With the rise of Pope John Paul's personalism, one must look at the subject of torture from a different point of view. The old Thomistic Inquisitors of past centuries were too insistent on developing means and methods which they could judge as being objectively superior to other means and methods.
The difficulty with this is, that although there are certainly objective truths to be established, that does not tell us what effect the particular device and method have on a particular individual.
So, it's thumbscrews and the rack for everyone!
How much more effective, if, say, the subject were someone with similar proclivities of BlackElk, as a start, to force him to listen to three post-menopausal AmChurch nuns playing the guitar badly, and singing Kumbaya, for, say, forty hours straight. I promise you that at the end of my work, he would confess to you anything you desired. And there would be less clean-up, afterwards..
The personalist dimension is so overlooked by the more traditional elements. You need to integrate the Language of the Body into your approach. You need to understand what the subject's body is telling you, to help guide the process along.
As well, the insistence on an objective view of things really cripples the imagination when it comes to improvisation. I dare say that, for myself, my greatest device is not the implements to disembowel, nor sharp nails, nor bamboo shoots, but rather, my mind. I look around, and all the world is rich in devices which can service quite well.
But, should you choose not to avail yourself of my services, fear not, I lack not for work aplenty. Though with Saddam gone, I do have a significant chunk of free billable hours.
sitetest