Second entry: This is the last day of June and June is Torture Awareness Month. I have registered with Bloggers Against Torture and have committed to its support by adding a comment on the subject on my blog. Here it is:
I was at the Tower of London a few weeks ago. This place existed through centuries and has a varied history, some glorious, some infamous. The latter includes the fact that official, state-sanctioned torture took place here. There is plenty of information for visitors about what offenses were believed to warrant torture, what forms of torture were permitted, and what results were expected. The people who lived then accepted the idea of torture as right and natural in order to elicit confessions, name conspirators, and punish wrong-doers. They believed that the torture of enemies ultimately kept their country safe. I hope the citizens of the United States of America never accept torture as a legitimate tool of the government, but I'm afraid many already do. How could so many be complacent about this horror? How can we explain to our children? We must take a strong stand against the use of torture by any country, any government, for any reason, at any time. You can learn more and you can help human decency prevail by visiting this link:
http://www.tortureawareness.org/