Whoooof! Excellent editorial by Card. Too bad it won't get much play in the print media.
Here’s the truth: Torture, per se, doesn’t work. When you inflict enough pain, most people say whatever they need to say in order to make it stop, while those strong enough to resist it die without telling anything true.
First, we need to stop telling the lie that torture doesn't work, because it does, and it works very well. If it didn't, it would not be used. Second, the person has not yet been born who is strong enough to resist torture. If you know the truth, there are certain things that can be done to your body to make you tell it, and tell it quickly. That is a fact. Torture is something to fear and avoid, but certainly not because it doesn't work. I would love the opportunity to show one of these "torture doesn't work" crowd how in five minutes with a trained operator, they would be wishing death before a second round of what they might experience.