Thread: Waterboarding , Do You Think It Is Torture?

Seems a pretty effective way to get info w/o ripping out fingernails our having your head beat in with a telephone book.


What do you think ?

Certainly beats getting blasted through the forehead with a tumbling 5.56 round, which was the likely alternative.

Well when the life or death of innocent people may be effected by the information the prisoner could divulge what are the alternatives ???

Ask the local vicar to have a little chat with him and appeal to his scence of fair play !

Or the Priest to ask him if he would like to come to confessional !!!!

I think Russian Roulet show him the single bullet put it in the chamber let him watch you spin it ask him the question , no answer pull the trigger
repeat the process untill he either answers or runs out of luck .

Of course it is torture.

sheet, i thought this thread was about wakeboarding......

To me, torture connotes the ideas of maiming, disfigurement, permanent physical or emotional damage or excruciating pain, such as teeth pulling.

So, to me, NO, waterboarding is not torture. It is not life threatening. It leaves no permanent physical scars or recurring pains. True, it is emotionally a torture, but that doesn't count to me.

NO.

^ great point, by CT.

Also, if the information derived from waterboarding can prevent an attack the kills, maims, and disfigures innocent civilians, that this form of getting information (waterboarding) is justified, IMO.

But we need to make sure the appropriate people are candidates for it.

Originally Posted by chinthee

So, to me, NO, waterboarding is not torture. It is not life threatening. It leaves no permanent physical scars or recurring pains.

The method will be worthless then as soon as the victim learns that it will not cause him any harm..

^ EXACTLY! I was thinking that how easy it would be to make waterboarding obsolete if the grapevine carried the info in the ether that you won't die or be permanently damaged. It will be rendered useless. good post.

So if they only think they are going to die, it is ok?

Originally Posted by chinthee

To me, torture connotes the ideas of maiming, disfigurement, permanent physical or emotional damage or excruciating pain, such as teeth pulling.

You dont think that there may be some permanent emotional damage from waterboarding and being powerless to stop someone from doing it?

It is torture but whether it is justified or not, should be the real argument.

If it weren't torture, it would not be successful in gaining info.


added; But it would still be successful even if the people knew that they wouldn't die. It attacks our survival instincts and when we cant breathe it is terrifying.

^No, to me emotional torture is fair play. It's justified.

Originally Posted by chinthee

No, to me emotional torture is fair play. It's justified

Well, you are agreeing with me.

It is torture but the argument is 'Is it justified?'

I dont think any torture is justified.

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

And, if we allow this practice, aren't we really becoming just as bad as the terrorists we are trying to fight? If we loose our moral superiority, on what grounds are we then claiming what is right and wrong?

Agree fully!

Originally Posted by Lily

Originally Posted by chinthee

No, to me emotional torture is fair play. It's justified

Well, you are agreeing with me.

It is torture but the argument is 'Is it justified?'

I dont think any torture is justified.

Yes, i agree with you. It's torture but justified.

You should all go back and watch the very old movie of Dustin Hoffman, the Marathon Man.

Now, that is REAL torture. Emotional torture designed to elicit information is not in the same category as life altering maiming, disfiguring, and recurring pain torture.

Originally Posted by chinthee

You should all go back and watch the very old movie of Dustin Hoffman, the Marathon Man.

Now, that is REAL torture. Emotional torture designed to elicit information is not in the same category as life altering maiming, disfiguring, and recurring pain torture.

So electrical shocks and mock executions are also OK, then?

^Not sure about electrical shocks, I think they may be physically damaging. As far as mock executions...no problem.

^That is where we disagree, then.

By the rules of the two Geneva Conventions, I think the US could be tried for war crimes for particpating in this.

Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of effecting political re-education. In the 21st century, torture is widely considered to be a violation of human rights, and discouraged by article 5 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In times of war signatories of the Third Geneva Convention and Fourth Geneva Convention agree not to torture protected persons (POWs and enemy civilians) in armed conflicts.

yup...

and unjustified

Look at this scenario your just an innocent civilian in Afghanistan or Iraq all off a sudden you find your self in the hands of militants . What do you think your chances of not being tortured or brutally murderd are ?. Even though you know nothing regarding the military the war or anything else that they couldnt read in a newspaper for themselves .

If it were me I would start making my piece with God straight away because your chances are very close to nil .

That would make you reconsider all your nice views about oh no we cant torture them , and namby pamby ideas like that human rights etc !!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Texpat

Certainly beats getting blasted through the forehead with a tumbling 5.56 round, which was the likely alternative.

Listening to Britney Spears at 110db was the real torture that broke KSM - waterboarding was just for the press...

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Originally Posted by Texpat

Certainly beats getting blasted through the forehead with a tumbling 5.56 round, which was the likely alternative.

Listening to Britney Spears at 110db was the real torture that broke KSM - waterboarding was just for the press...

LOL!

Doubt the music drove him over the edge.

Kind of a funny discussion when the adversaries in question openly decapitate and film their prey, if only we had the fortitude to get our point across so unambiguously.

Slicing the head off at the neck is much more humane.

Part of the reason the enemies can be so brutal is they know the restrictions placed on their enemies. They're not hindered by these encumbrances.

They know enemy forces will not bomb mosques, so that's where they hide their weapons. Minarets make great sniping positions.

Waterboarding is emotional torture just like threatening to spank your child is emotional abuse. Don't confuse humiliation and torture.

Some say throwing an enemy out of a helo hovering at 3 feet is torture. (so what if the captive thought it was much more)

So what. Level the playing field. The extremists have no rules, why should we hobble ourselves?