It All Depends What The Meaning Of “Torture” Is

The Stiletto Blog ^ | May 1, 2009 | The Stiletto

[theothercheek]

Since the Obama administration released memos describing the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the C.I.A. to extract information from top-level al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other terrorists, there has been a running debate on such questions as:

† Whether the memos should have been released (video link);

† Whether all or just a few enhanced techniques meet some arbitrary threshold for torture, even when used on Islamic terrorists who have been trained to resist them ...

As luck would have it, an unintentional snafu provided a much-needed reality-check for us all. Earlier in the week, people on both sides of the Hudson River were scared witless by what turned out to be a photo-op of Air Force One and an escort of two fighter jets flying so close to office buildings near Ground Zero that “windows rattled” and people on both sides of the Hudson River poured out of their offices and ran for their lives.

As their hearts were thumping, their lungs were aching and they were desperately trying to will their legs to move faster than they ever had before, do you think a single one of them paused to ponder how many times KSM had been waterboarded and whether it was wrong to “torture” him? No, they were wondering whether they were about to die because our government did not do whatever it takes to find out about a terrorist act in time to stop it. At moments like this, the average American knows - even if academicians, the media elite and our elected officials do not know, or have forgotten – it’s us against the terrorists.

[Recon Dad]

Zero's demise will be the attack he fails to prevent by whatever means and I believe it is coming.

[SumProVita]

“Zero’s demise will be the attack he fails to prevent...”

His demise will be attributed to quite an extensive LIST of imprudent and costly policies. Perhaps people will eventually LEARN something from this.

It is a GREAT opportunity for conservatives to begin to CLEARLY and passionately offer a principled vision of how government and citizens OUGHT to accomplish good. We need video campaigns, commercial spots, writing contests for teens, a speaker’s bureau and several other strategies and we need to get going on this quickly. By the time a larger number of Americans begin to really FEEL the brunt of Obama’s policies....the whole thing ought to be READY TO GO.

[Blueflag]

Nah. He already has the spin written, and the press will go along with it.

It won’t be his fault. It just won’t.

p.s. BHO would never make it through the Quigly

[Recon Dad]

....the whole thing ought to be READY TO GO.

I've never felt that the GOP was ever “ready to go”.

I agree with you there should be a well funded media group out there right now developing the ads to be run in 2010 and 2012. ie; Air Force One doing fly bys on NYC and the people running for there lives.

[syriacus]

Keith Olbermann is PUSHING, PUSHING, PUSHING for the waterboarding of Sean Hannity.

All of a sudden, Olbermann has found a moral justification for a method of torture he says is ALWAYS immoral.

1. Olbermann has offered to pay money to see Hannity's waterboarding televised.

2. Keith Olbermann Finds Man To Waterboard Sean Hannity for Charity

Grodin didn't take Hannity up on his offer to let him waterboard him.

Olbermann's pushing for the torture.

Is Olbermann a sadist?

[SumProVita]

Who already have organizational structures capable of implementing this? There are several....should be some way of tying them together for a common purpose. Right?

[1951Boomer]

I loved it when the U.S. “tortured” Noriega with the insanely loud rock music. Got a giggle then and I get one from it now. Now that’s “toture” I can believe in.

I’ve done something this week for the first time since 911. I looked at some pics of the World Trade “jumpers” and have grieved and agonized for days, as though the attacks were yesterday. The Left has collective amnesia when it comes to that day, I’m afraid. THAT was “torture”! The pantywaist antics like underwear on the head, a little furry caterpillar in a cell, and even waterboarding are equivalent to frat pranks. KSM was lucky he didn’t get a bullet right to the brain. To the Left, TORTURE=DISCOMFORT OF ANY KIND.

For the terrorists, I say give them some lily-livered torture like locking them in a cell, feeding them pork only, playing deafening music, and pointing the bottom of your shoe at them. (shoe pointing a no-no in their world). I bet the WTC jumpers would have traded with them in a heartbeat.