From Those Who Wish to Become the Next President

If you can frighten the people, you can justify virtually any heinous act in the name of defending them against the putative threat. If the people do not see that the lives of others are just as important as their own, then they will be unable to see behind the smoke and mirrors of national chauvinism and xenophobia. The Nazis realized this very clearly and practiced their monstrous acts based on it.

As I wrote in my book, Impeach the President: the Case Against Bush and Cheney, America today is the Milgram Experiment writ large. We have a choice: will we go along with these fascists who counsel us that committing crimes against humanity such as torture and killing over a million Iraqis (who had nothing to do with 9/11) are justifiable in the name of "protecting American lives" or will we resist?

As you read the following comments of Mitt Romney on torture, consider these words:

“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders . . . tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.”

—Herman Göring, Luftwaffe Commander and Nazi Leader, while on trial at Nuremberg for Crimes Against Humanity

From The Raw Story: Romney: It's not torture unless you admit it

01/13/2008 @ 2:01 pm

Filed by Nick Langewis and David Edwards

CNN's Wolf Blitzer assails GOP presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney over his lack of a definite opinion on whether the widely debated interrogation method known as "waterboarding" is torture.

Even as competitor and Arizona senator John McCain, along with United States Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, define "waterboarding" as torture, Romney remains strategically undecided.

"I just don't think it's productive for a president of the United States to lay out a list of what is specifically referred to as 'torture,'" he responds.

Citing "ticking time bomb" scenarios, Romney disagrees with the notion of admitting that a particular practice could violate the Geneva Convention, thereby preventing its utilization by the United States in the event of an urgent need to extract information to, for example, prevent a nuclear attack.

Romney touts the element of surprise, which, in addition to the deliberate creation of a legal grey area on what breaches international treaty, leaves a detainee at a disadvantage when it comes to preparing for what acts one can expect an agent acting on behalf of the United States to perform once one is captured.

Says Romney, "We have found it wise in the past not to describe precisely the techniques of interrogation that are used here in this country--also, so that people who are captured don't know what might be used against them."

The President, Romney concludes, is responsible for orders handed down to an interrogator, but also has the right to determine what is an appropriate interrogation technique to order an agent to perform.