Speaking of Torture...
...here's something I've never understood. So that Wall Street Journal article I was talking about discussed things like stress positions, having guys get interrogated by females while the guys were naked, etc. The oddest one was they apparently put a leash on a guy and made him do dog tricks.
Now these things are unseemly, but I know a lot of people (probably most who listen to the same radio programs I do) are thinking, "Give me a break! Did you ever read about the Viet Cong's treatment of their prisoners? This isn't really torture."
Fair enough. But what puzzles me is, how do the Gitmo guards get compliance for these humiliating practices? I mean, if I'm in prison and the guard says, "Hey, would you mind doing dog tricks?" I'm going to say, "Thanks, I'll pass."
But if he says, "Do you want us to kick your teeth out?" I would definitely think about it.
So the issue isn't, "Is it too cruel to make someone do a dog trick, or strip in front of a female interrogator," but rather, "Is it too cruel to threaten or actually perform the punishments necessary to achieve obedience on these other humiliations?"
Now these things are unseemly, but I know a lot of people (probably most who listen to the same radio programs I do) are thinking, "Give me a break! Did you ever read about the Viet Cong's treatment of their prisoners? This isn't really torture."
Fair enough. But what puzzles me is, how do the Gitmo guards get compliance for these humiliating practices? I mean, if I'm in prison and the guard says, "Hey, would you mind doing dog tricks?" I'm going to say, "Thanks, I'll pass."
But if he says, "Do you want us to kick your teeth out?" I would definitely think about it.
So the issue isn't, "Is it too cruel to make someone do a dog trick, or strip in front of a female interrogator," but rather, "Is it too cruel to threaten or actually perform the punishments necessary to achieve obedience on these other humiliations?"
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