To the editor:

Consider for a moment; somewhere out there, cut off from the rest of the world, there is one man, woman or child who is living a nightmare. Consider also, just for the sake of the exercise, that that person is innocent, though that shouldn’t matter. That person, no different in basic human rights from you and me, is being tortured by people on your payroll, acting on your behalf. Here you sit, reading this in relative comfort while this person is dying a terrible death. Are you doing anything to raise your voice against this? Are you supporting this in any way, either actively or passively?

Consider how many Germans it took to stand by and allow the Nazis to commit their crimes. They were as guilty as if they were active in the death chambers themselves. You and I, as long as we allow this one person to be tortured in the name of our “safety” have his or her blood on our hands. Ours is a nation of laws, a nation in which one is considered innocent until proven guilty, and one still gets protection from cruel and unusual punishment once judged guilty. These are protections that benefit you and me, even if we never are accused of a crime.

For the sake of that one person, that son or daughter, that mother, father, husband or wife, let’s stop this madness before it’s too late. We can rescue the innocents, each of us, just by making our voices heard.

Bob Gent,

Lawrence