Comments | cchopps: NPR Interview with President Clinton

cchopps

NPR Interview with President Clinton

Sep 21, 2006 12:23

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6113357

Talking about the use of torture. Listen to it if you can.

politics

Comments 7

seripis September 21 2006, 18:36:32 UTC

I have this to say about torture. If a person was caught, whom is known for a fact to be criminal, terrorist, or connected to such an organization and may hold information that will keep 'your' family from being the target of a deadly attack and the only words this person would speak are those of hatred towards you, your way of life, your country. Leading on that he/she may know more, but would rather you die then give it up ( ... )

cchopps September 21 2006, 18:57:49 UTC

Your response makes me believe that you did not listen to the interview.

seripis September 21 2006, 19:24:03 UTC

I listened to it. And it pissed me off. My quick response to it is to state what I feel about torture in relation to the subject ( ... )

cchopps September 21 2006, 19:32:36 UTC

While you do get your point across it doesn't really speak to what Clinton was saying. What he was really talking about was a procedural sort of thing. That the executive branch doesn't need carte blanche in regards to torture, but that in specific incidents when the situation obviously demands it that there is an accountability procedure (similar to wiretapping) which can be gotten after the fact (in a specific amount of time). I don't see how that goes against what you are saying in terms of being able to do what needs to be done (when it really does need to be done).

Thread 5

eris_star September 21 2006, 20:36:16 UTC

My impression about torture is that sure, it'll get people to talk. The problem comes in when you want them to say something reliable. There are practical reasons (above and beyond the social and moral reasons) why we don't use torture as a means of extracting a confession in US criminal cases.

And as for "say what?!" moments, I love the exchange between Cheney and McCain, where McCain basically said torture wasn't a useful process, and Ceney had the gall to contradict him. Umm... I'm gonna go with the opinion of the guy with personal experience, in this case.

seripis September 21 2006, 21:05:26 UTC

Well, sure if your going to invoke 'practical' into things. :)

I agree that torture has been proven to not be the most relaiable, but were not talking about being practical. We are a culture gone mad to some extent, and we are dealing with a culture that has crossed the line into insane.

And since we are mad, and they are willing to die for their cause in the first place, torture may be moot. But everyone gives into something, and the interviews need to be free to use all means to find that something to extract the information.