>>I'm perfectly happy with the idea of torture being treated the way we do euthanasia. It is repugnant, proscribed and everyone makes all the right noises so that people who do not have to actually deal with it can feel good about themselves and can express their sense of what the world *should* be like. And in specific cases people who actually have responsibility make moral choices as best they can.
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>I am in general agreement with you, although probably I am less comfortable with torture than you are. (Maybe I'm naive). The question was intended quite literally. Knowing your background (some of it), I was curious which countries you consider the most guilty of torture. For sure we are not in the running.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of torture at all. But I am also not comfortable with issues that complex being decided in an atmosphere of self-righteousness and disconnection from reality. Very much the way I feel about abortion, actually. Things this morally complex have to be decided very personally and not subjected to other, less involved, people imposing absolutist notions that are easy for them, but create burdens and consequences that they often can ignore.

As to 'torture' in other countries - I really am more concerned with abuse of the weak and a callousness toward people's right to be left alone if they do not want to involve themselves in power struggles or take stands that either confront or enable whatever brand of zealotry wants their obeisance.