TORTURING THE LAW
Reagan's death may have muted the initial reaction, but the controversy over the administration's torture memos will continue to build. The problem is that nobody seems to be interested in the question of whether torture is right, only in whether the law can be interpreted to make it legal. The obvious conclusion is that the Bush administration wants a free hand to torture suspected Al Qaeda members without legal consequences. (As I've written before, I can't say that I would never find torture justified--though I'd err on that side--but I can say that it should always be illegitimate.) Phil Carter's analysis is essential reading, and he also has a link to April 2003 memo itself, which the WSJ has posted as a .pdf file--an impressive example of journalistic openness.
The current controversy adds a creepy context to this story about a non-lethal but extremely painful weapon. What could be a less destructive alternative to rubber bullets and tear gas for riot control would also make a scarily tempting torture device.