How far do we go to keep America safe?...

[LOsborne]

Would you waterboard a terrorist to save thousands of American lives?.....

Your basic premise is a fallacy. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times. No American lives were saved as a result. Aside from the gut-level ick factor, torture is too time consuming. True Believers always give us the "ticking bomb" analogy, where we must torture the location of the nuke out of the terrorist in the next thirty minutes. If the terrorist knows he only has to hold out thirty minutes, he'll do it. The more creative of them will drag many red herrings across the radar for our Rambos to go haring off after, while the clock ticks down. There is no real way to test the truth of anything revealed under torture. The Inquisition taught us that.

And if time isn't of desperate importance, why not interrogate with some trusty psychological methods that we know will work, given enough time? I still think you bloodthirsty pro-torture Torquemadas just want to punish someone. I think you get off on the idea. Talk about an ICK factor!

[pariann]

I can't believe that supposedly civilized people even consider torture.

[followsthewolf]

Well, ya know it worked so well during the Salem witch trials.

Found lots of them there baaaaaaad wimmmens.

Alls it tooks was a few stones set right there on them females, er mebbe a dunkin' tank -- kinda like waterboardin' ya know.

Yep. Rooted them witches right out -- they corn-fessed.

[pariann]

My mother tortured us....spankings until someone confessed.  Sometimes, I would confess just so it would stop.  It was a lie.....so I'm guessing torture isn't really a good way to get at the truth.

[DannyBoy]

Torture is BS, should never have happened.  However, now that it has.....I think it was a very bad idea for Obama to bring this public and let it play out for the whole world to see.  This is going to drag on a be an ugly mess.  Sooner or later, some of our troops are going to get tagged.  They are the ones who will pay the price (again).  We'll be shocked but have no defense to stand on because we did it too.

I'm not saying to sweep this under the rug, but going public.....no good can come from this. 

What are we going to do, convict Bush and Cheaney, and put them up in a country club 'prison'.  Where does it start and stop.....fugly fugly fugly.

[LOsborne]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the "straw man" fallacy, but for those who aren't here is a quick explanation:

1. Person A has position X.
2. Person B presents position Y.
3. Person B attacks position Y.
4. Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.

Henry has given us a textbook example of the straw man fallacy.

[Henry Hawk]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the "straw man" fallacy, but for those who aren't here is a quick explanation:

1. Person A has position X.
2. Person B presents position Y.
3. Person B attacks position Y.
4. Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.

Henry has given us a textbook example of the straw man fallacy.

you can call it whatever........it is just food for thought.........that is ALL i meant it to be....nothing more ...nothing less

[Exterminator]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

[Henry Hawk]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

not until they fly planes into buildings and cut off the heads of our soldiers.

[Exterminator]

I can't believe that supposedly civilized people even consider torture.

You've answered your own question; these aren't civilized people, they're animals.

[Exterminator]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

not until they fly planes into buildings and cut off the heads of our soldiers.

Based on your logic, the Romans were perfectly justified in torturing Jesus...they were only trying to preserve their way of life and using him as an example.  He deserved what he got for questioning their authority.

[Henry Hawk]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

not until they fly planes into buildings and cut off the heads of our soldiers.

Based on your logic, the Romans were perfectly justified in torturing Jesus...they were only trying to preserve their way of life and using him as an example.  He deserved what he got for questioning their authority.

very lame attempt....

[Exterminator]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

not until they fly planes into buildings and cut off the heads of our soldiers.

Based on your logic, the Romans were perfectly justified in torturing Jesus...they were only trying to preserve their way of life and using him as an example.  He deserved what he got for questioning their authority.

very lame attempt....

Nope, not at all, douche, it's either justified in preserving your way of life or it's not...no middle ground.

[Henry Hawk]

yet many of you think waterboarding a known terrorist is absolute horrible torture and completely immoral..but pulling baby's head out of mother, sucking brain out with long needle is acceptable alternative to contraception....

Hey, those people are only trying to preserve their way of life; you couldn't possibly have a problem with that?

not until they fly planes into buildings and cut off the heads of our soldiers.

Based on your logic, the Romans were perfectly justified in torturing Jesus...they were only trying to preserve their way of life and using him as an example.  He deserved what he got for questioning their authority.

very lame attempt....

Nope, not at all, douche, it's either justified in preserving your way of life or it's not...no middle ground.

Just for arguments sake........Jesus was telling the truth...that's is all he did.....

you really need a vaction or something...because your logic is not TOO logical...

[Exterminator]

Just for arguments sake........Jesus was telling the truth...that's is all he did.....

For all you know, the people being waterboarded were telling the truth as well.

you really need a vaction or something...because your logic is not TOO logical...

Just because you're too dim-witted to understand something doesn't mean it isn't logical.