Politics Prolonged Standing, Water Boarding, and Eminem
Following Dubya’s acknowledgment of secret CIA prisons comes further details on interrogation techniques reportedly authorized by top CIA officials, including prolonged standing, sleep deprivation, and the extremely controversial and horrific-sounding practice of “water boarding”. ABC News describes it:
The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt. According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda’s toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.
“[It is] bad interrogation,” said former CIA officer Bob BaerIt to ABC. “I mean, you can get anyone to confess to anything if the torture’s bad enough.” “The person believes they are being killed,” said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch. “[A]s such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law.”
In lighter news:
The detainees were also forced to listen to rap artist Eminem’s Slim Shady album. The music was so foreign to them it made them frantic, sources said.
What’s more, it apparently drove some of them to turn into Ron Jeremy.
Full story here.
I can't wait for the justifications start pouring in.
Let me guess: "they're out to kill us all!" "They beheaded that white guy!" "Do you think Osama wouldn't torture one of our guys?!" They killed 3000 people on 9/11! What about them?!"
Did I miss any?