This much I ask of you.

To you who thinks that the torture was justified:

I won't try to change your mind. I won't even tell you that you should be ashamed of yourself, as though I could make it happen by saying it. I've accepted that I can't do that.

I've spent a lot of the last day telling myself that you can't possibly believe what you're saying. My mind insists that your words must be a cover for your shame. It's become clear to me that I find this belief comforting. So I'm letting it go. It is time for us both to put away childish things.

I believe you think that the torture was justified.

This much I ask of you.

If I am ever hurt, and you find the person who hurt me, do not torture them in my name.

If I am killed in a terrorist attack, and you find the terrorists, do not torture them in my name.

If someone tortures me and cuts my head off, and you find that person, do not torture them in my name.

Do not torture anyone in my name. And if you're going to torture someone, or support someone who does, do not pretend you're a hero. Do not invoke your membership in a military brotherhood, or your support for the military, as though this gives you moral authority. Do not claim you are making anyone safer, or that you are getting information.

Be an adult. Be honest.

Admit that you take pleasure from the thought of inflicting pain on another human being.