day: Still a beacon of justice, thanks to McCain

12/27/2005

Republished from The Star Tribune
Letter to the Editor Section
Last update: December 23, 2005 at 4:20 PM

I would like to thank Sen. John McCain for his persistence in sponsoring the bill in Congress to stop the use of torture in interrogating suspected terrorists. This shows that Americans are a people of principle and justice, and the world will continue to view the United States as the beacon of justice.

If we asked citizens on the street, “Should we use torture on suspected criminals?” I firmly believe 10 out of 10 would respond “No.” And if the citizens of this nation will not tolerate torture, I don’t see why should we make an exception any branch of our government.

McCain’s legislation also explicitly shows that ours is a nation that strongly respects the rights of every individual, regardless of status and nationality. Passage of this bill will strengthen the democratic foundation on which this nation is founded.

The only unfortunate byproduct of this incident is that it appears our president is uncultured and unimaginative.

BENNETT DY,
NORTH ST. PAUL