To the editor:

A telling mix of silence and noise emanates from the Republican echo chamber.

Here’s what you no longer hear:

We must use torture to win the war against terror.

We haven’t used torture.

It’s not torture to use hooding, painful positions, threats to transfer prisoners to Egyptian torturers.

Torture of illegal combatants is legally permissible.

In a national emergency, the president is empowered to use torture.

Here’s what you do hear:

Iraqis had it coming.

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

Look at what they’re doing to our troops.

If you are in prison, you must be a terrorist.

We are not as bad as Hussein.

This just shows what an open system we have.

Iraqis will thank us after we are gone.

We are still building democracy in Iraq.

This is merely a partisan political issue.

The Vietnam analogy is not valid.

The newspapers that published the pictures killed Nick Berg.

If you criticize U.S. torture, you support terrorists.

Here’s what you never hear:

We were wrong.

I am sorry for what I personally said or did.

Those who messed up should resign.

Yes, torture does backfire horribly.

No one ever built a democracy by using torture.

Yes, Rumsfeld did ignore numerous reports on U.S. torture.

Yes, high officials did authorize torture.

Yes, torture is illegal and stupid.

Yes, exposing illegality and stupidity is the best way to end it.

David Burress,

Lawrence