Waterboarding?
Posted on 10/26/2007 5:17:16 PM PDT by ventanax5
Jonathan Turley has penned an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times claiming that Michael Mukasey, President Bush’s nominee to become the next attorney general, should be disqualified for failing to condemn waterboarding as torture. According to Turley, Judge Mukasey’s confirmation-hearing testimony was evasive, and the nominee flatly lied to the committee when he said he did not to know what was involved in the technique called “waterboarding.” The accusation about lying is noxious and what passes for legal reasoning in Turley’s piece is especially shameful for a George Washington University law professor.
To begin with, interrogation tactics used in top-secret Central Intelligence Agency programs are classified. The fact that Professor Turley, Judge Mukasey, I, or anyone else may know, as a general matter, what waterboarding is does not mean we know how it has been practiced (assuming it has been practiced) by the CIA. Just a brief perusal of the available literature on the Internet demonstrates that there are variations — and those are just the ones we know about.
Unlike solipsistic law professors, nominees for high public office are not at liberty to bloviate while testifying under oath at a hearing, especially when their words might have serious consequences for other people. Interrogation tactics have been the subject of intense debate and ambiguous congressional compromise over the last several years. The truth, as any careful law professor should know, is that it is difficult to say exactly what the law is. The people who make the law have quite consciously seen to that.
One thing we do know, however, is that at risk are the careers and potential legal jeopardy of American intelligence officers who have relied on Justice Department opinions in conducting interrogations since September 11, 2001.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Turley is clueless!
Given that an American Reporter endured it to ‘Level 3’, to report on it, Waterbording is NOT torture!
Neither is offering and then withdrawing M&Ms, which Turley would surely object to.
Furthermore, there should be NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION of interogation techniques, lest they be rendered ineffective!
Turley’s another communist doing everything he can to help the terrorists win.
Just remember, Prof. Turley, you are free to spout all of your nonsense because rough men stand ready to protect your right to do it.
You aren’t actually worthy of the effort, but they will do it anyway.
Turley went to his garbage can to find this nugget. They are getting really slim on what to hurl these days.
I wonder if Turley would be singing a different tune if his house was about to be burned to the ground out west set by an arsonist in custody who has partners that got away...
I think listening to Brittney Spears for hours at a time would yield significant results.
The absolute test of the character of the person holding an opinion on any substantive matter of safety and security is: (1) Do you own a gun? (2) Would you actually use it to protect any or all members of your family (or even those who are not members of your family) from serious harm, even if it meant that you would have to use it to kill another human who presented a real and serious risk of life to any or all members of your family (or to other human beings)?
I find it odd that a government who burned down women and children at Waco after weeks of blaring Linda Rondstadt and Nancy Sinatra songs at mind-shattering levels all through the night, huge spotlights into every window throughout the night and loudspeakers with grotesque things like the sounds of animals being slaughtered or killed (you know, Justice Reno Style) directed at them for the special PURPOSE of tormenting them into breaking down and doing what Reno wanted, is now FINALLY considered to be immoral, inhuman and unethical because we are scaring terrorists into telling us their secrets??
I’d be embarrassed for these misguided people if I thought they would even understand how very, very embarassing they are in their views and actions.
Turley lives in an ivory tower where there are no terrorists and no real life problems to conflict with the idealistic dream which he thinks is America.
“The Geneva Conventions prohibit torture but not in all circumstances. Recognizing that, human-rights activists pushed for the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatments (UNCAT), which were ratified by the U.S. in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Both forbid torture, and the UNCAT called for the passage of anti-torture legislation, which Congress promptly enacted.”
In other words we are bound by treaty to extend the Geneva convention to non-uniformed terrorists? McCarthy goes on to explain that courts just may allow us may defend ourselves anyway, depending on what they decide what the meaning of the word “severe” is. But why play that game? Why stay in this box that “human rights activists” who hate this country put us in. The world has changed since 911. Let’s just abrogate these treaties and return to the the original provisions of the Geneva convention. Even if it makes Al Qaida mad.
Leni
Even more witnessed it.
No doubt it's an effective interrogation technique. If not the first session...the 2nd...or 3rd...or 4th. Eventually you'll tell everything you know. Anyone. Everyone. Period.
But torture? I don't know about that. No scars. No permanent damage...
“there should be NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION of interogation techniques”
Are you quoting Stalin?
“Just remember, Prof. Turley, you are free to spout all of your nonsense because rough men stand ready to protect your right to do it.”
Who are the rough men you have in mind?
As you look back at the Germans in WW II...you don’t find water boarding or vast amounts of torture. The Germans were very successful in interrogating people...and had patience.
Personally....I’d rather measure Mukasey on alot of legal situations in the US than drag out this whole torture subject. Most folks in the south have higher topics on the list that they’d prefer answered than Gitmo questions.
I was thinking of this line from the top of the blog, Mudville Gazette:
“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
You can see it here: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/
“there should be NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION of interogation techniques”
Are you quoting Stalin?
When you let your enemies know your methods, they train against them. They know they’re not going to die or be hurt and they percivere.
U.S. Defense and Intell services have plenty of oversight and clear rules to follow.
Security services are most effective when they are not known.
We don’t publicize Presidential security methods, Bank Security methods, or details of Military security methods, because it exposes the weak and vulnerable areas.
The liberals don’t care about America’s security.
They would rather pretend that Classification is in place to hide wicked objectives, and use that lie to gain power.
Then you can find out what it’s like to live under “Stalin”.
PERSEVERE!!!!!
Forgot spell check...
no coffee yet.
BUMP!
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