July 2, 2008It's torture, and it's a disgraceSome unnamed, independent expert on interrogation techniques tipped The New York Times to the fact that the coercive methods military trainers taught at Guantanamo Bay in 2002 were taken, verbatim, from a 1957 Air Force study of techniques the Chinese Communists used during the Korean War to get American POWs to confess to atrocities. Many of their confessions were false. Thursday, we'll argue yet again that, even in times of peril, such "alternative" interrogation methods are un-American. |
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July 2, 2008
It's torture, and it's a disgrace
Some unnamed, independent expert on interrogation techniques tipped The New York Times to the fact that the coercive methods military trainers taught at Guantanamo Bay in 2002 were taken, verbatim, from a 1957 Air Force study of techniques the Chinese Communists used during the Korean War to get American POWs to confess to atrocities. Many of their confessions were false. Thursday, we'll argue yet again that, even in times of peril, such "alternative" interrogation methods are un-American.
Comments
[July 2, 2008 3:00 PM]
Henry"Some unnamed, independent expert on interrogation techniques "
Boy, there's a undeniable source if I ever saw one.
[July 2, 2008 4:13 PM]
Dan RadmacherThis is a good lesson, Henry: The source is irrelevant, since The Times was able to independently verify that the methods were taken, verbatim, from the 1957 study.
[July 2, 2008 6:06 PM]
HenryIf we really wanted to torture these people, we wouldn't goof around with this penny-ante stuff. That's why I don't believe it.
[July 2, 2008 10:24 PM]
JoshI have become so agitated over the terrorists-rights editorials, I've decided to start keeping a tally: Editorials calling for terrorists rights vs. Editorials praising the work U.S. Soldiers are doing in Iraq.
Here's what I've found doing a cursory archive search of the RT blog since in began in October, 2006:
Editorials calling for terrorist rights - 8
Editorials praising the soldiers' Iraqi efforts - 0
[July 3, 2008 9:37 PM]
JimWhen you fight an enemy with no uniform or honor, then you level the playing field. That's what you libs always preach isn't? Level playing fields?
It's not torture, it's justice, and any who are too weak to handle this new warfare are a disgrace.
"Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise." - Barack Husein Obama on FISA
[July 3, 2008 11:05 PM]
Dan RadmacherWe're not leveling the playing field, Jim. We're lowering ourselves to their level. Sacrifice our honor because they have none? Give up our humanity because they left theirs behind?
Opposing that isn't weakness. Supporting it isn't strength.
If anything, you've got the two backwards.
In any case, even if you had an argument it would be negated by the simple fact that torture doesn't work - unless your goal is to get false confessions that have no value other than propaganda.
That's what the Chinese did in Korea (somehow we managed to fight them without lowering ourselves to their level).
This isn't about rights for terrorists. This is about who we are as a people and what behavior we will condone in the illusion it might keep us safe.
[July 4, 2008 7:45 AM]
HenryTorture works. The mere threat of it can get people singing. The US military would just threaten to turn over prisoners to the Iraqis and the prisoners would tell them anything.
[July 4, 2008 9:18 AM]
Dan RadmacherTorture works if you want people to talk, and you don't care if what they say is true.
People with experience needing to get accurate information out of unwilling prisoners will tell you that torture doesn't work.
[July 4, 2008 10:52 AM]
JimDan, read any US history? When the Japanese refused to surrender and also tortured US soldiers, American soldiers took VERY few prisoners. They just shot them. This is what we should to with Guantanomo inmates and others in the "field".
Best I remember, we won WWII, and set up the Marshall Plan which helped Japan become one of the world's wealthiest countries. Sometimes you've got to do what you have to do.
At least we are letting these terrorists live, which should get you pretty excited.