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Waterboarding Used to Be a Crime »
Posted by: deathray 2 years, 1 month agoThat we might consider waterboarding a reasonable interrogation technique ays a lot about how far we've fallen, as a moral power in the world. Evan Wallach tells us what the technique is really all about.
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deathray
Hm...summarizing a life...Investment banker, sailor, unintentional gourmet cook. Ex US Naval officer, also Foreign Service. Split my time between NYC and Miami Beach ...
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Comments: 477
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deathray
Nov. 4, 2007, 9:51 a.m.I am personally appalled that we HAVE to have the national discussion on whether or not waterboarding is torture. Evan Wallach talks about the technique in detail.
It's also of note that Daniel Levin, then acting assistant attorney general, went to a military base near Washington and underwent the procedure to inform his analysis of different interrogation techniques.
"After the experience, Levin told White House officials that even though he knew he wouldn't die, he found the experience terrifying and thought that it clearly simulated drowning.
Levin, who refused to comment for this story, concluded waterboarding could be illegal torture unless performed in a highly limited way and with close supervision."
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william-sire
Nov. 4, 2007, 10:25 a.m.Evan Wallach ... what an idiot. There are real evil people trying to take our lives and freedom. These are not meassures we take to win an election or because we believe our way of life should be the way of the world. We are protecting our lives and freedom against an evil aggressor and I for one would rather be alive and free than a victim of a tyrant. If water boarding helps to defend my life and freedom then it should be done. If the nutcase Evan Wallach doesn't think so then let him speak with action. He can take point to ferret out the enemy then I'll pick them off after he is dead.
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MidnightPrism
Nov. 4, 2007, 10:34 a.m.Didn't we once condemn Japan for this same torture?
Americans need to wake up and realize the current two party power structure has completely corrupted our government.
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Amazing1
Nov. 4, 2007, 10:38 a.m.Time and again it has been proven that torture does not work. Therefore, william sire, I suggest another technique. How about we treat them well. Give them nice clean beds and plenty of DVDs to watch. Things like "Bambi" and "Snow White" Nothing but sheer pap. Give them the food they like and no input except for sappy type movies, sappy music. After a week or so, they may be kinder, gentler people and ready to talk willingly.
Torture is wrong on so many levels. If you endorse it for others, it can happen to you. What, you say? You don't think you know anything the "terrorists" would want to know? It's a case of mistaken identity? No worry. By the time they get through with you, you'll be ready to confess to anything and tell them anything they want to hear.
And someone eles's torture is worth YOUR life? Give me a break.
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Spadecaller
Nov. 4, 2007, 10:47 a.m.The Geneva Convention, of which the U.S. had once subscribed to, states that prisoners should be treated with "respect to their persons" and with "dignity".
Stripping prisoners naked and exposing them is also prohibited according to international law.
Waterboarding is not a recreational sport. Yet, according to Dick Cheney, "Waterboarding is a no brainer." Those were his exact words respecting the practice of using it to interrogate prisoners.
Lastly, the only information a prisoner has to provide is their name, rank, and serial number. If all they have is their name, than that is all they are required to provide according to the Geneval Convention.
The Bush Administration has dissolved our compliance to the mandates of the Geneva Convention. Many people including Americans will suffer the consequences of this barbaric breach of ethics.
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Poulenc
Nov. 4, 2007, 11:13 a.m.To put it another way, how could water boarding--an extreme method of coercion applied to prisoners from whom information is wanted as a prerequisite to the act--NOT be torture?
What it comes down to, sadly, is the "torture" mentality--authoritarians with, apparently, a punitive-sadistic bent--versus those who have no need to see others brutalized, to have their country indulge in acts that are as depraved as those they ostensibly wish to rid the world of.
Torture is barbaric. America should not behave barbarically. Let us act on our much vaunted (but of course stirringly admirable) ideals.
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DarkWizard
Nov. 4, 2007, 11:39 a.m.Waterboarding is torture. Torture is illegal. Torture does not give the desired results. If torture were so effective the U.S. would know all the hiding places of the insurgents, where OBL is, and any other enemy of the state.
We have criminals in office admitting that they use torture. We have an enabling Congress and Supreme Court ignoring the fact that crimes have been committed and therefore have become complicit in these crimes.
