The oath of office of the American President is this: ”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States
”The option of taking an oath or an affirmation
Franklin Pierce was the only president known to use the word affirm rather than swear. Theodore Roosevelt did not use a Bible when taking the oath in 1901. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and Richard Nixon swore the oath on two Bibles. John Quincy Adams swore on a book of law.[4] Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on a Roman Catholic missal on Air Force One. Washington kissed the Bible afterwards,[5] and subsequent presidents followed suit, up to Harry Truman,[6] but Dwight D. Eisenhower broke that tradition by saying his own prayer instead of kissing the Bible.[7]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States
All presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt have used the phrase ”So help me God”
During our lifetimes, either we are you or me or people in power, we face moral issues when we have to choose. Sometimes we choose wrong, sometimes we choose right. Right or wrong – that is our responsibility. When you swear an oath and use the phrase ”So help me God”, I would expect you to ask God if He would approve your choice if you, when you are in office, are in doubt concerning moral and other issues.
I AM THINKING ABOUT WATERBOARDING AND OTHER ENHANCED INTERROGATON TECHNIQUES.
After The Second World War ”The United States hanged Japanese soldiers for waterboarding American prisoners of war.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding
BUT SOMETHING, EVIDENTLY, MUST HAVE CHANGED SINCE THAT TIME:
”The CIA sources described a list of six "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" instituted in mid-March 2002 and used, they said, on a dozen top al Qaeda targets incarcerated in isolation at secret locations on military bases in regions from Asia to Eastern Europe. According to the sources, only a handful of CIA interrogators are trained and authorized to use the techniques: 1. The Attention Grab: The interrogator forcefully grabs the shirt front of the prisoner and shakes him.
2. Attention Slap: An open-handed slap aimed at causing pain and triggering fear.
3. The Belly Slap: A hard open-handed slap to the stomach. The aim is to cause pain, but not internal injury. Doctors consulted advised against using a punch, which could cause lasting internal damage.
4. Long Time Standing: This technique is described as among the most effective. Prisoners are forced to stand, handcuffed and with their feet shackled to an eye bolt in the floor for more than 40 hours. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are effective in yielding confessions.
5. The Cold Cell: The prisoner is left to stand naked in a cell kept near 50 degrees. [10 degrees C] Throughout the time in the cell the prisoner is doused with cold water.
6. Water Boarding: The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner's face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt.
According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda's toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.
"The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law," said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.” http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Investigation/story?id=1322866
PRESIDENT OBAMA IS STILL AGAINST ENHANCED INTERROGATION. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Investigation/story?id=1322866 IF THAT IS TRUE, IT IS TIME THAT HE TAKES STEPS TO PROSECUTE FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH AND THOSE WHO EXECUTED ENHANCED INTERROGATION.
I am 100 % sure that God would not have approved enhanced interrogation. For President Bush to have used the phrase ”So help me God” is sacriledge (Norwegian: helligbrøde) and blasphemy (Norwegian: gudsbespottelse).
President Obama used the same phrase. I am 100 % sure that God would approve if he took legal actions as mentioned above. Maybe President Obama would lose the next election because of this, but he would live on in history as one of the great American presidents.
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