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The unholy myth that torture ‘works’
Washington Post ^ | May 4, 2011 | by Susan Brooks Thistlethwank

Posted on 05/04/2011 8:52:21 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

The torture apologists are at it again, trying to perpetuate the unholy untruth that “interrogation of high-value targets” (torture) helped “give us victory” and thus yet again try to insinuate that it is justified. It doesn’t work, it didn’t help us one wit in getting bin Laden, and it is never justified. We cannot let torture apologists get any traction again on this corrupt myth.

But they are trying. Liz Cheney and others at the Keep America Safe Foundation got out a quick statement following President Obama’s announcement of the successful operation against Osama bin Laden. The balance of their argument is that this “victory” was due in larger part to our “intelligence services who, through their interrogation of high-value detainees, developed the information that apparently led us to bin Laden.” President Obama’s leadership in this daring effort against terrorism isn’t even mentioned.

How quickly they come back out of the woodwork, the torture apologists. Jane Mayer, the author of The Dark Side: How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals has said, “It may have taken nearly a decade to find and kill Osama bin Laden, but it took less than twenty-four hours for torture apologists to claim credit for his downfall,” citing the Keep American Safe Foundation statement.

Much has been made of ”getting the courier’s name” from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was waterboarded 183 times. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), for example, said earlier this week that we obtained information “about the courier…obtained that information through waterboarding…vital information which directly led us to bin Laden.” In fact, as experts have noted, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed did not reveal the courier’s name that led the U.S. to bin Laden under torture. He gave up those names many months later under standard interrogation.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
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To: Will88
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed did not reveal the names while being subjected to the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, former officials said. He identified them many months later under standard interrogation, they said,

KSM refused to talk or say anything until he was broken via weatherboarding. Once he was broken he talked for months after weatherboarding. 
 IOW weatherboarding was the key and the Obama-bots are lying, spinning and deflecting and refusing to credit Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld

61 posted on 05/04/2011 10:40:51 AM PDT by dennisw (NZT - "works better if you're already smart")
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
“Didn’t help us one wit in getting Bin Laden.”

Don't they have editors at the WP? Nitwhits...

62 posted on 05/04/2011 10:50:25 AM PDT by DJ Frisat (How's that change workin' out for ya, Obama voters?)
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To: dennisw

The statement you copied forward is from the article, not from me.


63 posted on 05/04/2011 10:51:16 AM PDT by Will88
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

64 posted on 05/04/2011 12:30:23 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: kcvl

65 posted on 05/04/2011 12:39:37 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: allmendream

“Excuse me miss, is that a thistle you’re wanking?”


66 posted on 05/04/2011 12:53:41 PM PDT by JaguarXKE
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To: JaguarXKE

“... you know how to thistle don’t you; just put your lips together and blow.”


67 posted on 05/04/2011 1:19:40 PM PDT by allmendream (Tea Party did not send the GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism.)
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To: allmendream

“Just thistle while you wank...”


68 posted on 05/04/2011 1:28:34 PM PDT by JaguarXKE
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Where did this “torture doesn’t work” meme come from? Is there ANY, I mean one SHRED of empirical evidence to support their claim? If it doesn’t work, why have rulers continued to use it down through the ages?


69 posted on 05/04/2011 1:33:55 PM PDT by ichabod1 (Hail Mary Full of Grace, The Lord Is With Thee...)
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To: US Navy Vet

Every time one of these articles about how supposed ineffective torture is I’m ROTFLMAO.

Any one who comes from a multi-sibling family knows that even the modest “torture” or coercion inflicted by a sib nearly always works. Boys or girls makes no difference, we’ve done or had it done to us in some fashion or another when mom an dad weren’t around.

The only gold plated rule is that damn near everyone can be broken. Ask anyone who survived the Soviets, NAZIs, STASI, Red Chinese, Viet Cong, Khmer Rouge et al.

Ms. Thistlewank is no doubt a cosseted and over indulged only child who never experienced the sibling wars and has only the movies, TV, and liberal hand-wringing whining ineffectual parents which formed her world view.

In Ms. Thistlewank’s case, I suspect a modest verbal assault on her over-inflated and unwarranted high sense of self-esteem and the threat of with holding FaceBook privileges would suffice for her to give up her nearest and dearest.


70 posted on 05/04/2011 2:11:20 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Does the Washington Post ever print anything that’s true?


71 posted on 05/04/2011 2:28:06 PM PDT by RoadTest (Organized religion is no substitute for the relationship the living God wants with you.)
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