I awoke yesterday to learn that our new president believes “torture works.”

What’s next? Will we once again accept this barbaric practice as official U.S. policy? It depends on two things: Mr. Trump and the American Public.

 I can’t tell you what the president will do. I can tell you what I have done: phoned my congressman and asked for a clear statement: Does my representative in Congress support torture? Yes or no.

It’s simple. America either employs torture as a weapon or it outlaws it.

Does torture work? That’s questionable. In their book “How to Break a Terrorist,” two U.S. interrogators, Matthew Alexander and John Bruning, say it doesn’t; however there’s no question torture is barbaric.

 We can’t make America great by physical force. Having the biggest military, the most nuclear bombs, the most ruthless leaders will only turn us into monsters. Are we so ruled by fear that we’ve lost our souls?

The 9th Congressional District representative is Doug Collins. Call him at 202-225-9893. Ask to speak to a staff member. Don’t accept an email response. It will only avoid the question.

And by the way, waterboarding is torture. I’ve talked to one who experienced it.

Joan O. King
Sautee