In response to Jacob Kettle's letter in the Feb. 24 Forum:
He accuses talk-show hosts Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Fargo's own Scott Hennen of advocating "torturing the men that our Christian nation has identified as infidels." This illustrates an unfortunate world-view that places terrorists, jihadists, those who would have each of us tortured and murdered, in the role of victims, worse, victims of "moralist" talk-show hosts.
It is not the duty nor the moral obligation of our country or its military to offer murderous madmen salvation. It is, however, our duty and moral obligation to utilize interrogation techniques that can and do result in the extraction of valuable information and save American lives, while leaving those questioned physically unscathed.
Kettle's framing of the reasons enemy combatants are interrogated is also offensive and way off the mark. His suggestion that those "identified as infidels" are tortured exposes his complete lack of understanding in the matter. If a lapse in adherence to Christian philosophy was in fact the reason these men were being "tortured," why would we stop there? There is no shortage of non-Christians right here in America, and since Hennen and others are advocating that they be tortured, why isn't it happening?
The fact is, nobody is advocating for the torture of anyone. I respect Hannity, O'Reilly and Hennen for standing strong as Christians in a world where simply being a Christian opens you up to the type of bile Kettle has unleashed, or worse, beheading at the hands of those he described as the "victims" of right-wing "moralists."
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Wake up. The terrorists want us all dead, and the fact that you defend them won't allow you to be spared.
