Dear FRONTLINE,

Interrogation of prisoners is an important function of the military. Torture of prisoners, however, is not "best practices". It is sadism. Why does the military still teach outmoded means of interrogation?

WWII interrogators in the Pacific were successful in their interrogations by practicing kindness. They told their prisoners that they were out of the battle and were safe. The Japanese prisoners told their stories.

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Willard Hunter

Dear FRONTLINE,

Today I will write my congressman and the President, only to get a form letter in return, I'm sure, assuring me that we as Americans are safer because our war and methods of intelligence gathering are protecting me from the terror threat that permeates throughout the world.

Nothing said will ever justify the torture of another human being in my mind. I hope that each solider and civilan (aren't we all civilans in the end) involved feels shame and disgust over their actions. How long can we continue to apologize for our deliberate actions?

Thank you so much for your broadcast.

Shane Christian
Jacksonville, Alabama

Dear FRONTLINE,

One aspect of the problem we have created for ourselves by the use of torture is how counterproductive it is to the goal of winning hearts and minds to our cause.

People around the world are naturally inclined to want to like us, to want to be like us and if possible to want to come here so they can be us. What are they to make of torture as deliberate policy?

One comment here was that Frontline was offering aid and comfort to our enemies. Hardly. I imagine few Iraqis watch Frontline. However I suspect more than a few have friends and neighbors who have been through the Abu Ghraib experience, and have told them their first hand accounts.

When the torture story first broke, an interesting statistic appeared. At that point, 43,000 prisoners had been processed. Of that number, some 700 indictments had been issued. This tells me that the remaining 42,300 detainees had been run through the mill for periods averaging several months and then released for lack of evidence against them. How do you suppose they describe their experiences to their friends and neighbors?

We would do well to further the cause of American values by bringing our armies back home, and leading by example instead of by conquest.

Michael Elvin
Fuquay-Varina, NC

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am Scottish Canadian and was in Iran at the time of the invasion of Iraq. The rumors that were being spread through out Tehran, especially the strict Muslim community,were of murder, torture, and even some cases of rape, perpetrated by American soldiers. At the time I dismissed it as propaganda . I was horrified to find out later through satellite television that at least some, if not all the rumors were true.

The war on terror has made the whole world sick with the poison of revenge. It is a sickness that has infected and diseased the minds of Americans and Muslims alike.

My heart goes out to the prisoners who were tortured as well as those who were ordered by their superiors to inflict such horrendous deeds. Donald Rumsfeld himself should be tried for war crimes for his role in this mess.

Laura Marie Adeli
North vancouver, British Columbia canada

Dear FRONTLINE,

Despite the obvious liberal slant, I am glad that your "Torture Question" has aired. We as Americans must openly analyze all sides of this critical issue and not feign ignorance. What surprises me is the abundance of responses that seem shocked or apalled that such interrogation practices occur. Personally, I do not think that most of the practices were all that outrageous. Actually, I think that most of us already suspected that these kinds of things, or worse, were happening behind closed doors.

I do, however, feel a great deal of outrage for the soldiers that have been prosecuted for following orders. Those at the top (including Rumsfield himself) need to own up to their decisions, stand their ground, and not allow their fellow patriots on the "real" frontlines to be depicted as criminals.

Valerie Reeves
Honolulu, Hawaii

Dear FRONTLINE,

After reading through some of the comments left on this site I find myself sadder than when I was watching the show. It's amazing how many people can say things like 'if the shoe was on the other foot' and 'anti-war'.

First I hope that if the shoe was on the other foot our prisoners would be treated humanly. But the shoe is firmly on our foot. We need to act in an honorable manner. Honor means abiding by your own standards regarless of how your eneimes act.

Second: Anti-war? Of course we should ALL be antiwar. War is a bad thing as your mom (hopefully) always said: Violence never solves anything.

Third: I challange anyone who thinks of this show as a 'liberal' smear on the US goverment to find facts that could support our actions: oh wait you can't there are no facts that could lead me to believe that this behavior was ok.

Steve Russo
Honolulu, Hawaii

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am a 20 year career military officer. I served from Veitnam to Desert Storm. I believe in McArthurs code of "Duty, Honor, and Country" and I would gladly serve my country again if called on to do so.

What Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, General Miller and his jack booted thugs have done is so far removed from "Duty, Honor, and Country" as to be an embarresment to our nation in the eyes of the world. There actions are a black stain on the values our nation is supposed to stand for and will rermain a discrace for decades to come.

