The following is a speech given by President Bush at the White House on June 23, 2003:

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice.

Cross-posted from Scrutiny Hooligans*, and inspired by a post that originally appeared @ Crooks & Liars... click here for relevant audio that I uploaded, thanks to BlueNC's spiffy new audio feature!

At the risk of showing my age, one my earliest memories involves my dad showing me how to use the family record player. I didn't have any music of my own, so I would listen to a lot of what was in the record cabinet, which was primarily what my dad was into in the 60s. He listened to a lot of folk music - he was particularly a fan of Bob Dylan's pre-electric period - and it was through my dad's record collection that I discovered the time-honored tradition of the protest song.