French Torture Battery? (Photo/Capture)

MSNBC ^ | 03/28/03 | Self

[Blood of Tyrants]

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.

Be very careful, my friend. I don't take such insults very lightly. I am certain that Saddam is and has tortured and murdered people. You have SUSPICIONS, as do I, but to state that this battery was used for torture just because it is sitting near a bed is flat out speculation.

[meyer]

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.

Not at its native voltage. It does pack some power, but needs some external toys in order to harness the power in such a way as to inflict pain. The ignition coil is the one with which I'm most familiar, having enjoyed the jolt of such. I suspect that there are 12-volt powered "paddles" such as those a paramedic would use to jump-start your heart. I'm certain that those would hurt, but could easily kill you as well.

[_Jim]

I have been shocked so badly working on car engines that I ...

Ditto.

[meyer]

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.

Understood, but I didn't see the other toys necessary. I did see a microphone cord, however.

[Malsua]

>>I have been shocked so badly working on car engines that I would have ratted my mama out. <<

A running engine with bad wires can cause that.

Turn it off and there's no way you can be shocked. None. Not possible. (ok, I suppose you might get a shock in the few seconds before the coil is discharged after the engine is off)

Yes, it is possible to practically weld a wrench pole to pole on a battery or any other positive to ground point. However, 12 volts is below the electrical conductivity of skin.

[DBrow]

I have been zapped by car batteries, when my skin was wet. Add a little salt and I'd imagine you could get more than a tingle.

An ignition coil would make a better torture implement as stated above, but I would not relish being doused with brine and hooked up to a high-amp current source.

[_Jim]

. I did see a microphone cord, however.

If anything - that looks like a big old fat Motorola 2-way radio microphone cord ...

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well the picture does not show what's on the other end of those wires, but I'd guess it's something like sharp needles. On bare skin it would do zip.

[_Jim]

A running engine with bad wires can cause that.

Poor man's way of finding a dead cylinder involves pulling each wire in succession - till the dead cylinder/bad cylinder is found ...

[meyer]

If anything - that looks like a big old fat Motorola 2-way radio microphone cord ...

Like those old 170-whatever-MHZ radios we used to have at work. :^) I remember those monsters.

[muawiyah]

There were other signs of violent assault in the immediate vicinity.

No radios were found.

[error99]

You ain't seen MY skin !

[MilleniumBug]

Reminds me of the movie "Three Kings" where there is a scene showing a torture chamber in a tunnel under Karbala, Iraq. Check it out, the movie is probably more accurate than the news and certainly more entertaining.

[meyer]

Well the picture does not show what's on the other end of those wires, but I'd guess it's something like sharp needles. On bare skin it would do zip.

The picture's a little rough, but I didn't even see a wire attached to the upper terminal.

[Freedom4US]

I have to admit I have a 12 volt battery for radio use at bedside, so it's not out of the question. But in the circumstances, it's hard to say. Anyone who thinks it can't be used as torture is sadly mistaken, however.

[_Jim]

However, 12 volts is below the electrical conductivity of skin.

To be *perfectly* accurate, 12 Volts is *usually* below the voltage required to force the amount of current at which one can detect a 'sensation' or tingling ...

[HiTech RedNeck]

Was a guy (also name of Jim) helping me work on an old 2-stroke magneto ignition dirt bike once. He had a better kicking ability than I, and was able to get it going. Trouble was I had set the throttle stop screw at max and with it revving like snot, he wanted to stop it before it tore up the engine. Well he didn't know where the kill switch was so he yanked off the spark plug lead.... !Ai caramba! Bike and Jim were on their side... me: wha' hoppen mon???

[HiTech RedNeck]

That looks like another terminal clamp there on the right side. Or even more terminal clamps. Perhaps originally this apparatus used multiple batteries in series, and most were carried off.

[_Jim]

Well he didn't know where the kill switch was so he yanked off the spark plug lead....

I've used the old 'screw driver to ground trick' to kill a magneto-driven engine before - *DO* make contact w/the chassis/cooling fins on the engine first!

[_Jim]

Perhaps originally this apparatus used multiple batteries in series, and most were carried off.

Good point.