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tomboy501
Nov. 4, 2007, 11:44 a.m.The Post published another article on this last month. I'm glad it is being brought up repeatedly.
In 1947, the U.S. Called It a War Crime; in 1968, It Reportedly Caused an Investigation http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...
I agree with deathray above. The fact that this country is even having this debate is appalling..
Then again, who would have guessed 7 years ago that we would be having the 'branches of government' checks and balances discussion...or fighting for habeus corpus...or having to remind our own leaders of all these other Constitution 101 issues that we all learned in high school civics classes.
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puffin
Nov. 4, 2007, 12:15 p.m."performed in a highly limited way and with close supervision."
Gotta mix it up, y'know .. too much of anything becomes a bore and we're only talking waterboarding. Lots more "hot hits" to throw into the mix.
One can also rest assured that it will be done with "close supervision" ... and with glee.
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AnteUp
Nov. 4, 2007, 12:24 p.m.There was a lot of prejudice in this country in the 50's and
60's - we weren't perfect. Still have a long way to go but
we had a belief in Americans as "the good guys" - we wore
the white hats....or so we felt, on issues of human rights.
I still feel that what I will relate here is part of what
tore this nation apart - during and after VietNam.
Early 1960's - a black and white photo in Life magazine -
a No.Vietnamese on the ground next to a pig sty on his back,
blindfolded and gaged and other men crouched around
him.....doing something. There were So.Vietnamese
soldiers standing and laughing with American "advisors" as
they watched - the procedure. I had to ask my Mom what
was happening to the man on the ground. Well, they were
pouring water up his nose.....they were toruring him.
I remember asking,"Why doesn't the American soldier
stop them, Mom?" She assured me that my Uncle,in Special
Forces,wouldn't do anything like that.
Continued ~
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AnteUp
Nov. 4, 2007, 12:36 p.m.Continued ~
Do I know that "stuff" happens during war? You bet. I recognize that it is NOT a tea party and we have been
involved in incidents before - but VietNam took some
of our best and brightest and broke their belief in
themselves as the rescuers of the brutalized when we
not only allowed - but promoted policies of torture.
The young teen that I was in the 60's had a very difficult
time processing the idea that someone might hesitate to
approach a U.S. soldier out of FEAR. I was raised that
police officers and soldiers were your friends - they'd help you out. What message are we sending now? Why don't you ever see the DANGER to us? Do you look forward to guys schooled in torture coming home? The ideal "Be All You Can Be"
should NOT include torture skills!
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bluekrypton
Nov. 4, 2007, 2:22 p.m.Just about everyone on here agrees that its torture - kinda obvious really and any fool can see that it is. What amazes me is that given that many of the posts on here are probably from Americans, then why is the US still allowing the use of torture? Maybe its time for you guys to vote in a new government. The US has a great history of freedom and respect for human rights, please let it all go to waste.
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Boz44
Nov. 4, 2007, 2:23 p.m.As our current helsmen/women and whatevers continue to skirt the issue regarding WaterBoarding and whether tis torture or not and etc, suggest that we start with Bush, as the supremed decider , experience such first hand so as to be in a better positon to determine if such IS torture and while unergoing such, perhaps extract the "truth" from him on a number of pertinent subjects that many continue to find questionable. How about if Alberto be subjected to such procedure...perhaps would prompt HIS memory to point that he could recall of just why such procedure was deemed TORTURE and perhaps even give him a glimmer as to why we should NOT endorse such tactics !!
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cptphilb
Nov. 4, 2007, 2:35 p.m.Hmmm,
Waterboarding used to be against the law....that is..
Until Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo....
Given the Democrats' record of Human Rights violations...they have a lot of nerve snivelling....
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MaryLynn_
Nov. 4, 2007, 3:28 p.m.TORTURE IS TORTURE NO MATTER WHAT WAY YOU LOOK AT IT. MAYBE WE SHOULD FIND A WAY TO GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. THEN THE VOTING WOULD BE IN THE PEOPLES HANDS ONCE AND FOR ALL.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE DEATHRAY, QUICKSILVER THANK YOU FOR SENDING THE LINK
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