It... but I... Buh?
So in more national politics news, I caught this exchange with Antonin Scalia* last night on The Daily Show:
STAHL: If someone’s in custody, as in Abu Ghraib, and they are brutalized, by a law enforcement person - if you listen to the expression “cruel and unusual punishment,” doesn’t that apply?
SCALIA: No. To the contrary. You think - Has anybody ever referred to torture as punishment? I don’t think so.
STAHL: Well I think if you’re in custody, and you have a policeman who’s taken you into custody-
SCALIA: And you say he’s punishing you? What’s he punishing you for? … When he’s hurting you in order to get information from you, you wouldn’t say he’s punishing you. What is he punishing you for?
Ok, seriously? I mean, you might be able to make that argument from a semantics viewpoint, but when you think about the implications, that would seem to imply Mr. Scalia thinks torture of US citizens by police officers is legal, as long as it's done before they're convicted to get information. Or at least that it's not forbidden by the constitution.
Oh, and the little detail that what was going on in Abu Ghraib wasn't really about getting information anyway, but hey, details. Amiright?
*Yes, sitting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who's word is 1/9th of the law in these United States
STAHL: If someone’s in custody, as in Abu Ghraib, and they are brutalized, by a law enforcement person - if you listen to the expression “cruel and unusual punishment,” doesn’t that apply?
SCALIA: No. To the contrary. You think - Has anybody ever referred to torture as punishment? I don’t think so.
STAHL: Well I think if you’re in custody, and you have a policeman who’s taken you into custody-
SCALIA: And you say he’s punishing you? What’s he punishing you for? … When he’s hurting you in order to get information from you, you wouldn’t say he’s punishing you. What is he punishing you for?
Ok, seriously? I mean, you might be able to make that argument from a semantics viewpoint, but when you think about the implications, that would seem to imply Mr. Scalia thinks torture of US citizens by police officers is legal, as long as it's done before they're convicted to get information. Or at least that it's not forbidden by the constitution.
Oh, and the little detail that what was going on in Abu Ghraib wasn't really about getting information anyway, but hey, details. Amiright?
*Yes, sitting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who's word is 1/9th of the law in these United States