What Is Your Moral Compass?
At the confirmation hearing for the next CIA Director, the democrats kept asking the nominee about her moral values. She led a CIA black site in 2002 that water boarded an Al-Qaeda suspect three times. At the time the “enhanced interrogation techniques” were deemed legal due to the “extraordinary circumstances” during that time. Now let me make clear, water boarding is torture. The nominee discontinued that technique. Her predecessor had one suspect water boarded 83 times. So the Senators wanted to know if in hindsight she would admit it was wrong. She made it very clear she would not allow it to happen today. She is extremely qualified for the position and I know will do an excellent job.
Senator John McCain said he would not support her nomination. I understand his position. If he voted yes, that means he agreed that the methods used back then were ok. This would mean that the torture the North Vietnamese did to him was then ok.
But what about the moral compass or values question? Is there a standard that fits all cultures? What I think may be morally questionable you may think is ok. Abortion is a prime issue. It is not a binary good or bad position.
The closet to a universal position would be “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But even that has grey areas. What you might say is ok to have done to you may not be ok with someone else.
Moral values are very important at times when you are tested. It is like the saying “it is what do when no one is looking that defines your ethics and values.” I am sure I have values that other people may disagree with. The conflict is when a groups values get precedent over another. That leads to conflict.
Would you bend or break your moral values in “extraordinary circumstances?” That is one of the toughest decisions a person has to make. If there are loopholes to your values, then are they values? I hope you are never put in that position.
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