Report (Alberta) | Apr. 02, 2003 | Eugene Harasymiw
"The allure of torture" (Mar. 31, 2003)

From: Eugene Harasymiw [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 1:28 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: The Report: "The allure of torture" (March 31/03)

Dear Editor:

Your Colby Cosh comments in the above noted article that "perhaps stubbing cigarettes into the genitals of Al Qa'eda members is its own reward."

Assuming your publication is driven by Christian teachings and is "Christ-centered" in outlook, Mr. Colby's suggestion seems out of place. Or is it that Mr. Colby and, by extension, your magazine have succumbed to the influence of non-Christians like American law professor Alan Dershowitz who has recently urged authorities to jam needles under the fingernails of Al Qa'eda detainees to get them to talk. This process, according to the venerable "Dersh", would be part of a process of his proposed "torture warrants". Of course, Mr. Dershowitz cautions that the needles should be sterile, presumably because in his and his co-religionists' view, you wouldn't want the detainees to get infected, or anything like that.

Maybe Mr. Colby meant to say the cigarettes should be applied with the non-lit end, in order to guard against infection. That must be it. Well, how thoughtful, how humane!

Eugene Harasymiw, LL.B.
12651 - 71 St.
Edmonton, AB
T5C 0L8