Torture not civilized

I think I get it. Gary Russon's letter (Readers' Forum, May 25) is a joke, right? No one in this day and age can believe that torture is an option for civilized people.

The Geneva Convention rules for treating prisoners of war, civilian noncombatants, and any other group of people a warring party may detain are specific and need to be adhered to by every nation. Soldiers of warring nations once incarcerated are helpless to continue the fight and need to be treated accordingly. We are not above the laws the international community recognizes for treatment of prisoners. Dick Cheney and his old boss should be called to account for their decisions to breach the rules of the Geneva Convention. President Barack Obama was correct. The use of torture was wrong and of little or no use in extracting valuable secrets from detainees.

Mel Joos

Magna