Is There a Problem Here?

Well, you're going to have to draw a line somewhere. Remember, when we torture and we don't know what we're looking for from the perpetual detainee, we are supplying the enemy with the fuel to perpetrate the US as torturers, indiscriminate murderers, and hypocrites. We risk creating the very problem we are trying to solve.

Your condition is a major point, Mark. Most of the detainees don't have any life-saving information and information obtained from torture is unreliable.

If we do know he knows something that will save lives, don't even detain him, get all "24" on his ass.

Its great that so many statements excuse torture, because the other side do it! Great, what do we do next? Car bombs in markets, planes into buildings, blowing up disco's perhaps? I agree with dookie that statements given by a tortured individual must be dubious at best. If someone tortured you to confess to having sexual relations with Osama, how much suffering would you take before you confessed?? Doesn't mean its true, it just stops the pain. Torture as a punishment, maybe theres a place for it, but surely not as a method of interrogation.

Its all because of the Crab People.

I'm glad Blazius has entered our political shitstorm. All opinions are welcome and welcome to criticism. As for hippierunt, I made the same mistake and a similar adjustment in my candor towards her.

As for my sources of political news: AP, reuters, NPR, the onion, disinformation, the daily show/colbert report, morning talk radio (usually right-wing, because that's all there is in my region...Bortz and Savage are douchebags), air america, whitehouse.org, Salon, wikipedia, history books, and my own limited sum of knowledge.

Hey, Blaz, couldn't post earlier because of the maintenance. Thanks for the honest complement/criticism, GTB.

Here's what I meant to post last night:

Ah, but you did miss my point, Blazius. You also evaded my other supporting points. You're making a clear distinction between clever and intelligent. Clever would be pushing your one stupid question and cherrypicking anything else on the subject because it would erode your "cleverousity". Intelligent would be listening to the progression of the dialogue and responding to it. You're clever, but not that intelligent. Look up "red herring" in the dictionary.

As I said previously, the Geneva conventions are there for a good reason. To ignore them is to unnecessarily escalate the risk to our own troops. Every time we ignore the Geneva Conventions, the possibility of the enemy taking desperate measures against our own troops is unnecessarily increased. Whether those conventions have been employed by Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, or The Taliban matters little. When we torture enemy combatants, we are bringing ourselves down to their level. We're becoming "the bad guys". The intelligence derived from torture is questionable at best. The justification for torture by the US is a joke and is exactly the sort of behavior we shouldn't be engaging in if our true goal is to change the "hearts and minds" of what could be our former enemies. If you really want to feel like a dumbass, check out a history book about Great Britain's occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. One big money pit of useless colonialism. The Geneva Conventions will never be employed if the US doesn't respect them. It's hard to depict our country as "civilized" or morally superior if we engage in barbarism.

You hold psuedo-Christian beliefs about gays while at the same time hitting on a 15 yo hippierunt. That ain't right. But I believe you probably are part gay and that is where the biggest hippocracy lies. Sorry about the a-hole thing, though. I don't know why we can't write something and not have someone blast back with namecalling. Even Dookie does it. I love reading his shit. He is all intellectual and spiritual, but disagree with him.... I like reading most everyones post. Different POV's.

Blazius, why are you such a hypocritical, ignorant, pedophilic, a-hole?

Two British S.A.S agents were caught wearing muslim clothing and fake beards while trying to set off bombs. Proving that the war on terror is manufactured for the sheeple to fear and fund at the same time. We founded radical Islam during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan via the CIA and GHW Bush. This shit has been in the works for years. Don't believe me, do your own research.

All of you simpletons missed my point, this is not a real war. Terrorists are not a real military target. As Israel has shown for decades, you cannot address terrorism with a superior occupying force. It's apples and oranges. The fantasy that an army could ever address a terrorism is a fantasy, except to the military industrial complex, then it's a wet dream.

When our soldiers are captured in the 1000's by a real enemy, it'd be nice to know the Geneva conventions are there for them

I guess I should add the other obvious talking point, enemies are more apt to surrender than fight to the death if they know they won't be tortured while in custody. This helps our troops avoid messy acts of desperation by the enemy and saves the lives of more american troops.

Just please stop using the word "islamofascist". This is so absurde...

Just say rugheads, fanatics, idiots or whatever you want, but not "islamofascists".

Cheney should get waterboarded on pay-per-view

Your stance is flawed. Terrorists, in general, do not adhere to any article from the Geneva conventions. To expect that they would treat our captured soldiers in the same fashion that we are meant to treat captured soldiers from an enemy country is foolish.

When a REAL war occurs with a REAL threat to the USA (an enemy with a military that matters), I'd like to know the Geneva conventions are respected, for the benefit of our own soldiers. You guys talk a big deal about supporting the troops, but when it comes to ensuring their safety if they're captured, you're fucking them over in 2 seconds.

what are we arguing about here? you guys always go on tangents.

we are still talking about torture aye?

well if so, let me add my 2 cents. I advocate the torture of enemy combatants in times of war. I am also a liberal. I see no contradiction there. I am interested in hearing the replies of those who say otherwise.

Poor Dookie. These Islamofascist animals plow airplanes into skyscrapers full of innocent people, decapitate innocents for amusement on weekends, detonate bombs in daycare centers and teen night clubs, and Dookie's worrying that if we don't play nice with them, they might be mean to us.

Dookie defines the moronicity of the Angry Left.

Okaying torture of the enemy guarantees torture of our own soldiers and our own "combatants of enemies" captured abroad.

Using the Inquisitions to justify torture is retarded on multiple levels. Brilliantly retarded.

I agree with torture.

You confess to having sex with an aardvark doesn't mean the war on terrorism isn't phoney

The catholic church used the same method during the inquisitions. It is non-fatal.... unlike burning at the stake.

lol @ RIVER.... fkn comical!

The only thing wrong with this is that the CIA guys only lasted 14 seconds. I wouldnt advertise that if i was them.

I bet a swimmer could last longer. You know what, Im going to try it! A friend if mine is on the swim team. Maybe she'll let me torture her!