Waterboarding..Interrogation or Torture?(video)

[Angus]

Torture to press out a confession. Rather medieval now isn't it?
BTW, I have been in a KGB torture chamber, where they used very cold water and lots of time. No drowning simulation though.
And then another one for some beat-up work. Of course sound-proof.
KGB barbarians   

[Rich46yo]

It's torture... no question in my book...

And it used to be no question in America's book too... I've pointed this out before - after WWII the USA tried, convicted, and EXECUTED 8 Japanese officers for the WAR CRIME of Waterboarding...

I'm not naive enough to believe that the US never did this sort of thing before... I'm just not comfortable with the idea that this is now SOP.

Waterboarding?  The Japs?  They used to cut the livers out of our airmen and eat them and you think we prosecuted them for waterboarding?

What were the names of these Japanese? And provide supporting information.

[evenhaim]

.

[evenhaim]

Of course if you removed Isreali, US and coalition troops from Muslim soil you wouldn't have to worry about waterboarding terrorists in the first place. But that's besides the point.

where do you live?

[Mojava]

  Definitely torture, we should be ashamed to call ourselves Americans for instituting secret prisons and torture.  We are above this kind of treatment.  It is illegal as stated in our constitution and we should hold the people responsible for allowing it as criminals.  McCain is against it, he understands what it means to be a POW,  maybe we should listen to his advice.

[texasmom]

Explain please, I'm really confused now.

Yeah, that did sound stupid. If there's a question of who gets tortured... that would be less than the stated 100%.

I don't oppose waterboarding... or most other forms of torture. 

[-tronski-]

I dont know but when they mentioned this in the news it brought out images from hollywood of fingernails and pliers or broken fingers or even hot pokers. You know the real gestapo type methods. Then you see this and realizew its a mental toughness exercise with one most likely outcome of effectively getting what you want from the terrorist.

You realise the waterboarding is only what the CIA do themselves...they hand over plenty of people to the Syrians, and Egyptians who do the really good stuff...waterboarding is childs play compared to what they do...far easier to let those animals do it for you I guess

 Tronsky

[Angus]

Bottom line is that confession brought by torture is often pointless, as well as sometimes torture to the death has brought nothing.
Most people break, some don't. Some lie, some fake, and importantly, SOME ARE INNOCENT!

Now, drowning torture is maybe child's play compared to cutting off fingers (after pulling out the nails) etc etc. However it is quite effective, the panick of drowning and suffocating as well, topped by being a no-name prisoner in a secret compound is no child's play at all!

So.....does a civilized nation support secret torture in order to find out guilty or innocent? Make up your mind...bahh 

[sluggish]

Of course if you removed Isreali, US and coalition troops from Muslim soil you wouldn't have to worry about waterboarding terrorists in the first place. But that's besides the point.

Ah yes, the old switcheroo.  Take the effect and make it the cause.  I saw that.

[bongaroo]

torture and we should be ashamed.

[lazs2]

I think we learned it in vietnam...  we were letting the south vietnamese do it to the black pajama guys and gals.

It is torture.    there is no doubt.   I do not believe in my government having the right to torture anyone.  That is a very bad and slippery slope to be on.  governments should be held to very high standards so far as torture goes.

On a personal level.. I hate the idea of it but if I needed to know something to save on of my own.. I would do it in a second.  It would be extremely distasteful.

If that sounds hypocritical then so be it.   I simply believe that governments should be held to higher standards since they have so much more power over people.

lazs

[Angus]

As a sidenote, if you have to fight a stubborn anumal (big stock), they will sometimes lay down and refuse to stand.
First try is a knock on the ribs, use an elbow or your knee. These I learned from the vet, but it doesn't always work.
The most effective one is closing the mouth and nostrils...you can do that to a cow with some arm strength.
Tops one minute, and the animal is up! Not being able to breath or feeling water in your lungs simply makes your life go by in a dash.
Animals will panick from that one, that is but the beginning of what a human (hopefully intelligent enough) will feel. Being held in water in a closed chamber untill you have a near drowning experience must be an absolute nightmare. Ever wondered if there were actually cases of drowning...hush hush....
IMHO, like Lazs said
"It is torture.    there is no doubt.   I do not believe in my government having the right to torture anyone.  That is a very bad and slippery slope to be on.  governments should be held to very high standards so far as torture goes."
 

[BnZ]

The very fact that it doesn't actually kill or maim someone is a reason I think it is dangerous...they will have less hesitation about using it and less inhibition against someday applying it against Americans. After all, why not use waterboarding on Joey "Tunafish" Patella if it means he'll tell us who his mob associates are?

I have the same misgivings about all this "less than lethal" weaponry stuff they are devising.

[lazs2]

yep.. bz gets it.   I too have misgivings about the tazers and such that they have now..

I know rich 46 will say I am an unamerican cop hater but..  I simply believe that because government (and cops) have so much power over us that they need to be held to a much higher moral standard.

You can't not see this and still think that a cop killer is the worst..  the reasoning is that if he will kill a cop he will kill anyone.. it is sound logic.. just as any cop (or government) who would abuse the power they have over the citizen is especialy bad.

lazs

[Yeager]

yeah yeager... state sanctioned torture has nothing on a few beheadings... but as we all know good christians don't torture muslims... they just redefine the definition of the word.

well.....hehe.....interesting take on things.  I support the death penalty as punishment for brutal human behaviors so Im going to remian conistsent and support enhanced interrogation techniques against brutal humans.  Of course, as long as its lawful