Cruel and Very Unusual Punishment: Torture in the 'War on Terror'

Here are some of the more well-known instances of prisoner abuse committed by the US government as a means to gaining information on the 'War on Terror'.

Iraqi 'Prisoners of War' and Guantanamo Bay detainees have been:

- stripped and piled naked in a pyramid.

- cloaked, hooded and electrocuted.

- smeared with the menstrual blood of prostitues.

- chained and leashed like a dog.

Sourced from here

Then, there are the less spectacular ones, such as denying them their basic human rights as detailed by the UN. Detailed here

Those are all appalling offenses, but then things start to get a little weird...

Adam Piore was an embedded journalist in Iraq who came across a situation in al-Qa'im of Iraqi combatants being bound, hooded and gagged, placed in a shipping containers and then subjected to a song by Barney the Purple Dinosaur continuously for periods extending to 24hours. During this time, they were simultaneously subjected to bright flashing lights. When told about this situation, Sid Heal of the LA Sheriff's Department, and someone who has dedicated his life to the research of non-leathal technologies, remarked: "It could be the Bucha Effect". Explained here.

Another example of the disregard of the detainees' human rights can be viewed in the use of prostitues. According to former detainee, Jamal al-Harith, prostitues were flown in from the states to provoke detainees who found their very nature an assault to their beliefs. The prostitues would fondle the men's genitals, rub their breasts in their faces, and strip off infront of the men. The detainees would then return to their holding cells - which offered no defence against the elements - where they would not speak for days and cry to themselves. Details via Amnesty International

Another interesting detail: George W. Bush's administration had, by January 2004, channelled approximately $30 billion into the 'Black Budget'. This is a budget that funds 'Black Ops' - highly sensitive and deeply shady projects such as assassination squads, but also funds investigations into highly bizarre schemes such as funding PsyOps to research into remote-viewing.Details here regarding the Black Budget. Check out 'The Men Who Stare At Goats' by Jon Ronson for the remote-viewing stuff.

One of the most bizarre examples of a Black Budget-funded operation would be the research led by General Stubblebine and Guy Savelli into focusing the mind's ability to stare a goat to death. I'm not joking. Start here...

Anyway, I'm getting bored of typing all this out, so if you're interested in finding out more, do your own research and post it here.

Also, what do people think about torture as a means of gaining information? Is it acceptable? If so, why? How do you determine when it can and can't be used? If torture is acceptable, then why is it done covertly? Etc...

One last thing...

It could be easy for certain people to dismiss all these instances because of the absurdity of some of them, but what should bring you back to Earth is that this is state-sponsored torture by a nation that professes to take the moral high-ground. Think about it.

in a war its acceptable to gain info, but not as a means of passing time

The US should never stoop to torture as a means to get information, by doing so we are lowering ourselves to the level of the very people we are battling in this war, who use similar (but way worse, to be honest) tactics of getting what they want. This stuff simply shouldn't be going on.

However, I think some of these tortures are being dramatized a bit. They're bad and all, but some of them sound no worse then the common hazing done by fraternities all over the country. And the prostitution one...man, if that's torture, sign me up.

But again, America committing these acts is truly pathetic, especially when we, as you said, claim to take the moral high-ground.

Originally posted by BackFire
The US should never stoop to torture as a means to get information, by doing so we are lowering ourselves to the level of the very people we are battling in this war, who use similar (but way worse, to be honest) tactics of getting what they want. This stuff simply shouldn't be going on.

I agree. The hypocrisy of crying freedom at the same time as practising one of the ultimate restrictions of it stinks like shit.

Originally posted by BackFire
However, I think some of these tortures are being dramatized a bit. They're bad and all, but some of them sound no worse then the common hazing done by fraternities all over the country. And the prostitution one...man, if that's torture, sign me up.

Think of them in the context of the situation. People have been taken away from their families, home, places of familiarity, blind-folded, transported without any idea of where they are going, then confronted with things they find abhorrent and totally alien. It's the ultimate shock-treatment. Pain isn't merely felt physically, but emotionally and mentally.

