On CNN, West said waterboarding is "not torture," claimed, "[Y]ou wake up feeling fine the next day"

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200711020009?f=h_latest



Summary: On CNN, Washington Times columnist Diana West said: "What I would like to see is people really start thinking about what is torture. If putting people into human-size shredders, as Saddam Hussein did, is torture, then waterboarding, which my senior military sources tell me you wake up feeling fine the next day -- it is not torture." However, in congressional testimony, Allen S. Keller, M.D., director of the Bellevue Hospital Center/New York University Program for Survivors of Torture, stated, "To think that abusive methods, including the enhanced interrogation techniques , are harmless psychological ploys is contradictory to well established medical knowledge and clinical experience." Keller stated of waterboarding specifically, "Long term effects include panic attacks, depression and PTSD," and said it poses a "real risk of death."

[hobbit709]

1. Let's see her give a demonstration of that.

And Saddam shredding people wasn't just torture, that was out and out sadism.

[Toots]

17. I think it was more Republican Propaganda than truth.

Just like Saddam threw babies out of incubators..

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Same as rape I guess...

Edit...Rape victims usually wake up the next day too and go on living.

[cali]

3. every single idiot who claims that waterboarding isn't torture should

volunteer to have it done to them. I can't begin to express the contempt and disgust I have for such people.

[ixion]

9. yep, I agree with that whole-heartedly

I'm sure they would fee differently about it having undergone a session.

[Selatius]

Maybe she should be exposed to involuntary waterboarding before she passes judgment. n/t

[ingac70]

4. Oh, really?

Then I'm sure this silly bitch would have no problem having herself subjected to waterboarding and having it televised to prove what she said is indeed true.

:eyes:

[HereSince1628]

5. History has lessons only for those who read them.

I'm not a fan of burning books, but I'm wondering on whether all the books on Cheney's reading list shouldn't come with warning stickers.

[hobbit709]

6. Large brightly colored warning labels I'd say

[JohnyCanuck]

7. Perhaps Ms. War Crime Supporter Reporter would care to write an article

on the the miscarriage of justice that occurred when a Japanese officer was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for waterboarding an American prisoner.

Immoral Relativism: George Bush’s nomination of Michael Mukasey for U.S. attorney general — once thought to be smooth sailing — is experiencing a bit of turbulence. The problem is, Mukasey can’t bring himself to say whether or not waterboarding is torture:

During his confirmation hearings earlier this month, Mukasey said he believes torture violates the Constitution, but he refused to be pinned down on whether he believes specific interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, are constitutional.

“I don’t know what’s involved in the techniques. If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional,” he said.

But after World War II, the United States government was quite clear about the fact that waterboarding was torture, at least when it was done to U.S. citizens:

In 1947, the United States charged a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, with war crimes for carrying out another form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian. The subject was strapped on a stretcher that was tilted so that his feet were in the air and head near the floor, and small amounts of water were poured over his face, leaving him gasping for air until he agreed to talk.

“Asano was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) told his colleagues last Thursday during the debate on military commissions legislation. “We punished people with 15 years of hard labor when waterboarding was used against Americans in World War II,” he said.

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2007/10/29/mukasey-wont-say-waterboarding-is-torture/

Kaj Larsen investigates the practice of waterboarding, an interrogation practice allegedly used by the U.S. government. Is it a legitimate technique or torture? (Video): http://current.com/pods/controversy/PD04399

[liberal N proud]

8. I am sure all that water rushing through our sinus is just great feeling

NOT!

[safeinOhio]

10. New Dictionary

"Chinese water torture" is now "enhanced interrogation techniques". Where will it stop?

[rodeodance]

11. The further Dumbing Down of America

[spanone]

12. these are some sick fuckers in this country. sick fuckers.

[glowing]

13. When we were kids, my dad told us about this form of torture that

only involved a drip of water. Your hands are tied, and 1 drip of water splashes on your forehead... after a while it would drive you mad not to wipe it away... So, us being the stupid VT kids we were decided to test it out. I think we lasted about 10 mins before we decided that this was indeed toturous, and that cops and robbers would be better worth our while.

On Edit: He also told us that when he was in the army, he was tickled until he was no longer tickilish because if he was caught, that would be used as a form of torture... I really don't want to know what he was doing. He was in after Vietnam.. but had to jump from airplanes very close to the ground at night while blind folded. That doesn't exactly sound like they were up to any good. And when I was thinking about joining the navy or coast guard after college, he told me he'd disown me if I ever signed up. He told me they would ruin my life. So, not good times back in the day for my dad, and I doubt I will ever know what he actually did in the name of this country way back then.

[usaftmo]

14. The slowly dripping water on the forehead is true.

They even covered that on an episode of "Mythbusters". As a variant they also had someone unrestrained stretched out on a recliner, but he couldn't move. A nearby fly kept landing on different parts of his body, and that was driving him nuts along with the water. Eventually a massive urge to pee came across him, and he jumped out of the recliner running to the bathroom!

[bullimiami]

15. some will justify anything bush does to protect him and their ideology.

if they are so fucking sure its not torture let them make all of their records public and let the world decide.

MORE LIES.

[Solly Mack]

16. Testimony - September 25 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

In written testimony dated September 25 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Allen S. Keller, M.D., director of the Bellevue Hospital Center/New York University Program for Survivors of Torture, said:

Water-boarding or mock drowning, where a prisoner is bound to an inclined board and water is poured over their face, inducing a terrifying fear of drowning clearly can result in immediate and long-term health consequences. As the prisoner gags and chokes, the terror of imminent death is pervasive, with all of the physiologic and psychological responses expected, including an intense stress response, manifested by tachycardia, rapid heart beat and gasping for breath. There is a real risk of death from actually drowning or suffering a heart attack or damage to the lungs from inhalation of water. Long term effects include panic attacks, depression and PTSD . I remind you of the patient I described earlier who would panic and gasp for breath whenever it rained even years after his abuse.



Diana West is a liar

[iamahaingttta]

18. While I would never advocate anything illegal...

...I do have a little fantasy. It is one of those little fantasies that I would never actually do, and that I would never encourage anyone else to do. In fact I would be quite upset if I found out that someone else did this upon my suggestion! That being said:

One of these torture apologists needs to be kidnapped by large men. Preferably someone well known. Tied up in a bag, thrown into the back of truck, and taken to an undisclosed location. The torture apologist needs to spend many hours being tortured and filmed. And no, I'm not talking about the tightly controlled "safe word" kind of torture-lite that they can stop after 20 seconds. I mean this torture apologist needs feel like she or he is gonna fucking die. Film the whole thing, including the screams and the begging for mercy, ***and post it to Youtube.***

That's gonna be the only way these idiots stop with this whole "waterboarding is not torture and you feel fine - even refreshed - the next day" meme that they are on. That's the only way they're gonna shut the fuck up.

But I hope nobody actually does that, because I believe torture is wrong!