Dean’s Esmay raises the question of torturing Hairy Boy Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, and rejects it. I have to say that I’m all in favor of torturing Hairy Boy, up to the point where the torture limits the amount of useful intelligence we can get from the Pathetic One. Electric shocks on the balls, fine; water torture, splendid; slivers under the fingernails, AOK; endless repetitions of Rod Stewart albums, groovy; West Wing reruns, spiffy; Ron Jeremy porn, totally cool; Berkeley City Council meetings, good; and best of all, reading dead Islamic scholars writings on Aristotle and religious tolerance would be commendable. But if he starts to scream and go into shock, back off because we shouldn’t let having a good time get in the way of the War on Terra.
The scum deserves no compassion, of course.
For me it’s less about giving a shit about this man — I’m all for executing him — but rather, I simply don’t like the embrace of sadism.
It seems to be a moot point. The law clearly disallows it, and most seem to agree that physical mutilation/severe pain is ineffective anyway, and that there are much more effective means available.
So I don’t suppose it’s that much to worry about. But I’ll keep speaking against the use of capital “T” Torture anyway. I don’t like what it would do to us as a nation to go ahead and accept something like that. Does that make me conservative, or liberal on the matter? Well actually, yes, both.
Apparently isolation works better than torture for getting information, but it does take all the fun out of having a scum like this in custody. Solitary confinement for life is fine by me.