I was joking, but seriously, understood that the technique is horrid and distressing, which is its point, it doesn't kill, maim or cause lasting physical injury, does it? Not like what the rack did to Guido, who could barely scrwal his name on the confession afterwards. Would you approve its use to get information that could save your family's life?
Everyone agrees that it's torture, and the interrogation experts agree that someone will say anything under those conditions.
For my family, I would do it myself, and then take the consequences.
In case you didn't know, bin Laden's driver was tortured for 6 months for information that turned out to be bogus - he was mentally ill. Several dozen men were beaten to death in custory by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can we do those things, and claim the moral high road?
1. Agreed unreliable, even Eliz I authorized it with reluctance. 2. Ditto. 3/4: No, we can't claim the moral high ground, and beating to death isn't the same as interrogation in my book. With half the cash spent on foreign invasions surely we could make our citizens far more secure at home - immigration control etc - but presumably there's a horrid geoploitical resources game going on as well. Best to live within our means and not depend on foreign oil etc, I'd have thought. Don't know if the UK/EU can do it, but I'd have thought the US could more easily do a MYOB if it wanted to.
5 comments:
Assuming that you aren't joking:
'Waterboarding' is the CIA torture technique. 'Snowboarding' is skateboarding on snow, without wheels.
I was joking, but seriously, understood that the technique is horrid and distressing, which is its point, it doesn't kill, maim or cause lasting physical injury, does it? Not like what the rack did to Guido, who could barely scrwal his name on the confession afterwards. Would you approve its use to get information that could save your family's life?
Everyone agrees that it's torture, and the interrogation experts agree that someone will say anything under those conditions.
For my family, I would do it myself, and then take the consequences.
In case you didn't know, bin Laden's driver was tortured for 6 months for information that turned out to be bogus - he was mentally ill. Several dozen men were beaten to death in custory by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can we do those things, and claim the moral high road?
1. Agreed unreliable, even Eliz I authorized it with reluctance.
2. Ditto.
3/4: No, we can't claim the moral high ground, and beating to death isn't the same as interrogation in my book. With half the cash spent on foreign invasions surely we could make our citizens far more secure at home - immigration control etc - but presumably there's a horrid geoploitical resources game going on as well. Best to live within our means and not depend on foreign oil etc, I'd have thought. Don't know if the UK/EU can do it, but I'd have thought the US could more easily do a MYOB if it wanted to.
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