Saturday, October 27, 2007

'TORTURE....OR NO TORTURE'

SEVERAL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, AS WELL AS JUDGE MICHAEL MUKASEY
--- PRESIDENT BUSH’S NOMINEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL---
SEEM TO BELIEVE THAT STRESS POSITIONING, SLEEP-DEPRIVATION, AND WATER BOARDING ARE NOT TORTURE, BUT RATHER, MERELY VIGOROUS INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES.
THE DEBATE RAGES ON.


PERHAPS WE COULD PUT THEIR OPINIONS TO THE [PARDON THE EXPRESSION] ACID TEST.

TO TRULY SETTLE THIS FESTERING CONTROVERSY, WE MIGHT PROPOSE THE CREATION OF A NEW REALITY SHOW CALLED
‘TORTURE OR NO TORTURE’.

EACH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, AS WELL AS JUDGE MUKASEY, WOULD APPEAR AS A CONTESTANT ON THE PRIME TIME SHOW.
EACH CONTESTANT WOULD GO THOUGH A BATTERY OF ‘CHALLENGES’, SUCH AS STRESS POSITIONING AND WATER BOARDING.
AFTER EACH EVENT THE CONTESTANTS COULD DECIDE, WITH FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE, WHETHER SUCH TECHNIQUES WERE TORTURE OR NOT.
I’M CERTAIN THAT THE RATINGS WOULD BE HEFTY AND IT MIGHT BE EDUCATIONAL TO BOOT.

24 comments:

Kevin Howley said...

The sad part about the idea is that a network would most likely go for it, although we'd porbably have to put Cheney in a swimsuit (my heart couldn't withstand that trauma). Brilliant article Mr.Stasiuk, I always have something to learn from you.

Anonymous said...

I would watch...The issue must be debated. Watch it done to someone, then decide. Also, when might it be appropriate to use more aggressive methods. Who decides? Just like most other issues out there, I don't hear any constructive debate.

Anonymous said...

Some call it torture, I call it hazing. I just know I want it to continue. Everyone agrees it has saved American lives and that's all that matters.

Anonymous said...

I believe statements like that cause the debate to turn into the "Jerry Springer" version. I'm not discounting your opinion, I think it could be expressed in a way that facilitates a good debate and doesn't cause it to turn into TV news/30 second sound clip talking points.

quicksand said...

NO. NOT EVERYONE AGREES THAT IT WORKS.
BUT...THE QUESTION HERE IS NOT SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN'T WE. THAT'S A SEPERATE ISSUE.
HERE THE QUESTION IS: IS IT OR ISN'T IT TORTURE?

SO, FOR THOSE WHO INSIST THAT IT WORKS, WHY NOT CALL IT WHAT IT IS?

AND, IF IT DOES WORK, DOES THAT MEAN MEDIEVAL 'ARTS' CAN BE RESTORED AND USED?
CAN ANYONE USE TORTURE...OR ONLY THE GOOD GUYS?

HOW ABOUT THE POLICE? HEY...IF IT WORKS!

Anonymous said...

to political impaler:
Hazing? After the pledge period is over do they get to bond with their new brothers and drinking buddies?

quicksand said...

SO NO ONE WOULD OBJECT TO THEIR OWN CHILD BEING HAZED WITH A SOME BEER AND WATER BOARDING?

Kevin Howley said...

Beer and water boarding? That sounds like Kent State University Halloween Weekend!

Anonymous said...

There already is torture on TV its called American Idol. To say nothing of Bush press conferences.

Anonymous said...

So much for a constructive debate...

quicksand said...

TORTURE UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM TORTURE UNTO YOU.

Anonymous said...

Funny, I always thought waterboarding was something you did at the beach when you'd skim a flat board on maybe 2 or 3 inches of water. You could get hurt by it......but torture? Naw.

Anonymous said...

Hey ... don't you knock American Idol. I'd love to see Paul Abdul wearing nothing but a smile and a thong! That sure aint torture to me!!!!

Anonymous said...

America is a noble country with noble ideals
and a noble militia. We do not torture anyone, we
interrogate terrorists. If you want to see torture, look
to the Viet Cong, to the Japanese, to Zimbabwe’s
Robert Mugabe, to Hugo Chavez, to Fidel Castro,
to Vladimir Putin, to Kim Jong-il, to Bashar Assad
to Mahamoud Ahmadinejad , to the Sudan and to
the Chinese. Your hatred of George Bush does not
make him an advocate of torture. You are a perfect
shill for the dailykos, mediamatters and moveon.org.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, yeah, yeah...blah,blah,blah impaler knows first hand as much about the Viet Cong than I do about Paula Abdul's thong preferences! Wait a minute..... I know more. She loves wearing black and sometimes pink like....The Impaler!!!!!!!

quicksand said...

AMERICA HAS NOBLE IDEALS.
AMERICA IS AT ITS FINEST WHEN IT LIVES BY ITS IDEALS.
I BELIEVE THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN AMERICA ASTRAY...FAR FROM ITS IDEALS.

YOU STATE THAT AMERICA DOES HAZING, NOT TORTURE.
I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT YOU FEEL THIS WAY. IT IMPLIES THAT YOU ARE AGAINST TORTURE.

YOU LIST MANY EXAMPLES OF GLOBAL TORTURE...INCLUDING CHINA...OUR GREAT TRADING PARTNER.
WHY DO WE TRADE WITH CHINA?

SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE'VE 'HAZED' DIED AS A RESULT.

ONCE ONE ACCEPTS THE PROPOSITION THAT TORTURE SAVES AMERICAN LIVES, ONE WINDS UP BELIEVING THAT ANYTHING THAT SAVES AMERICAN LIVES IS ACCEPTABLE.

SO, MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU ARE, DO YOU REALLY LOVE AMERICANS? AND WHY?
AND, WOULD YOU CONDONE BRUTAL, HARD-CORE TORTURE IF IT SAVED AMERICAN LIVES?
FINALLY, CAN NATIONALS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES APPLY THE SAME STANDARD AS YOU?
GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?

ME? SHILL?
HECK, I DON'T READ KOS OR MOVEON.
I'M A SHILL FOR MYSELF.
NO ONE HAD TO TUTOR ME TO DISLIKE GEORGE W BUSH.

Anonymous said...

you still don't get it. What we are doing is not torture. It is not torture because George Cloony, Robert Redford and Sean Penn say it is. It certainly is not torture because Pelosi and Reed say so. It is not torture because Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schummer say so. Any thing we do to save American lives is fine by me. Any thing we do to get oil is fine by me. Any thing we do to stay the number one super power is fine by me.

Anonymous said...

to political impaler:
Permit me to quote you directly,"Any thing we do to save American lives is fine by me. Any thing we do to get oil is fine by me. Any thing we do to stay number one super power is fine by me." Are these the "noble ideals" you lauded earlier?

Anonymous said...

We are an insulated people fighting a failed war. Ask yourself the question, " What did I do to stop thr war today?"
Is waterboarding torture ? of course it is ... I believe that it stands as unacceptable by the Geneva Convention.Americans are afraid to stand up for their rights except for the right to consume. Afraid to let 18 year olds drink in public like we all did and afraid to be challenged by the ever eroding nature of governments that alledge to protect us from ourselves.
The issue is not solely torture. It is fear and I am not interested in allowing for more extreme definations of torture as AG candidates fear a truthful response to the loaded questions of the day.

quicksand said...

THERE WAS A RADIO BROADSCAST OF AN INTERVIEW OF AN OLD MAN WHO WAS WATERBOARDED BY THE FRENCH IN ALGIERS. HE SURE FELT THAT HE WAS BEING TORTURED. HE THOUGHT THAT HE WOULD DIE SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE PROCESS.
IF IT'S NOT TORTURE, WHY DO WE DO IT? IF IT'S MERELY HAZING, HOW DOES IT BREAK A PERSON TO PROVIDE INFORMATION?


THE IMPALER SAYS,
"Any thing we do to save American lives is fine by me."

DOES THAT 'ANYTHING' INCLUDE TORTURE?


HE CONTINUES, "Any thing we do to get oil is fine by me."

HE SUGGESTS THAT EARTH'S OIL IS OURS. WE CAN KILL ANYONE WHO ACTS TO THE CONTRARY?

Rue said...

What a macabre game show that would be...brilliant
By the way..I still read your blog..I just don't always have the time to comment!

Rue said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rue said...

although I personally vote "Political impaler" as the first contestant..C'mon down bitch!

quicksand said...

RUE

IF YOU KEEP READING
I'LL KEEP WRITNIG.