And so it went Friday morning when WLS radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller decided to subject himself to the controversial practice of waterboarding live on his show . “I want to find out if it’s torture,” Mancow told his listeners Friday morning, adding that he hoped his on-air test would help prove that waterboarding did not, in fact, constitute torture. Listeners had the chance to decide whether Mancow himself or his co-host, Chicago radio personality Pat Cassidy, would undergo the interrogation method during the broadcast. The voters ultimately decided Mancow would be the one donning the soaked towel and shackles, and at about 8:40 a.m., he entered a small storage room next to his studio that was compared to a “dungeon” by Cassidy.
“The average person can take this for 14 seconds,” Marine Sergeant Clay South answered, adding, “He’s going to wiggle, he’s going to scream, he’s going to wish he never did this.” With a Chicago Fire Department paramedic on hand, Mancow was placed on a 7-foot long table, his legs were elevated, and his feet were tied up.
Turns out the stunt wasn’t so funny. Witnesses said Muller thrashed on the table, and even instantly threw the toy cow he was holding as his emergency tool to signify when he wanted the experiment to stop. He only lasted 6 or 7 seconds…..
“It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that’s no joke,”Mancow said, likening it to a time when he nearly drowned as a child. “It is such an odd feeling to have water poured down your nose with your head back…It was instantaneous…and I don’t want to say this: absolutely torture.”“I wanted to prove it wasn’t torture,” Mancow said. “They cut off our heads, we put water on their face…I got voted to do this but I really thought ‘I’m going to laugh this off.’ ” Last year, Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens endured the same experiment — and came to a similar conclusion. The conservative writer said he found the treatment terrifying, and was haunted by it for months afterward.
Hey, at least he had the guts to try. Sean, Rush, Dick… we’re waiting.
My girlfriend used to do this to me.. I sure do miss her.. *sniff*
Alfred
Its irrelevant it feels like torture…its not torture, its a harsh interrogation method that works because it feels like torture…
But isn’t.
You talking about Electro-Shock Torture on the genitalia right.
No permanent harm no foul… that your logic?
Reading your posts is Torture. I can only hope some of what you read here sinks in.
As far as I can tell if you are a Christian you are going to your idea of hell unless you get to repenting very soon. The end is near get busy
War if for the violent. If you disklike violence, stay the hell away from it. Sure torture is un avoidable at an individual level, but it shouldn’t be institutionally tolerated. Because if it’s tolerated we’ll have to decide what other methods are tolerable, and if 12 years old is old enough to be the victim, or if a pregnant woman can take it or not. Just prohibit it and keep a couple of sadists close by for emergencies.
EvilPoliticians said
Unfortunately, there is a dilemma. What would you do if you knew the captive 100% knew the disarming code for a nuclear bomb about to be set off in NYC?
Torture the Mossad agent that planted it.
THE PROBLEM HERE IS FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE..
These are independent cells..
there is NO time lines, EXCEPT IN THE CELL.
there is VERY LITTLE communication to OTHER, or OTHER CELLS..
FEW in the group KNOW what MAY/MIGHT happen until near the end.
The MAIN leaders, give ideas, and let the groups DO as needed and what is Quick and easy..
there are FEW time lines, and FEW REAL plans, there are only objectives, and sometimes NO PLAN of attack(how to do it).
so telling anyone WHAT is to happen, and NOT WHEN, REALLY dont help.
If they are SMART. they will lay low until things arent so crazy. THEN HIT AGAIN..
UNTIL that time, WE BECOME PARANOID.
#39, Uncle P.,
RE #15,
Very well written comment. I thank you sir for posting that.
For all those who parse their words trying to find justification for torturing (ie. “enhanced interrogation”, geeze you are a sick bunch.
Alphie, you have an excuse. You are just an idiot, completely unable to think for yourself. You follow your hero, Boss Limpdick as if he were a god.
Lyin’ Mike, Why don’t you volunteer to be waterboarded. Then we’ll let you decide. Just for yourself. It might be a little uncomfortable, but you can be the Judge.
thegreygeek, How do you KNOW it was only done to three people? The CIA destroyed all the evidence except for witnesses coming forward now. Previously released Guantanamo prisoners have all said they were tortured.
RSweeny, yes, and the Japanese were prosecuted, as were the Nazis for torturing and other crimes against humanity.
RBG, how would you like to be tortured after YOU surrendered. Maybe, you would really like to feel a bullet coursing through YOUR gut in order to extract information. In my opinion though, you should really get a life and seriously start thinking about the ramifications of what you write. Sort of a “put brain in gear before putting fingers in motion”.
EvilPoliticians, if someone is not a POW, that means they are covered under criminal law. Both, criminal law, along with military law (including the Geneva Conventions) forbid torture. Under the Geneva Convention, torturing civilians is prosecuted as a Crime Against Humanity.
