Do our enemies watch the news?

Discussion in 'Free Speech Alley' started by SabanFan, Aug 27, 2009.

  1. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    45,195
    Likes Received:
    8,736
    That's NOT what I've ever said. Do you never tire of misquoting me, like I'm not going to challenge it?

    What I've said is that future enemies will use our transgressions as justification to do the same. This deprives us of legal rights to prosecute war criminals in the future. We have prosecuted enemy war criminals for waterboarding in the past. We may never be able to do this again.

    Torture advocates like yourself are amazingly short-sighted and see nothing of the long-term consequences of our actions. For every islamic raghead who is going to torture prisoners anyway, there are dozens of future potential enemies from Iran to Korea or even Russia and China who will reciprocate fair treatment with fair treatment of own own POWS.

    The first rule of prisoner treatment is that you treat them the way you expect your own prisoners to be treated. More countries respect this than not.

    And I've said it before, if very special circumstances require harsh treatment (in the case of imminent terrorism) from the CIA it needs to be done covertly and with deniability. This Neo-con business of "We'll torture openly and just make it legal" is childishly stupid and near-sighted.

    But the military needs to hold higher prisoner standards than the spooks do. Spies and assassins are going to get tortured and executed anyway, they always have. But soldiers need to treat other soldiers (even guerillas) by the Geneva conventions, not to respect them, but to insure that they respect us.
     
  2. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    45,195
    Likes Received:
    8,736
    Don't ever put words into my mouth. Say what you want to say (if anything) and leave me out of it.
     
  3. SabanFan

    SabanFan The voice of reason

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    26,080
    Likes Received:
    1,247

    Your naivete is exceeded only by your arrogance.
     
  4. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    45,195
    Likes Received:
    8,736
    When your logic is exhausted, you resort to personal attacks.

    Checkmate.
     
  5. SabanFan

    SabanFan The voice of reason

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    26,080
    Likes Received:
    1,247
    Like my pointy head?

    Enemies want information and they will do what is necessary to get information. If you believe otherwise, you are naive. Period.
     
  6. Rex_B

    Rex_B Geaux Time

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2003
    Messages:
    3,926
    Likes Received:
    187
    What is your point?

    Because they use tactics that wield very little if any decent information that we should also at the expense of our own integrity?
     
  7. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    45,195
    Likes Received:
    8,736
    Humor, Arr-Arr!

    Not all of our enemies. Not every enemy we will ever have. You live in mortal fear of a few thousand ragheads who have their friggin' hands full right now.
     
  8. fanatic

    fanatic Habitual Line Stepper

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2003
    Messages:
    13,667
    Likes Received:
    6,015
    What's your definition of torture? Is humiliation torture? What about sleep deprivation? Would you change your mind if a suitcase nuke was planted in your town and it was the only way to get a terrorist to reveal it's location before it detonated?

    To me, there is a difference between torture and aggressive interrogation. For the record, I'm against torture, which I generally believe to be the intentional infliction of severe pain through sadistic measures. However, I'd be ok with it in extreme circumstances when all other means have failed.
     
  9. LaSalleAve

    LaSalleAve when in doubt, mumble

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    Messages:
    44,037
    Likes Received:
    18,027
    the ticking time bomb scenario, i think red put it best, if that scenario presents itself, then it needs to be covert, and no way it can be brought back on us. not running around waving a torture flag like the ex vice president is doing.
     
  10. Rex_B

    Rex_B Geaux Time

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2003
    Messages:
    3,926
    Likes Received:
    187
    I'm fairly sure we all know what torture is..

    And your scenario assumes you actually get any relevant information.
     
    1 person likes this.

Share This Page