How to download bit torrents in Linux

Freeloader.  It's available via Synaptic.  Nice GUI, shows all downloads in a single window, handles regular downloads in addition to torrents, has all the features you need (such as the ability to throttle upload speeds), and isn't a resource hog.  Also, it will minimize to an icon in the menu bar.

Of course, I would only use it for legal downloads.  Unlike most public P2P networks, the bit torrent network has been used by companies for a lot of legal downloads.  I downloaded my Ubuntu installation CD's via bit torrent.