Paul C. McKain for Congress (Florida, District 2)

There has been some discourse about the fact that I have not addressed the issue of terrorist rights and “torture” of captured terrorists (not detainees). I will attempt to clear the air.

War is Hell. It is for this reason that we should not engage in its practice unless adequately prompted and agreed upon in the proper manner. When we are moved to war, the rule book should be thrown out the door, with the exception of the Geneva Convention. When wars are mitigated by rules, the mighty are brought to the level of the weak; by doing so the horror of war does not impact the enemy as much and allows for a sustained conflict with no absolute need to surrender.

The thought that a civil court could have anything to do with a military action could only be suggested by someone who is sympathetic to the enemy. In other words, the terrorists should in no way be afforded the rights of an American citizen, and to suggest so, in my opinion, borders on treason. The procedural rules of our courts that are not used on the battlefield could only benefit the enemy and give them access to information that should never be given to terrorists.

Non-uniformed combatants are not even addressed in the Geneva Convention. They are a military issue. These are the caliber of persons we are dealing with in our current "wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq. In reality, they fall into the categories of spies and are guaranteed a speedy trial and a subsequent hanging.

I believe in playing by the rules until the opponent changes the rules, in which case we write new rules to our advantage. As far as “torture” goes, how can waterboarding be torture when the President gave away the details? No, waterboarding is not torture and neither is the list of “tortures” the government just came up with. If a terrorist is caught in the act, he should be questioned with authority. If information will save American lives, I will accept the criticism of our opponents around the world who criticize us but not those who perpetrate the same events on our soldiers.