Let's be the good guys

I find the editorials, columns and letters to the editor regarding our torture techniques and policies surprising. It seems that if there is one thing our country, as the leader of the free world and the premier example of liberty and democracy, could agree on would be the evils of torture.

Are people really defending torture itself, or is the left vs. right, Fox vs. MSNBC mind-set so prevalent that the populace feels obligated to pick a side, no matter how abhorrent the issue? Surely an individual can't choose to support torture simply because not supporting it means not supporting Republicans.

If you start supporting torture now, the argument becomes when, not if. We only support the death penalty in this country after a fair trial. Most torture supporters will argue it's a necessity to gather information when the nation is at risk. What if the police capture a kidnapper putting a child at risk, is this an appropriate time for torture?

As children, didn't we all list other countries as good guys or bad guys? I remember all the bad guys tortured at one time. Can't we aspire to be the good guys?

– Mark Crofoot, El Dorado Hills

'Torture memos' shameful

Re "U.S. struggles to obey the law while thwarting the lawless" (Viewpoints, April 21): Columnist Rich Lowry must believe the majority of his readers are truly stupid – to suggest that the torture memos are a source of pride because they represent a nation of laws boggles the mind.

The memos are CYA so that those ordering or committing torture would have available the defense of relying on the advice of counsel if ever required in the future. Which, by the way, might fly in civil court, but not so well in criminal court where at best it would be mitigation. A war crime, ordered or committed on advice of counsel, remains a war crime that has no defense.

– James E. Longhofer, Placerville

Torture opinion overreaches

I don't understand where Rich Lowry received his credentials to decide what constitutes torture. He seems to have taken the moral high ground on an issue in which he has no personal experience. Did he serve in the U.S. military, and was he ever subjected to torture? I did serve honorably in the United States Air Force, and I was never tortured. If I was subjected to multiple waterboardings or confined to a small space with caterpillars or insects, I would feel like I'd been tortured. What about you?

– Tom Newton, Sacramento

A proven educational option

Re "Vocational schools costly compared with community college, but worth it?" (Our Region, April 19): Vocational skills and knowledge are in demand, and this is the "lure" that causes intelligent people to seek out institutions like MTI College.

Most vocational colleges offer a practical approach to securing a good job, and their success is a bright note given the state of the economy. Furthermore, California's education challenges are real. For those starting high school here in California, only two-thirds will earn their high school diploma and only 22 percent will graduate from traditional college. What are the remaining 78 percent supposed to do for their employment skills and knowledge? Some may think community college is the answer, and it is for some. But vocational colleges have proven to be a viable alternative for the millions across America who are currently attending these institutions.

Private for-profit vocational education has been run down and left out of many of the higher education solutions for our citizens. But we at MTI College will keep doing what we've been doing for the past 44 years here in Sacramento – providing the skills, knowledge and confidence necessary to secure a good job and employment future. – John Zimmerman, Sacramento

president, MTI College

Raise canceled – or delayed?

The Page A1 headline on Thursday stated, "Bass cancels pay raises." Not only is this misleading, but it misrepresents the truth.

The word "cancels" means to delete or stop. The headline should have read, "Bass postpones pay raises." The word "postpones" means to put off until a later date. We taxpayers understand the very obvious difference.

– Don Dresch, Rocklin