Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Turley on truth and reconciliation

I previously stated by objection to a truth commission on torture as such

I see no reason to grant war criminals amnesty. A truth commission is a good idea for a society that is moving from civil war or tyranny to a democratic state, where an open inquiry can help push the society to the right of the J curve and avoid the destabilizing effect of criminal prosecutions for the previous regime; but in America, which is already a democratic state and an open society, a truth commission will lower America's J curve by sacrificing one of our most democratic institutions: the rule of law.
Last night, Johnathan Turley was on Countdown and he also addressed the notion of a truth commission. He made nearly an identical point.

Well, there's no significance to a commission, a truth commission. First of all, a truth and reconciliation commission is an insult to a country that believes it is committed to the rule of law. It is often seen in emerging democracies. We have nothing to reconcile. The people who committed torture have to reconcile themselves to the criminal code. We don't have to reconcile anything as a nation.

No comments: