Do you favor the use of torture to get suspected terrorists to cough up info?

1. 67

   ptosisposted 12 years ago

   Do you favor the use of torture to get suspected terrorists to cough up info?
   
   The Senate that extended of Patriot Act said that 57% Americans do. Is this true?
   
   

   report
2. 76

   Rob Wintersposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely not. Historically torture has been shown to be used and to be far more effective as a means of terrorizing populations or groups of people than it ever has been to be a reliable means of extracting information.So it kind of seems ironic (in a bad way) to be using it on people who are also doing just that through acts of their own terrorism.I can understand the instinct some people would have to justify torture on some occassions in the name of the greater good but my instinct abhors the thought of anyone being tortured regardless of any possible justifications made for it. I think it's one of the lowest, most base things that can be done by one or more human beings to another so No! I don't know if the stat is true - i would hope not.

   report
   1. 67

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Probably a skewed stat used as propaganda purposes to legitimize criminal policy.

      report
3. 64

   wingedcentaurposted 12 years ago

   Throughout history torture has always been used by "Great Powers" for two purposes. The first is to so-called "get the truth" out of said "suspect." The purpose is to allegedly get information about criminal conspiracies, or terrorism operations. The information obtained in this way, as you know, may be of dubious value simply because of the way it is obtained. Most people, we are given to understand, will say anything to get the pain to stop.
   
   But the second historical use of torture is/has always been far, far, far more important. That second purpose is to SEND A MESSAGE!!
   Subtext: "Bad things happen to people who go against us! Don't do it! Don't go screwing around with our coporations!" And so on and so forth.
   
   Therefore the real question, in my opinion, is: What kind of country feels the need to send out such agonizing messages again and again and again? There is usually a very pragmatic political and economic underlying purpose for the use of torture.

   report
   1. 67

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It was always extra judicial and only by the king's prerogative historically.

      report
4. 57

   SsvRrwQposted 12 years ago

   Traditionally, torture was not a means to gain intelligence, rather torture was a means to gain false confessions, and force superficial compliance.
   
   Those who claims otherwise may simply seeing patterns in insufficient samples. That or perhaps with modern psychological research we can now gain better intelligence through torture. Certainly there is no objective, public evidence of that, though.

   report
5. 67

   ptosisposted 12 years ago

   From: http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl … roof_.html
   
   "..Vagabonds were considered as outsiders, and the community that felt threatened by vagabonds saw little reason to extend to them safeguards of the regular criminal law"
   
   From: http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl … on_by.html
   
   even with a god-like omniscience of being absolutely sure that you can get the correct information from a tortured victim, that because of the long history of governmental inability to investigate the true perpetrators - even years after the fact - is proof enough that the torturer will NOT save the city from a ticking bomb.

   report
6. 60

   Barry Silverposted 12 years ago

   I rely on John McCain's answer that torture does not provide accurate intelligence. Torture encourages the prisoner to provide the answer the questioner wants to hear, merely to avoid the pain.
   
   There are many things on which I do not agree with Sen. McCain, but since he was a former POW, I believe he know torture.

   report
   1. 67

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      ++++++++++++++++

      report
7. 58

   zzronposted 12 years ago

   
   
   No, I believe in the Golden rule," Do onto others as you would have them do onto you". If I were a terrorist, I wouldn't want to be tortured, would you? I agree with the person who said they would say anything to stop being tortured. Unreliable information.

   report
   1. 67

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      But if not doing it for information - well FUBAR!

      report
8. 58

   justomposted 12 years ago

   I agree with Mr. Wesman Todd Shaw except I'd go a bit farther and waterboard all politicians and wall street bankers!

   report
   1. 67

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think Enron CEO's should have gone through the gauntlet of all those people they screwed over.

      report
9. 77

   mattdigiulioposted 12 years ago

   Violence only begets violence. Even if answers were "coughed up" in one moment or the other, we would be desensitized in the long run for war, torture, whatever.

   report
10. 59

    Jonesy0311posted 12 years ago

    I'm no expert, but I have a bit of amatuer experience in this area. And in my own personal experience, "enhanced" or any other torture techniques produce only false confessions and un-actionable intelligence. Bear in mind that the U.S. Government has not received any valuable information as a result of the new enhanced interrogation methods. I recommend that everyone listen to John McCain on this one since he is the only member of Congress who has been a recipient of torture techniques.

    report
11. 68

    onegoodwomanposted 12 years ago

    I live under the protection of our soldiers, though, I am not one.
    
    Far be from me and you ( non soldiers) tell him or her how to do their jobs.
    
    
    Support the military or dismiss yourself from their protection.
    
    
    If you bother to read the accounts of soliders from previous generations, WW1, WW2, vietnam, it is likely that you find "waterboarding" a distraction, rather than torture.
    
    When American lives and freedoms are at stake, I support the Americans.  If you do not, I question, your "right" to be an American.

    report
    1. 67

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Soldiers' job is not torture but to kill, the investigators torture. that's why they called it the Spanish Inquisition.

       report
12. 68

    Winnie*posted 12 years ago

    It amazes me that people find this to be okay.  Violence should never be used for any reason.  Imagine how peaceful it would be if everyone would just stop the insanity.

    report
13. 61

    Mary Nealposted 12 years ago

    No. All barbarians need psychiatrists or exorcists.

    report