Captain Fishback's Letter

if you haven't already seen this, you should take a look at this letter addressing our indeterminate standard of treatment for enemy combatants. it was sent to john mccain by an army captain who has served tours in both afghanistan and iraq. some of the highlights:

Despite my efforts, I have been unable to get clear, consistent answers from my leadership about what constitutes lawful and humane treatment of detainees. I am certain that this confusion contributed to a wide range of abuses including death threats, beatings, broken bones, murder, exposure to elements, extreme forced physical exertion, hostage-taking, stripping, sleep deprivation and degrading treatment.

then later on...

These arguments stem from the larger question, the most important question that this generation will answer. Do we sacrifice our ideals in order to preserve security? Terrorism inspires fear and suppresses ideals like freedom and individual rights. overcoming the fear posed by terrorist threats is a tremendous test of our courage. Will we confront danger and adversity in order to preserve our ideals, or will our courage and commitment to individual rights wither at the prospect of sacrifice? My response is simple. If we abandon our ideals in the face of adversity and aggression, then those ideals were never really in our possession.

obviously this comes off as a tad over-the-top. but actually i don't know that it is. i think it's the simple truth.