I’m no politician, but to me a redacted report on CIA activities, and an Inquiry ( ended without conclusions ) into allegations of torture of Filipinos by American troops over a century previously, beg more questions than answers . Was torture justifiable ONLY after the attacks of September 11 2001 ; or to deal with Filipinos who wanted independence ; or ANY time by ANY nation in the futile pursuit of absolute security ? Is it really as simple as hawks like Dick Cheney make out ?


Arguably ALL countries fail to live up to the ethical standards they claim for themselves, but there’s a whiff of hypocrisy in a superpower, using torture on more than one occasion, still claiming moral arguments to underpin its global vision for human rights and democracy.


As a doctor I’m appalled at the descriptions of torture used – rectal infusions and the water " cure " , never mind the rest, which certainly have no beneficial effects on the victims . Sadly there are many examples of torture elsewhere in the world, and suffering through war, famine, and lack of medications for treatable illnesses, which are a reality over which I have no control.


All Forum members should at least know something of Philippines history. That’s why I posted my response, not off topic, in my opinion.

But I’ll leave it to other members more knowledgeable than me to continue the debate - if they wish - on last week’s Senate Report.