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:168 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.
years ago I went to a renaissance festival. they had a torture building - displays of torture instruments and drawings of them being used. I literally stayed less than two minutes, because it made me queasy. I remember thinking how awful the "dark ages" were and being glad I lived in a more civilized time and place.
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.
With people like Bush, Limbaugh and Larry Craig, there's an interesting psychological dimension to their lying:
They've lied to themselves so much for so many years about their own conduct, that they now live in a fantasy world where now facing the truth would lead to a complete personality breakdown.
They've lied to themselves so much for so many years about their own conduct, that they now live in a fantasy world where now facing the truth would lead to a complete personality breakdown.
Indeed, it's unbelievable! We've come a long way, baby!!! To summarize the Perrino performance:
- We do not torture, period. - We do not torture anyone unless we suspect that they have some info. (now, that's a big relief, they don't just torture everybody or NOT YET) - We do not torture those who cooperate. (this is very humanitarian too) - We do not begin with the nasty things, we try the softer things first. (this is very reassuring too) - It is done scientifically, and there's an approved torture plan. - Those who do the torture are well trained and there's less than a hundred of those. (do they get a certification when they complete the training? and, who's training them? the kgb? the mossad? the aipac?)
This, people, it's where a formerly civilized nation is being dragged by the refuse that now has the power to destroy everyone on earth or any one they choose, individually.