POW Jessica was tortured

New York Daily News ^ | 4/03/02 | MAKI BECKER

[kattracks]

[neutrino]

Doesn't surprise me. Not one bit.

Now...are we starting to see what needs to be done about is-slime?

[seeker41]

Some of us have known this fact for years...let it begen.

[cateizgr8]

That is one tough girl!

[seeker41]

begen=begin

[No Dems 2004]

I can't help but wonder why we allow these young girls to be sent to the front lines like this. Those sleazy Iraqis are known for rape, brutality, etc. There's also a black lady, to the best of my knowledge who's a POW. Somehow this just doesn't seem right.

[ClancyJ]

May God bless the one that notified the reporter about her.

[bucephalus]

I hope scum like Dershowitz who suggested we use torture read this article. Just say no to torture. That is, my friend, why we are better than you.

[DoughtyOne]

Agreed.

[Texas_Jarhead]

God bless her

[PLMerite]

I don't know what Dershowitz said, but just to play Devil's Advocate, let me point out that there's a difference between extracting information and sadism. The Iraqis appear to be mostly sadists. Perhaps they need a little in return.

[NetValue]

Her resistance to the enemy was heroic. I hope her torturers were spattered all over the walls by the Rangers and Seals who rescued her. God bless our heroes.

[this_ol_patriot]

I bring this up with all respect to all women in and out of the service and with all seriousness.

We now have brave women like her in combat or near combat and as seen they can be captured and be put under unspeakable horrors.

If she was violated, how do we who believe in the sanctity of all life deal with a pregnancy which may result?

Again this is with all respect and this thread may not be the place to discuss this. If this has been discussed before maybe I can be pointed to that thread.

[Professional]

All our Jessica are back to base!

[bucephalus]

". . . there's a difference between extracting information and sadism."

Thanks for highlighting this point. It's something I haven't been able to decide on. Are they really different or only qualitatively so? Appreciate any thoughts from anybody on this.

[kms61]

This topic was much written about last year re: the AQ and Taliban detainees. Most of the experts I read about agreed that torture wasn't particularly effective in obtaining RELIABLE information. Eventually most people will just tell their interrogators whatever they think they want to hear to make it stop. And then you have the hard cases who will die before they'll talk.

Evidently there are other, psychological methods to extract information that are both more humane and more effective. At least that seems to be the consensus of most of the intelligence types I've seen talking about it.

[risk]

It's something I haven't been able to decide on. Are they really different or only qualitatively so?

I think one has to weigh the situation and consider each case existentially. Let's say you capture someone and you know she has knowledge of where a suitcase nuke is located in a large American city, and you know she knows when it is set to detonate. I believe in that case, the end justifies the means. Our morality should never be used against us!

Shades of gray occur when you don't know if the person knows something "interesting." Or when what the person knows is of tactical relevance. I don't think I can approve of torture unless there is some sense that the captive's knowlege can save many lives.

On the battlefield, I think we should strive to operate under the terms of the Geneva conventions. I emphasize strive. Troops should be well-versed in the rules, and should be supervised and held accountable for their mistakes. The question of what accountable means would be up to a jury of their peers.

When we think about the bravery of our troops, remember, they each know that sadistic torture is waiting for them regardless of what they can supply their captors. This deepens my appreciation for their service.

In case I haven't been clear, I believe we should avoid torture under almost all circumstances. Resorting to torture for tactical reasons, especially given the fact that we're the invading army in Iraq (in this case), would be quite unforgivable. It would also pitch us off of the higher moral ground we so much need as we try to engage the population. These opposing forces are their sons and brothers.

In the end, I think we have to decide what is least distressing for our consciences.