rvg, some couple of years later?

[Papewaio]

It's not about giving in to fear, it's about putting lives above principles. If you don't want to torture a terrorist in order to prevent an attack, that's your prerogative. Me? I'd light a fire under him in a heartbeat. As for whether or not it is moral or immoral, ask the families of the victims of the terrorist attack that could have been prevented. To me, saving the lives of my compatriots is of higher priority than respecting the rights of a person whose life's aim is the utter destruction of our way of life.

Let us skip things like terrorist cells where information is so limited between group members that leakage is virtually impossible.

I'm fine with your rules of engagement as long as you understand that love, war and diplomacy are all reciprical arrangements.

By your own rules it is fine for an enemy combatant to be tortured if it saves lives of your compatriots. Add in rendition, drone strikes and a new definition of surrender being stark naked with hands up. These are all acceptable methods to fight ones enemies.

Of course the reciprical is also true. So Afghans, Iraqis and any other invaded country can fight back against an occupying power as per the Declaration of Independence as it stats some of the key reasons to being allowed to do so is the use of mercenaries against the population and the lack of trials. Drone strikes certainly are a method of skipping innocent until proven guilty. If you want to use the tack that they were armed, well the right to bear arms doesn't make every American an enemy of the state either does it?

So occupied people have the right to fight back as per the Declaration of Independence.

They also have the right to fight back in a manner the same as their aggressor.

So if they torture American soldiers to find out information that will save the lives of their compatriots that is reciprical.
If they don't take American prisoners unless they are naked and have their hands up that as reciprical.
If they shoot first and ask questions later that is reciprical.
If they behead an enemy in an effort to save lives of their compatriots well that is reciprical too. It just a bit of column A and column B together of reciprical behaviour for drone strikes and torture.

If you are fine with this being the new rules of engagement then as we like to say no worries. If not why not? If its good for the goose it's good for the gander.

Every action or in action has consequences. Just not always the ones we intend. Bit like smoking really.