Waterboarding Worked?!

[mistermark]

OK. I haven't posted in a really long time but I have to get something off my chest. I'm so sick and god-damned tired of hearing from Dick Cheney that the waterboarding techniques they used on detainees was successful. Is anyone actually surprised that this technique was succesfful? Why do you think they have to friggin' regulate torture.

Comments

[fair_witness]

Point of information, though ... time and again, it's been demonstrated that torture isn't a great/reliable technique for obtaining useful information. It's great at terrorizing people, though. There've been a number of professional US interrogators (most notably a group of WWII veterans) who have come out stating that they were able to get reliable information from Nazi prisoners without the use of torture, and in fact America's disavowal of torture was a key element of getting that useful information.

[fair_witness]

PS: You may want to read this article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/66622.html

[mistermark]

I will check it out! You make a superb point about torture that I had forgotten......and it just makes me MORE angry (which seems the appropriate reaction)! LOL

I know I may get flamed for this but I have a deep and abiding hatred for Dick Cheney who can't seem to keep his god damned mouth shut since he and his croneys were booted out of office with the lowest approval rating of any presidency in the history of presidential approval surveys.

[crispengray]

I just find it funny that now Cheney is a big voice for transparent government... now that he's no longer the one holding the secrets.

[crispengray]

In addition, there's also evidence to suggest that torturing people got them to clam up. And it created more enemies of the state.

You're absolutely right, however, that it's beside the point whether it worked or not.

[mistermark]

Yeah, I didn't get to the whole point about how this acts as justifcation to use torture for those who are seeking it.

I can already hear our enemies of state, "How can it be wrong to waterboard US Troops? They're our enemies, right? It WORKS to get information from them, right? They used it on our men, right?"

Having had a close family friend tell me stories of the torture he suffered during Vietnam...this downward spiral scares the freakin' heck out of me.

EEEEEEAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHH.

[mistermark]

Good point and I appreciate the comment.

My own personal stance is that the effectiveness of torture isn't really even the issue (though both you and the poster above make the very good point that torture is debatably effective).

My own personal belief is that enlightened societies do not engage in purposeful cruelty of any sort...and that it is most challenging to hold ourselves to this when our enemies refuse to do so...even though it's hard...and terrifying...and sad.

[mistermark]

Dude. Whoa. This response misses the boat on a sufficient number of levels that I feel no need to explain myself further.

Too funny...