Is waterboarding torture? Is it OK for other countries to waterboard our captured citizens?

Question

Headline: Cheney endorses simulated drowning-
Dick Cheney, US vice-president, has endorsed the use of "water boarding" for terror suspects and confirmed that the controversial interrogation technique was used on Khaled Sheikh Mohammed...
"For a while there, I was criticised as being the 'vice-president for torture'," Mr Cheney added. "We don't torture . . . We live up to our obligations in international treaties that we're party to and so forth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15431835/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

properly this would not answer your question, as for sure waterboarding is torture, no count how many fanatics choose for to counter otherwise. I merely had to remark that i like the ambient point of lack of awareness in a number of those solutions. it extremely is merely superb. somebody no longer in uniform captured on the sphere of conflict is to be dealt with as a non-commissioned officer having consumer-friendly rights afforded - below article 3 of the Geneva conventions. the 2d concept is it extremely is regularly floated is that "using fact Al Queda did no longer / can't sign the Geneva Conventions" is an irrelevancy ..... we signed it and so are certain via the policies therein. So till somebody is going to argue that we would desire to consistently withdrawl from the Geneva Conventions, and de-ratify that component of our rules, ... good luck with that. ultimately - and that i'm particular this infrequently bears stating - the completed Bush presidency shape around torture became designed particularly to avert the militia Uniform Code of Justice which might particularly be the desirable regulation in contact, provides for widespread militia tribunals and correctly tread and good regulation based around the long status militia justice concepts.

Answer 3

Listening to someone repeat something Cheney said is torture to me. If the torture bill isn't repealed we will see torture of our soldiers/spies being justified by foreign governments from it's passage. This is just one set of reasoning for the Supreme Court to knock this law down. The other is to keep American citizens that are declared enemy combatants from being tortured in such a way by its own citizenry!!

Answer 4

There's way to much emotional content attached to this question to be able to talk about it rationally. However, keep in mind that these people are not uniformed combatants; they are terrorists. Idealism will go out the window when one of them sets off a bomb in your town.
I believe that the fight for freedom for others is a noble act. On the other hand, when you begin treating them as non-humans, you are no better than your enemy. The history of this is similar to the way the Japanese looked at other races in WWII.
When we get to public beheading, I will start complaining. In addition, I hope we see Muslims in western countries start standing up and loudly condemning Muslim terrorist activities.

Answer 5

Anyone who causes pain or extreme distress to ones being is applying torture. What has happened to treat others as you want to be treated? I would love to see how Cheney would react if he was waterboarded.

Answer 6

Yes it is. This is like President Clinton saying he didn't have sex with Monica. It's the same thing by different legal name.
There are always people who will say it was justified, but it isn't. You can't expect other countries or people you regard as less civilized than yourself to behave more civilized than yourself.

Answer 7

i think that should be 'wake boarding' not 'water boarding'. but i do not believe it is torture. its fun!