Care to Explain?

Earlier this week, the Canadian foreign ministry issued a list detailing countries that it believed used torture in the process of interrogation. The usual suspects - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, etc were out in force. But in a ground-breaking move, Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier also included the US and Israel in the club. And surprise, surprise, Ambassador David Wilkins came out with this quote:

"We find it to be offensive for us to be on the same list with countries like Iran and China. Quite frankly it's absurd,"

My advice to the US Government: If you don't want to be on the list, don't torture. Simple as that. It has become so widely known that Hollywood has even made a movie on the subject, Rendition. Its hardly a secret. Indeed, last a week a story broke denouncing the policy of water-boarding (simulated drowning), used by the CIA, as torture. Many of the countries on Bernier's list are at least reasonably upfront about their usage of torture, but it appears the Bush Administration doesn't like the idea of a developed country that finds it within itself to torture. So again, don't torture if you don't want to have it known.