[cross-posted from

I guess the horrible experience kinda drives out all the cool false confessions you may have envisioned as a snappy comeback, like ‘Luke, I am your father!’ I was profoundly shocked by what a short time it took for Hitchens to kind waterboarding unbearable. And I do not think this any discredit to him.

When John Yoo says the “circumstances” determine if waterboarding is torture if it’s done to U.S. troops …

At the risk of being pedantic, I have to point out that Yoo is technically correct in this case. Per the Convention Against Toruture:

For the purposes of this Convention, torture means 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.

Note the purpose clause. When waterboarding is done say for purposes of training, it technically isn’t “torture.”

“… inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining …”

Does the phrase “for such purposes as” define the complete list of possibilities or only name some of them?

If I post to this blog for such purposes as to debate, define or discuss torture, does this mean I am NOT doing it for some other purpose?

If you’ll remember only last year Israels’ own high court announced they allowed the use of “extreme interrogation of suspects deemed to be “time bombs”.

Whoever Bush and Israel choose to label a “terrrorist”.

Let me tell you Mr. Ackerman, how things really work: right now MSNBC and their ‘foreign correspondent’ Martin Fletcher are running stories about a new ‘terrorist’ attack in Israel. A Palestininan “terrorist” of course.

The story later reveals the ‘terrorist’ is an ‘Arab’ businessman, living and working in Israel, with no ‘militarist’ history, who just cracked -for some mysterious unknown reason.

This MSNBC/GE correspondent – who surely has instructions to spice up his story, begins profiling/mentioning other “Arabs”/”terrorists” – just Arabs living is Israel -who’ve also cracked.

In Israel, unlike the lands of Mao and Kim whose citizens when they light themselves on fire in protest of their governments brutality are heroes, should you be an Arab living in Israel and protest their governments brutality your a terrorist.

Under Israel’s laws, imagine what they are about to do to his family.

Please don’t say anything in comments like “it’s good that warmonger was waterboarded.” Some days I feel that way as well. Most days, actually. But ask yourself: does venting such expressions affirm or undermine your humanity?

The saddest commentary on our society is the need to say this.

Known.

Waterboarding isn’t about getting information. It’s about sadistic torture.