Web Letters: Vice

Certainly the evidence unveiled so far suggest that this man broke the law, violated his constitutional oath and undermined our national traditions and values at a minimum, and acted treasonously at maximum. He evidently led a criminal conspiracy and should be investigated by a special prosecutor armed with subpoena powers who could, presumably, uncover this crime organization by starting at the bottom and continuing up to its highest levels - in this case, the offices of the vice president and the president of the United States. In addtion to this person's fundatmental deviousness, which aided and abetted his pursuit of unbridled political power, he shows many signs associated with common sociopaths. One telling explanation for his disregard of evidentiary rules and the like is that he is not a lawyer but a businessman and, in the era of Enron and the meltdown of Wall Street, that's perhaps not the best preparation for someone who wants to lead the nation.

Geoff Potter

Chicago, IL

Still the question remains: Why does Cheney do the things he does? What is his primary motivation? Does he see himself as the True Defender of America, the lone hero willing to do anything to save us from ourselves? Or is he merely a power mad zealot with a sick and twisted mind? Or perhaps he's all of these.

Either way, he's still dangerously delusional and has damaged this country far more than any terrorist attack could ever hope to achieve.

At one point, the article states: "Cheney rejects, or does not see, that evidentiary standards, notice, discovery rules and the right to confront adverse testimony help weed out false evidence and testimony introduced by people with illicit private agendas..." I, however, put forth that Cheney knows full well that false evidence was obtained through his various tortures, and that those false results were just exactly what he desired in order to further his agendas.

He's a dangerous man, possessing too much influence during a volatile time in our country's history, and all effort should be made to prosecute, convict and then punish this madman for his many crimes against humanity. Only then might we begin to repair the devastation he has done to our standing in the world.

William Lever

Phoenix, AZ

We "betray our own (humanity)" to use Elie Wiesel words, by accepting as legitimate the arguments of former VP Cheney, et al. that "enhanced interrogation techniques" were not torture and therefore not war crimes that demand the severest of punishment. It is morally wrong and totally unacceptable to "put the past behind us" and "move on" to "more pressing" current problems. Certainly, healthcare, energy, environmental degradation, etc. are serious concerns that demand attention. But to ignore, justify, rationalize or sweep under the rug such crimes against humanity as were committed in the name of the American people is almost as great an outrage as the crimes themselves. And those who do not demand a full investigation of the torturers, their attorney-enablers and, most importantly, their political superiors, are morally complicit in the crimes. It is time to set our tortured democracy on the right path again.

George Mendelson

Kill Devil Hills, NC