How civil should we be about torture?

Blogger Thoreau suggests a handy threshold:

On another forum I’ve tried to argue with people who want to split some legal hairs and it just doesn’t work for me. There’s a place where “Well, I respectfully dissent from your view, while appreciating the spirited and intelligent manner in which you offer it” ends and “Fuck you, this sh!t is just plain wrong” begins. We can argue over where that exact point is, but once you’re beating somebody according to a KGB manual, it’s safe to say that that bad point has been reached.

Weren't the KGB the bad guys? I distinctly remember seeing that in a Tom Clancy movie, or someplace like that. (Via Sullivan.)