Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] what waterboarding looks like [Politics]

[Stephen Montgomery-Smith <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Mike Miller wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:
>
> > Jonathan King wrote:
> >
> > > As it turns out, the most enthusiastic users of this interrogation 
> > > technique were the Khmer Rouge, and the following URL has pictures of 
> > > what the actual device as used by them looks like. It is possible 
> > > that we have a kindler and gentler version of this that we use, but I 
> > > have never seen pictures of it.
> > >
> > > http://www.davidcorn.com/archives/2006/09/this_is_what_wa.php
> > >
> > > In any case, now you know.
> >
> >
> > Next - my main objection to the Khmer Rouge's uses of torture is that 
> > it was used against people who were not guilty of the kinds of crimes 
> > which deserved it.  For example, I am sure that it was used a lot 
> > against political prisoners.  If they had used it only against people 
> > for which they had credible evidence that those tortured were engaged 
> > in terrorist activities against women and children, I wouldn't mind 
> > much at all.
>
>
>
> I don't mind torturing either, in a way, but it is a fairly complex 
> issue. The first concern is that torture might do nothing to promote 
> your immediate goal of extracting information about terrorist plots.  If 
> it doesn't work, I have no reason to favor use of torture under any 
> conditions.  Everything else about torture is horrible and bad for 
> everyone involved.
>
> Mike

I have heard that torture doesn't actually work.  But maybe other 
experts say the opposite.

In any case, whether it works or not is really a completely seperate 
issue as to whether it is ethical under certain circumstances.

--

Stephen Montgomery-Smith
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://www.math.missouri.edu/~stephen

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