Waterboarding

There has been a bunch of crap written and said and thought about the torture technique of waterboarding. I have seen it defended on discussion forums and I have seen it condemned on some of the same forums. But what is waterboarding?

It was first used, as far as I can tell, during the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500's against Jews, Protestants and other heretics. The Nazis and the Japanese used it during WWII, the North Vietmese employed it and the Khmer rouge of Cambodia used it on difficult prisoners. And that brings us to today and the US use of it.

What is it? The prisoner is secured with head down and feet up, then water is trickled on to a cloth over his/her face. The water filling the nose and throat triggers a primal survival mechanism and the prisoner becomes desperate to escape. But they are secure and cannot move or hold their breath for very long. as they fight to escape the water overwhelms them and they feel that they are about to die. This is a short synopsis of the technique.

Now does it work? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. The prisoner could give outlandish answers to questions just to make the torture stop. I am sure that some credible intel is gained, but I am also as sure that most of it is NOT!

So is it torture? IMO, yes it is and it should be outlawed. I am not the sole answer to this and I am sure that many do not agree with me. But until they have been tortured, whether with waterboarding or other, their opinion does not matter. It is a crime to take away a person humanity.

CHUQ