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there is an interesting occurance that i have noticed for years and i know that i am not alone. ireland is a developed country, and like other countries there seems to be a pecking order as to which countries news we receive. our own lives come first, then other western nations, then some others might make it but only if the events are extremly severe. i believe that all lives are equal reqardless of nationality but in todays media this is not portrayed as such, maybe this is because of the thousands of people who die in africa each day from hunger, disease, war, none are westerners. even within our own nations when is the last time on the news we saw something about a celeb, compare that to the last time we saw an article about a homeless person who died! it is not right but it is the way it is and it not a mark of a truely civilised society.
Slán
~M

P.S. i am impressed about your use of the word wank given that you first language is not english :)

>First, I very much dislike the fact that the word "American" is included in the reply. This sounds as if Americans are somehow worth more than people from other countries. What would the person interviewed think if the situation is reversed - if Americans are subjected to horrible tortures, to save Iraqui lives? How is this about "We hold these truths to be self-evident...", etc.?
>
>This brings me to the next point, whether the cruelty that occurred in Iraq would actually benefit anyone. Personally, I don't think so.
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>Then, there are doubts about the old saying that the end justifies (or doesn't justify) the means. There are simply certain things which don't have any justification, and shouldn't be undertaken under any circumstances.
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>Finally, the reply seems to imply that there is nothing worse than death. I am sure that some of the tortured people would have preferred death to the pain they were subjected to - or, to give another example, to the humiliation of being forced to wank in front of cameras.