Here is the second guest post by the amazing Josh! Thanks for your insights and writing Josh, you are great!

President Barack Obama considers water boarding torture and an act that violates the nation’s ideals and values, and he has decided to ban the practice. He believes that banning torture enhances the U.S. position worldwide. The banning of torture will put the US in a better position with our allies.

Scott Shane reports in his New Youk Times article that CIA interrogators used water boarding, a near-drowning technique, 266 times on two prisoners from AlQaeda. It appears to have been used much more than was originally thought. Although Obama has banned the torture of waterboarding, he has said that CIA officers who used it and other harsh interrogation methods with approval of the Justice Department would not be prosecuted.

I quite agree with Obama in this matter. I don’t believe that any kind of torture is justified, no matter what information is acquired. The Germans during WWII used a method of obtaining information without causing harm to the person they needed information from. They were nice to their POW’s thus making the POW more comfortable.

The Germans used camaraderie to get useful information. I believe that is the best way to acquire information. As for prosecuting CIA agents who used harsh methods of interrogation legally under a previous administration, it doesn't seem right. Happily, the current administration actually has our nation's best interest at heart. I am proud to say that I am a high school student who cast a vote (for the first time) for Obama.

Josh, high school senior