Torture a Tonic?
Charles Krauthammer's "The Truth about Torture" (Dec. 5) is a reasoned and eloquently written argument, except when he criticizes the practice of providing "those who kill innocents in the name of Islam with precisely the document [i.e., the Koran] that inspires their barbarism."
To say that the Koran itself inspires barbarism suggests that responsibility for a terrorist's unforgivable acts of violence lies within the pages of Islam's holy book. While terrorists may claim that they commit these grave atrocities in the name of Islam, it is neither the religion nor its text that promotes or sanctions their depravity. Rather, it is their attempt to legitimize their actions through a distorted and perverted interpretation of their faith and its scripture. Similarly, it is not the Bible or Christianity that encourages certain individuals to kill doctors who perform abortions, nor is it Judaism or the Torah that incites extremists to shoot and attack Palestinians. Krauthammer's words advance an understanding of Islam and the Koran that is not only inaccurate but also deeply offensive to Muslims, the vast majority of whom follow their faith's peaceful affirmations. Muslim Americans struggle against damaging and injurious stereotypes, and Krauthammer's brief mention of the Koran contributes to such destructive perceptions of Islam.
Rev. Clark Lobenstine
Washington, D.C.
I have been a pastor for over ten years, and I must admit that torture seems to go against my faith. Yet it is hard to dispute the greater good that must be sought in ascertaining necessary information to save hundreds if not thousands of lives. I wholeheartedly and yet regrettably agree with Charles Krauthammer's piece. It is very difficult to digest; unfortunately, such is the world in which we live.
Rev. David Hernandez
Sanford, Maine
Charles Krauthammer rightly objects to blanket denunciations of torture as a tool for gathering urgent information on impending terrorist acts. But the only example he cites of extreme torture actually producing the desired result--the kidnapping of Israeli corporal Nachshon Waxman--ended in a failed rescue attempt, and hardly fits the profile of what most reasonable people would deem a legitimate exception to an outright ban on torture.
Fortunately, plenty such examples can be found in the fictional, ticking-time-bomb world of TV's 24. If there is one thing this Fox thriller has taught us, it is that torture, in extreme situations, can work. But even 24, which among "reality-based" TV shows has the least liberal outlook on current affairs, began portraying torture's limits this year. As if responding to the horrors of Abu Ghraib, the most hawkish depiction of interrogation techniques on the tube began to explore what can go wrong during torture: To stop the pain, people will say anything, and, worse, you can eletrocute the wrong person. Krauthammer fails to address these serious pitfalls of any torture-based interrogation technique. What good does it do the millions of residents of New York City if the captured terrorist leads the police on a wild goose chase, just to save his thumbs?
Andy Guess Ithaca, N.Y.
Bear Bios
I am most appreciative to Victor Gold for his glowing review of my biography of Paul "Bear" Bryant, The Last Coach ("When The Bear Was King," Nov. 21). I would, however, like to correct a minor error. Gold states that my book is "no less than the fifth biography" of Coach Bryant. It is, in fact, the second. Keith Dunnavant's 1996 book is the only previous work on Bryant to come properly under the heading of "biography." There have been numerous memoirs about Bryant, as well as Bryant's own autobiography (which covered the first 29 years of his 38-year career), but no other biographies.
Allen Barra
South Orange, N.J.