Waterboarding

In a CNN debate with Ari Fleischer, I said the United States executed Japanese war criminals for waterboarding. My point was that it is disingenuous for Bush Republicans to argue that waterboarding is not torture and thus illegal. It's kind of awkward to argue that waterboarding is not a crime when you hanged someone for doing it to our troops. My precise words were: "Our country executed Japanese soldiers who waterboarded American POWs. We executed them for the same crime we are now committing ourselves."

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Yeah, hypocrisy is present in a lot of American policies. Foreign and otherwise.

I just don't understand one thing - waterboarding is only one of numerous torture techniques implemented.
While it is certainly terrible, why is this the only one everyone is concentrating on?

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Yeah, hypocrisy is present in a lot of American policies. Foreign and otherwise.

I just don't understand one thing - waterboarding is only one of numerous torture techniques implemented.
While it is certainly terrible, why is this the only one everyone is concentrating on?

Cause it sounds so Goddamn cool.

Waterboarding...live at the X-games

Originally posted by jaden101
Cause it sounds so Goddamn cool.

Waterboarding...live at the X-games

Like you waterboard to extract information and solve a puzzle. If your victim drowns - you lose, if it sustains brain damage - you lose...etc.

It needs some development.

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Or a video game.

Like you waterboard to extract information and solve a puzzle. If your victim drowns - you lose, if it sustains brain damage - you lose...etc.

It needs some development.

Your idea of losing greatly differs from mine.

I see where you're going with this. Perhaps that may be a better idea.

based on reports from sy hersch and some of the prison guards, waterboarding is the least horrible thing that happened at Abu Graib and Guantanamo

Yeah, there are senses deprivation, which can and do lead to psychosis, sleep deprivation, isolation into one of those cages where you cannot stand up or lay down completely...etc.

There are some nasty torture techniques implemented. The news however gives an impression it is the only technique implemented. Which is misleading.

Other countries don't admit that they torture.

Just like we shouldn't, unless it happens to me. 😱

According to Seymour Hersch (who as far as I know has only been wrong about something once) and other sources, there is evidence possibly including some of the unreleased photos that the torture included sodomy with glow sticks and the rape, torture, and murder of women and children in front of their parents, Stalin style something that John Yoo has come out in support of. In fact, some sources even think that Khalid Shake Muhammed was tortured by having his children killed in front of him based on the fact that both his sons have never been heard from again after his capture. Documents show that much of the torture involved getting people to admit that there was a non-existent link between Iraq and Al-Qaida and even that a majority of the torture occurred after the suspect had already been questioned and served no purpose other than cruel, sadistic punishment.

Care to post any of these credible sources?

I said Seymour Hersch, he writes for the New Yorker. I believe Greg Palast has made similar allegations, he writes for the Guardian. There are several soldier accounts that I've heard on television and radio as well.

I meant links to Hersch's article/s or statements.

Originally posted by Darth Jello
based on reports from sy hersch and some of the prison guards, waterboarding is the least horrible thing that happened at Abu Graib and Guantanamo

I don't know about least, I heard the bread was hella stale

Have you seen Taxi to the Dark Side?

I hear Madonna's back catalogue looped at high volume for 2 months caused most of the brain damage in Guantanamo

http://stream.realimpact.net/?file=clients/aclu/conf2004/20040707_aclu_AmericaAtACrossroads_300.rm

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/24/040524fa_fact

There's more and i'll post links once i find them.

http://www.truthout.org/051609Y

Originally posted by Mindset
Other countries don't admit that they torture.

Just like we shouldn't, unless it happens to me. 😱

This is true. .

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
I just don't understand one thing - waterboarding is only one of numerous torture techniques implemented.
While it is certainly terrible, why is this the only one everyone is concentrating on?

It's a fairly benign version of torture, so it allows the media and the American people to still feel rightous and feign outrage over the least of offenses. If you distract the majority with the least terrible things, then you never have to address the really horrible shit.

That being said, the reality of the really terrible stuff isn't off the radar screen. It is actually talked about, but when you hear about it in the mainstream media, it pretty much centers around waterboarding.

Except when it causes brain damage and death the way it often did when it was used as a prescribed discipline for slaves and black convicts.

Oh, and regarding a certain white supremacist with his own show who challenged someone regarding water boarding for charity and then backed out, may I offer this response: