Title: The White House defense for torture: UPDATED with video Source:
Crooks and Liars URL Source:http://crooksandliars.com/ Published:Oct 5, 2007 Author:Crooks and Liars Post Date:2007-10-05 19:22:30 by Zipporah Keywords:None Views:183 Comments:16
(h/t Scarce)
The debate over U.S. torture policy erupted yesterday on the Hill, in the wake of yesterday’s NYT blockbuster, highlighting secret legal opinions from the Bush administration, which endorsed “the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.”
The president’s aides fanned out to deny, defend, and spin the revelations, but for my money, the most impressive argument came by way of Frances Fragos Townsend.
White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend also dismissed objections to the CIA program yesterday, saying during an appearance on CNN that al-Qaeda members are trained to resist harsh interrogations. She said that “we start with the least harsh measures first” and stop the progression “if someone becomes cooperative.”
First, the notion of being trained to resist drownings has always seemed rather far-fetched. Unless al Qaeda has figured out a way to equip terrorists with gills, there isn’t much anyone can to prepare for waterboarding.
But it’s that second part that’s particularly noteworthy. As Townsend described it, on national television, the painful physical and psychological tactics, which are unlawful, are suspended when the detainees “becomes cooperative.” In other words, “We stop torturing when we get what we want out of the suspect.”
“We stop torturing when we get what we want out of the suspect.”
www.torture-museum.com/tower.htm Prisoners who refused to plead guilty were often subject to peine forte et dure, or pressing to death. This was used to extract confessions because if a victim died under torture, his estate would be passed onto his heirs. If he confessed, the crown would get the estate. So long, drawn-out tortures were favored as more likely to get a confession. This torture occurred as late as 1726.
Speaking of Twilight Zone, did you see that George Grizzard died this week?
He starred in a great Twilight Zone episode where he played dual roles, as a robot and as the scientist who made the robot in his image.
It was a neat episode because you didn't know the guy was a robot until the end of the show when he met his creator. Most of the show was about this guy (the robot) suffering increasing disorientation, and then going back to his hometown and finding out that no one knew him despite his memories.
Then at the end, the scientist has a big fight with the robot, kills the robot, and goes back to the big city and takes up with the robot's human girlfriend.
I don't remember that one and I missed the news on George Grizzard. It does feel like we're slipping back into the Dark Ages though, but with modern technology. Not a good combination.