Originally posted by finti
in a war its acceptable to gain info, but not as a means of passing time

If you don't know the information, how do you decide that someone else knows it?

No, I know. Like I said, they are bad, no doubt. Could be a lot worse though.

If you don't know the information, how do you decide that someone else knows it?

im talking about soldiers not civilians

There are so many instances of Guantanamo Bay detainees being taken there on circumstantial evidence at best. The guy I mentioned in my initial post was taken there because he was a tourist in Pakistan, too close to the Afghanistan border. Another person was taken there because he was mistakenly believed to be the owner of a cell-phone with a suspected terrorist's phone number. The media is littered with examples like these. Remember, these are only some of the examples of erroneous detainment. The actual number is undoubtedly much larger.

If these innocent people are being tortured, then how can you condone it?

The US condemns the torture that the Iraqis endured under Saddam, then stoops to his level and tortures prisoners, many of which are innocent, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
If these innocent people are being tortured, then how can you condone it?

originally posted by finti
im talking about soldiers not civilians

conditioning us to accept torture. desensitizing us. you see it lots on tv programmes nowadays.

those people in the army are sickos who do that shit to the prisoners..but its there job isnt it, a job there happy to do..you know..psyhopathic stuff.

they dont really use the word torture now..its 'extreme interogation' 🙄

the war on terror is fukin phoney...

someone wake me up

Originally posted by finti
im talking about soldiers not civilians

The majority of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not 'soldiers'.

I hate to say it, but they are still going to have the moral high ground even WITH the torture.

That's the problem when you fight an evil enemy; suddenly a lot of things you do will be of academic interest only. Much of what the Allies did in WWII was pretty horrific but the needs justified all.

The biggest problem in Guantanamo now? Never mind any tortures or direct Human Rights abuses going on. It's because not enough of them are being charged. That's the only reason it is ever going to get much heat- people are running out of patience with them being held without seeing a court.

The majority of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not 'soldiers'.

What goes on at Guantanamo bay is by no means acceptable, still all of the detainees there aint innocent

Originally posted by Ushgarak
I hate to say it, but they are still going to have the moral high ground even WITH the torture.

That's the problem when you fight an evil enemy; suddenly a lot of things you do will be of academic interest only. Much of what the Allies did in WWII was pretty horrific but the needs justified all.

The problem with this argument is that it presupposes a majority support for the US. This isn't the case with the world's public, and the support of other governments is also waning.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
The biggest problem in Guantanamo now? Never mind any tortures or direct Human Rights abuses going on. It's because not enough of them are being charged. That's the only reason it is ever going to get much heat- people are running out of patience with them being held without seeing a court.

That would probably be more appropriate here.

Originally posted by finti
and Im not talking about them either, Im talking about war in general where soldiers of opposing forces are captured.

That's nice, but we're talking about Guantanamo Bay and the 'War on Terror' in this thread. Care to join us?

Originally posted by finti
What goes on at Guantanamo bay is by no means acceptable, still all of the detainees there aint innocent

No-one has said that all of the detainees are innocent. Is it still OK to torture the detainees just in case they might be guilty of something? In which case, why have they still not been charged after 3 years?

That's nice, but we're talking about Guantanamo Bay and the 'War on Terror' in this thread. Care to join us?

In which case, why have they still not been charged after 3 years?

Originally posted by finti
the war on terror is more than just Guantanamo Bay, care to expand

Try reading my initial post again.

Originally posted by finti
that is a question you have to raise to the US authorities

Not really. This discussion is based here.

Not really. This discussion is based here

when you have a situation where people are not being charged, its inevitable that many will in fact be innocent. its also probable that the administration knows this, or why else go through such scrutiny? the Alogic seems to be that if you kidnap 10 men and torture them for 4 years, and 1 is an al qaeda member (or claims to be just to stop the routine tourture), then its all worth it. i wonder if so many would support this method if the detainees were white christian terror suspects?

the Alogic seems to be that if you kidnap 10 men and torture them for 4 years, and 1 is an al qaeda member (or claims to be just to stop the routine tourture), then its all worth it. i wonder if so many would support this method if the detainees were white christian terror suspects?