‘dro, still playing the asshole. It’s OK, I understand the history of your country as well as so many nations in your region. Your favorite caudillos . Torture is nothing new to so many of the regimes you would support.
You know we a doomed to loose in any war with Islam and we are at war with Islam. The Progressive Anti-Religious government now in place and without the general culture has placed at war with Islam. It’s the sex crazed all invasive culture promoted by the Left/Socialsit/Communist Demoncrats that has brought into conflict with the Muslims and it’s the same people that have doomed us to be conquered by the Muslims and become Dhimmi.
Christianity will survive and will triumph in the end, but the only that will survive of the Demoncrats is the smell as they morph into a Aristocratic Totalitarian governing class that they work so hard to imitate today.
Welcome to the dawn of the new Dark Age…….
Whatever…..
Traaxx
Torture is political ventriloquism.
Cool with that?
I was in Beirut in Oct 1983. I helped dig up dead Marines from a barracks bombing. It’s the closest I want to get to war.
That being said, I still don’t believe in torture to get information that may or may not exist.
Waterboarding is torture. If it isn’t, why aren’t we using it to get confessions out of suspected murderers in the states?
If we allow the definition of torture to exclude the use of waterboarding, it will soon be used in police stations around this country. After all, it would be harmless, right? It doesn’t fall under cruel and unusual punishment, right?
#9 #10 I’d pay good money to do this to Hannity, even just to see it done to him. They ought to line up all those tough talking pussies at Faux news and waterboard the lot of them.
Finally, an economic recovery idea from Republicans – a new water park theme.
This should now bring bipartisan support for that infrastructure spending bill.
Dear Stupid Blowhard Conservatives,
Instead of having yourself tortured for seven seconds, you might want to keep the following in mind for future reference:
Any time you physically or mentally assault a helpless prisoner and convince them they or their loved ones are about to suffer grievous bodily harm or death if they don’t tell you something, anything to stop you – that’s torture.
Waterboarding yourself is not entirely necessary – or very bright – but please feel free to go ahead and do it if you’re convinced you must.
#48 Insightful…they are tyrants…they cannot stand any dissent from their lunacy…
The feeling of being morally superior is the main ingrediant of the kool aid they are drunk on..
And it is precisely that which will lead to a totalitarianism just as bad as any alleged “theocracy”:
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.- C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock
>If it isn’t, why aren’t we using it to get confessions out of suspected murderers in the states?
Because brutal treatments aren’t allowed. We aren’t allowed to throw suspects against the wall to get a confession either.
>… and Mancow wasn’t even convinced that they would kidnap his wife and kids and do this to them. (unlike the Guantanamo detainees)
So now that is torture? What is the difference between that and telling a criminal suspect that if they don’t confess, give up a ringleader, etc., they (or their relative caught on another crime) will be given the death penalty?
The terms “enemy combatant” and “harsh interrogation” are made up phrases by the Bush administration to justify what they have done.
#5 “Three, thats 3 nutcases were waterboarded shortly after 9/11 and it worked.”
#30 “Its irrelevant it feels like torture…its not torture, its a harsh interrogation method that works because it feels like torture…”
Where the hell are you guys getting this information that torture worked? ITS A LIE!!
Torture will get you a confession all right, but not the truth. None of the torture at Guantanamo came up with decent intel on anything.
This is what torture does: http://dvorak.org/blog/2007/03/15/new-and-sudden-confession-of-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-aka-fat-tony-says-he-is-responsible-for-pretty-much-everything/
#22
> The war against Santa Ana was entered
> into more or less reluctantly, and
> the Civil War was entered into
> (by the Union, at least) involuntarily.
You mean the war was entered into involuntarily by the Confederates. It was the South that was invaded, not the North. The South simply seceded; it was the North that decided that action merited military action.
#53
> Any time you physically or mentally
> assault a helpless prisoner and convince
> them they or their loved ones are about
> to suffer grievous bodily harm or death
> if they don’t tell you something,
> anything to stop you – that’s torture.
The problem with that statement is that it is naive and leaves quite a bit of grey area. I don’t like Brittney Spears’ music. If I was forced to listen to Brittney Spears until I provided some information is that torture? At what point does it merit being called a “mental assault”? What exactly is the line where discomfort become torture?
Let’s look at the second part: telling the victim that their family will be subjected to grievous harm. Lying to a victim is not torture. Jailors are not obligated to be honest and upfront with those that are captured.
The camel jammers attacked America first for no reason then slowly cut the heads off captured Americans. ’nuff said.
There’s only 2 acceptable responses. Question enemy combatants however necessary. Nuke the entire region. NOTHING else is acceptable – so choose.
I always thought waterboarding WAS torture. I would respect the Neo-cons if they would admit this, as they should, and THEN debate whether or not it should be allowed.
Here’s the full video: