I listened to a really difficult Diane Rehm show this week on the subject of our government’s refusal to accept internationally recognized definitions of torture, thus leaving open the possibility that we are torturing human beings in the name of national “security.”

The show left me feeling angry and frustrated that despite all the moral outrage and rational argument I hear against torture (from both the political left and right!), the administration carries on blithely ignoring us all. It’s difficult to feel ownership in a government in which I don’t see or hear myself meaningfully represented. And yet I believe we are all responsible, collectively, in some way, for the human rights abuses that our government perpetrates. I haven’t figured out how to live up to that responsibility yet, but I guess recognizing it is a small step in the right direction.

Anyway, here’s Jon Stewart on the language of the torture “debate.”

P.S. I recommend the Diane Rehm segment too, for anyone interested in a more in-depth discussion.