It seems that waterboarding is once again in the news. Some folks want t make it out as a form of torture. I disagree and I can say that as someone who has experianced waterboarding first hand.
I underwent my own waterboarding experiance at S.E.R.E school when I was training to be a Navy helicopter crewman. This was way back in 1979. Thousands upon thousands of American servicemen have experianced waterboarding as part of their training. The United States military DOES NOT torture its on members, but it has waterboarded many members of the Armed forces as part of routine S.E.R.E. training.
I wrote a good bit more about what the experiance is like last year. You can read about it here: Waterboarded Cajun
Just to keep this straight. I did not support the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I thought we were wrong to do so.
Later,
Kenith
no greater agony
Il y a 10 ans
3 commentaires:
Sorry but you know it's not the same when you're enduring it as part of training versus enduring it as part of interrogation. Additionally, what was the purpose of enduring it as training if not in anticipation of enduring it as torture? Is waterboarding never torture? No matter how long it is endured? How do you draw a line between what is and isn't torture? If you can defend waterboarding, what interrogation technique whould you not defend? Finally, why are you defending it? Who are you defending? Why do you care?
Perhaps waterboarding is not the worst form of torture. Perhaps there are far worse forms of torture. Regardless, waterboarding is torture.
Torture, according to international law, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity." (Wikipedia)
Furthermore, by accepting waterboarding we make the next more extreme means of torture a little more acceptable.
Hello GF,
I do appreciate your comments. Let me say right here that I do not know anything about international law or Geneva treaties, therefor I don't know how waterboarding stands up under those circumstances.
What I do know is what waterboarding is and what it feels like when you are on the receiving end of the experience.
It is not fun, it is scary, but it does no harm to the one being interrogated. You may "feel" like your drowning, but you are not. You are head down on an inclined board and your chest is above your head.
Torture does harm. Torture is painful, it cripples and kills. Waterboarding scares the hell out of you, but you are not in danger (when done right). You might pass out. I know I was praying that I would pass out when it was done to me, but the guys were very good at it and only let you get to the brink before pulling you back.
The Nazis tortured, the Japanese (in WWII) tortured, the Muslim terrorist use torture. I doubt any of them use waterboarding. I am sure they all prefer(ed) the real deal.
Waterboarding is a technique to gain information by making a person "FEEL" like he is in mortal danger.
Thanks again,
Kenith
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