A quick note to all who claim that water boarding is not torture...

[driver8]

I am certain you will not mind if we do a quick demonstration of water boarding using you as a subject. That shouldn't be a problem, right?

Put your mouth where your money is...

[Are_grits_groceries]

1. Agreed!

I want every person who says it isn't torture to be subjected to it. Then they would have something to base their ideas on.

[leftstreet]

2. Cheney needs to go on Fox and waterboard his wife. Suuuu-weeet!

I'd actually watch it

[walldude]

3. Doesn't work. A demonstration of waterboarding

isn't waterboarding. The subject knows he is in no danger. Why do you think Hannity is all gung ho to be "waterboarded for charity"?


Watreboarding is torture, we convicted Japanese of it in WWII. They served 15 years in labor camps.

[EOTE]

5. Even those who know they aren't in danger, and are in relative control

of their surroundings, still aren't able to endure more than a few seconds of waterboarding. It's designed to inflict maximum physical and mental stress. Even those who are completely prepared experience utmost terror.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Correct. Waterboarding relies on *autonomic* responses.

Basically, waterboarding (or any "effective" form of torture) turns your reflexes and instincts against you. Even when you "know" cognitively, the lower brain processes overwhelm the cortical activity. A little digging around should turn up several psychiatric/neurological studies of these brain states, including fMRI and PET studies.

Christopher Hitchens, not a popular fellow around here, voluntarily had himself waterboarded. He is now in treatment for PTSD syndrome including sleep disturbances. The fact that he recently went sober and stopped smoking probably increased the stress, but ironically probably also increased his ability to deal with it.

Do not underestimate the destructive power of torture.

--d!

[ohheckyeah]

8. I'd love to have a link to

that information if you have it. That's a great argument to have on hand.

[walldude]

13. Sorry this took so long...

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/correction-we-actually-did-execute-j

Turns out, we didn't give them 15 years, they got executed. There are links at the C&L link that have all the info.

[babylonsister]

4. Who's claiming that? nt

[Fleshdancer]

10. Liz Cheney was on MSNBC today claiming it wasn't torture. n/t

[babylonsister]

11. Thanks. I thought the OP was talking about someone here.

Of course Cheney is saying that. Her criminal father sicced her on us to say just that.

[Fleshdancer]

12. I can only imagine the flame war that would produce

It's obvious Dick is sweating bullets right now if his family has to come out to defend water boarding. May he get exactly what he deserves.

[sailor65]

7. I've had it done

part of integrated training, but there is always that voice in your head telling you the guy doing it is a teammate. Still sucks though, and my sinuses didn't feel right for days.

[Fleshdancer]

9. Definition of torture

Water boarding has always been and always will be considered a form of torture. Anyone who is stupid enough to debate this should pick up a dictionary:


tor⋅ture   /ˈtɔrtʃər/ Show IPA noun, verb, -tured, -tur⋅ing.

–noun

1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
2. a method of inflicting such pain.
3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.
4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.
5. a cause of severe pain or anguish.