Is Water boarding TORTURE?

Question

Is it effective?

and criminal?

Answer 1

as it is implied yes on all counts,,,no matter to me ,,,or does it,,,,haaaaa,,,,,most Americans say "if it helps the war on terror its OK,do it" I say,,,,I'm out of here quick,,,by,by,,F,P

Answer 2

Daniel Levin, a former assistant attorney general who subjected himself to waterboarding says it's torture.

Rear Admiral John D Hutson, Ret, Judge Advocate General says: "there hasn‘t been any debate about this for 500 years. This was a technique that was developed during the inquisition. It was used by the French in Algiers. It was used by the Khmer Rouge, used by the Gestapo. There‘s no question that this is torture and always has been. I mean, it‘s like the rack or thumb screws. You know, it is the quintessential example of torture."

Mosad interrogation experts continually say that torture is an ineffective and unreliable means of extracting information. People will say anything to stop the torture and it is usually bogus information. Building a relationship of trust is much more reliable.

Answer 3

Of course!

It was certainly effective in getting all those women to admit that they were agents of the Devil and flew around on brooms, and it got Galileo to agree that the Sun went around the Earth. It is effective in getting most folks to admit to anything.

On the other hand if you are looking for factual information, it is not very good at all. The person will tell you anything you want to hear, but not assisting you will be his highest priority.

It is more than an ordinary crime, it is an international crime against humanity. It cannot be made legal by any US law, and there is no statute of limitations, there is only the political ability to escape justice long enough to die.

There have been many prosecutions for waterboarding under US law and if an honest Government is ever restored to the US there will be again.

People have been prosecuted for lynchings 50 years after the crime, but the very knowledge of what they did and the knowledge that they could someday face justice did as much damage to them as the actual punishment. So it will be with the criminals in the current Gang Of Pirates.

Answer 4

Most nations consider it torture, and when waterboarding was used against Americans in World War II, the US punished the defendant with 15 years imprisonment at hard labor. It is not effective because people say anything just to stop the torture. Even the one detainee that we know was waterboarded, Kalil Sheik Mohammad, gave mostly false information. Last year, the US enacted legislation that retroactive decriminalized waterboarding for terror suspects. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html

Answer 5

If you're violently forced to anything, it's torture.
It's not effective. You're not going to get the truth of a prisoner by torture, you're going to get whatever it is that makes you stop.
It's criminal in my book but laws in different countries may differ.

Answer 6

It absolutely is.and always has been considered torture. Even the US army field manual classifies it as torture and forbids army personnel from using it.
Effective? - No
Criminal? - Yes

Answer 7

In my opinion and everyone I know YES. But to know for sure Bushwacker should allow himself to be water boarded. After his learning experience at least he would know the truth about something.

Answer 8

Westhill is correct and abosultely water boarding is torture.

Answer 9

Yes.

Effective, No, and Criminal Yes.

Answer 10

We're still waiting for congress to decide. They hammer anyone who won't say it is torture, but they, the people to write the laws, have yet to say it s torture.

Answer 11

they chop off heads!
they started it!
if it saves one american life I am all for it (BTW I am also for the Iraq war which cost nearly 4,000 american lives ignore the faulty thinking)!
waterboarding only simulates drowning its sort of like Flight simulator on your PC all the fun but no real damage!!