We had the empathy of the world after 9/11. Instead of saving American live by obtaining "actionable inteligence" through torture, more American soldiers are dying because our actions are turning ordinary Iraqi citizens into insurgents. We are creating enemies and insurgents faster than we can kill them off. This administration has failed to abibe by the basic principles of international law and the Geneva Convention.

Robert Huxford
Olympia, Washington

Dear FRONTLINE,

I'm sickened over the incidents. How can anyone blame the Iraqi people's distrust of us? How, too, can anyone blame the rest of the world for looking upon us with disgust. This administration has brought shame upon us once again. Thank you FRONTLINE for being there for us. You've no idea how much this household relies upon you for the truth. You're the best!

Sharon Towner
Belen, New Mexico

Dear FRONTLINE,

I often wonder what happens after these individuals are released. I believe that we need to seek information, but if we use these methods then what. Do we really expect these people to just be released then fear us? The truth is they will most likely strike back as insurgents or as terrorists seeking revenge. The worst part is that others will join them after seeing and hearing what we did to them. I feel that the intelligence, which will usually be false or insignificant, won't be worth the price we will pay later with their revenge. The truth is I do not think we are even addressing that question and that might be the most important question of them all.

Douglas Cox
Las Vegas, Nevada

Dear FRONTLINE,

I'm stunned when people justify abuse of prisoners and lack of due process by comparing us with the worst behaviors of the terrorists and insurgents. My mother told me she did not care what my friends or the neighbors did, sho only cared about what I did.

It is critical that we adhere to our highest values if we want Muslim countries to want to be like us.

Susanne Leckband
Scottsdale, Arizona

Dear FRONTLINE,

In the spirit of discussion, I want to reply to those who spout the "you are puting our soldiers in danger by airing this program".

The press is not placing them in danger. Bush is. I know it is difficult to accept, but he lied to us to get us into Iraq. Our soldiers didn't need to go there. They didn't need to die there. Every soldier dying in Iraq is a wasted life. We needed to go after Bin Laden and stay completely focused on Al Qaeda.

As for putting our soldiers in harm's way, what do you think Bush is doing by skirting the Geneva Conventions? Just wait until our soldiers are raped. We'll scream "war crimes" against that enemy. But you let Bush get away with it?

Thank God for real men like McCain for standing up to this pit of vipers we have in the Whitehouse.

Martin Green
San Diego, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I'm amazed by those who seem to think that the Iraqi Insurgents are going to learn anything from your broadcast that they were not already aware of.

I can't help but wonder how much these tactics of Bush/Rumsfeld Policy has added to the death toll of our soldiers.

Have these policies shown a lot of difference from those that we "liberated" the Iraqi forces from?

Theresa Corbitt
Great Falls, Montana

Dear FRONTLINE,

Considering the direction that media has been going in this country and the pressures that have come to bear on programs like Frontline, tonight's show was reassuring.

I have studied this issue extensively and realize that there is still much more to be disclosed about the systematic use of torture in the Military and the obvious dangers to US troops that could result, not to mention the contradictions of what America is supposed to represent.

As many here have expressed, it's appalling and disgraceful. It's also appalling and disgraceful how some people commenting here feel that such policies are justified and should be allowed.

Jack Gilder
San Francisco, Cailifornia

Dear FRONTLINE,

Why is it that some of your postings think that just because we think that frontline is showing a one sided picture of the "torture" we are Republicans our "Limbaughits"?

If you want to feel bad about how some prisoners are treated then feel bad for all the people that have been beheaded by the terrorists.

And another thing; How come must of the postings are talking about "do process" and "civil rights"?The terrorists want to destroy our way of life, but when they are captured the want the benefits of our legal system?

They aren't citizens so they do should not get the privilege of our civil rights.

dylan roberts
Pahrump, nv

Dear FRONTLINE,

To all the pro-torture people on this thread - did it ever occur to you that these tactics are not effective. They make for good cinema (Battle of Algiers, Saw ... etc), but they actually reduce the ability of soldiers to gather any kind of good information. Once someone has been detained by any enemy force, his or her associates change all of their plans. The information is never operational. Plus, it alienates the Americans (or the Brits) from the people that they are trying to sell on "democracy" and builds support for more resistance.

So, it's not that all of us who disagree with these torture tactics are even "anti-war" per se. It's that this campaign from Gitmo, to Bagram, to Abu Graib has been conducted poorly and has all the aspects that will guarantee more retaliation from the locals and less efficiency for the American soldier overall.

And, as someone who cares about the soldiers that I know there - I am outraged that it continues and that it wasn't reined in right after the first pictures from Abu Graib started to leak out.

John Judge
Irvine, California