French Torture Battery? (Photo/Capture)

MSNBC ^ | 03/28/03 | Self

[TSgt]

Do my eyes deceive me or does this battery that was supposedly used for torture say FRANCE on the side of it?

I DID NOT DOCTOR OR TOUCH UP THIS CAPTURE.

The sick irony...

The uniforms, which had had their American flag patches and names ripped off, were found inside a bag. In another room, Marines found a large battery next to a bed — leading them to suspect it was used as a torture device, Sanders reported.

From: Signs of U.S. POWs found at hospital

I pray our troops will find the decrepit animals that did this perverted deed and unleash hell on their souls.

Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.

[Blood of Tyrants]

That battery might have simply been used to power a radio. Just because it is next to a bed means nothing.

[meyer]

That battery might have simply been used to power a radio. Just because it is next to a bed means nothing.

That would be my guess - a 12-volt car battery isn't very useful as a torture device unless you either pour the acid on someone or beat them with it. I'd think that the clamps on jumper cables would be more irritating.

That said, it is interesting that a battery stating "France" on it was used as a prop. Perhaps Saddam (or his replacement) is trying to make us angry. Like N. Korea, they seem to want to provoke us into going Nuclear. It isn't going to work.

[encm(ss)]

Right. Or maybe to power the electric blanket. You know the nights are cold in Iraq. Right.

[MEG33]

I saw the piece.It's treating prisoners under Islamic law. It did not surprise me.God be with our troops,our POW's,their families. May the torturers soon burn in hell.

[Scenic Sounds]

Looks like a 12 volter.

[_Jim]

That battery, used in conjuction with an old coil from a car (truck or tractor) could be QUITE a painful torture agent ...

[NeilSmith]

May he burn on earth first.

[muawiyah]

My word, the way you say that one would imagine that the biggest difference you see between the USA and Saddam's Iraq is the way taxes are collected.

Look, trust me, the battery was NOT powering a radio!

[Jonez712]

Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Julies Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, Act III, spoken by Marc Antony. ;)

And yes, this is interesting that the battery apparently used for torture would say FRANCE across the side of it.

[MEG33]

That Would be Hell wouldn't it!?

[lonewacko_dot_com]

I guess you could convert the 12VDC into a high AC voltage fairly easily, and that might hurt a bit.

[Paradox]

A 12 volt battery is MORE than enough to torture with. I have shocked myself plenty of times with one. Through dry skin, its bad enough, but on an open wound? Very painful. You apply the voltage to an open wound? Yikes..

Or as another poster said, you use an automotive coil, and that steps up the voltage no problem.

[Naplm]

a 500 amp car battery could be used to inflict extreme pain, you ever cross the terminals on a car battery?

[crz]

Yup and you and I know fully well the juicing a guy could get from charging up an old condensor and leaving it lay around for someone to pick up.

[Fzob]

a 12-volt car battery isn't very useful as a torture device unless you either pour the acid on someone or beat them with it. I'd think that the clamps on jumper cables would be more irritating.

I don't know what the battery was used for, but a 12 volt car battery can pack a wallop of a shock if done "correctly". Think cold crack amps.

[OKSooner]

Yeah, all you need is something to modulate the current from 12v/high amperage to 10,000v/low amperage. Any high skool electricity student can do that for you. About this "bed"... was it a bed, or just a set of springs? I've read that certain South American tinhorns would use bare bedsprings as a conduit for high voltage electric shock torture, presumably with house current. Seems like a car coil or a cattle prod would get the same result.

[pipecorp]

It ain't the voltage, its the amps that kills ya.

[virgil]

A battery is a power source. It can be boosted with a coil. Basic electriciy 101. It can hurt. But the chemical suits...I think they were planted to play with our minds.

[Malsua]

To parrot the others, unless modified a 12 volt car battery only works as a torture device if you drop it on someone's head or pour out the acid on someone.

A coil could indeed make life a bit more uncomfortable, but I've been shocked by a 50,000 volt coil(tried to move a wire on my race car while testing compression) and while it would suck to be subjected by repeated shockings, it's not really that bad. 220V AC is much more disabling...I've been whacked by that before as well as someone had left one leg grounded against a case and I opened the case and was glued to it for several seconds. Gave new meaning to "seeing stars"