Right and Wrong

When some one does something wrong, you'd say that he deserves a punishment for this bad behavior. What this punishment may be varies; if he killed someone, the punishment would be more severe than if he stole (but nonetheless, there would still be a punishment). So, if you agree that the above can be a loose definition of justice, why is it that you might not want those involved in the CIA interrogations to be prosecuted? Some claim that these men may have done wrong, but it was there actions that helped prevent another attack on our own soil. Others claim that they did nothing wrong whatsoever, and those prosecuting them have no grounds for doing so. Both claims are unbelievably stupid, and extremely narrow minded. Consider the first argument (in which one insists that their actions helped save our nation, and therefore what they did was justifiable). Those who argue such a point can agree with this statement: This nation has a set of principles, that are outlined in the Constitution. They would also agree that the men involved in the torture techniques compromised some of these principles. Yet, they claim that lives were at stake, and therefore one SHOULD compromise these principles in order to save lives. What they don't realize, is that the thousands of lives (that could have been saved without compromising these principles) that may have perished are far less valuable (and I'm sorry to use that word but it's true) than the Constitution. To destroy this nation's core principles, for which hundreds of thousands sacrificed their lives in order to protect, for a certain amount of deaths is utterly ridiculous. And trust me, this nation's reputation will not go down the gutter for prosecuting these men. Justice is justice, and this is what they deserve. And to those who claim that what they did was not wrong: Take a look at the due process amendments, the 8th amendment, the Geneva conventions, and the U.S. Army Field Manuals. Those involved violated statutory, fundemental, and international law. So, yet again, I say that the inly just thing to do is to put these men on trial (and if they are again, found not guilty, than so be it).