John's righteously frustrated

From my friend Truck-Man: AP has the following today: Cynthia Smith, a Department of Defense spokeswoman, said the United States tries to ensure that repatriated detainees are not abused. “Detainees are not repatriated to countries where it is more likely than not that they will be tortured,'' she told AP in an e-mail. If you believe that condoning torture is reasonable government policy, please feel free to stop reading here. The rest of my e-mail will not entertain you. A spokesperson for the largest segment of our government says that we bet the come line on torture. She didn’t say this: Detainees are not repatriated to countries where it is more likely than not that they will be tortured, She says that we need 51% or above assurance of the likelihood of torture before we refuse to transfer. And she couldn’t say: Detainees are not repatriated to countries where it is more likely than not that they will be tortured, My government cannot get close to such a statement, for fear of legal action. And she could not possibly have said: Detainees are not repatriated to countries where it is more likely than not that they will be tortured, It was a great country, founded on luminous, transcendant ideals, captured in luminous, transcendant sentences. “We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .” “We the People . . .” “ . . . nor cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted.” I’m sorry, beyond words, to see it dying. ..