There is a big difference in the opinions of the GOP candidates
concerning waterboarding. Some feel it is illegal torture, some say they would implement this procedure if in the white house.

I think anything that puts the fear of god in you (so to speak) is a form of terrorism and torture.

What say you?

I don't think it is as bad keelhauling.


Keelhauling was a type of naval punishment in the 17th and 18th century. Although officially only the Dutch Navy practiced it, under the name of kielhalen. Keelhauling is a brutal form of corporal punishment which involves dragging the offender underwater from one side of a ship to the other. In a period when the word of the ship captain was law, keelhauling was only one in a variety of unpleasant punishment tactics which could easily kill a sailor.

Keelhauling first appeared in 1560, when a Dutch ordinance outlined the practice and the offenses for which it could be used. Other maritime powers including Britain adopted the practice as well, although it began to be phased out in the 1700s. The Dutch Navy did not ban keelhauling until 1853, when a more humane era of sailing frowned on the practice.

When a sailor was keelhauled, he would be stripped and tied so that he could not swim. Usually a weight was attached to his legs to pull him away from the ship. The sailor was attached to a rope which ran underwater from one side of the ship to the other, and he was rapidly pulled through the water. Assuming the sailor did not usually drown, he would severely injured by extremely sharp barnacles on the underside of the ship, known as the keel. Keelhauling would leave severe scars on the flesh of the sailor, serving as a constant reminder of the event.

I do not know what waterboarding is as I am fairly apolitical, but yes fear is a tactic used by despots & criminals who cannot gain cooperation because they are hurting/harming

so anything/anyone that instills fear is a form of terrorism in my opinion also

Well that can be used for anything then. My parents say if I don't get good grades I will be punished. I am scared of being punished = terrorism. Lawyers say if I don't confess and get convicted I could get the death penalty= terrorism. ETC. See how that doesn't work? Some people are afraid of what the Presidents policies are doing to this country. Does that make the president a terrorist? I don't think so but by your definition its a yes.

it's torture.
completely useless.
the end.

It's not even close to torture.

I like watreboarding its fun.........kind of like skiing but on a waterboard instead..........how is that torture??? Anyways, not sure what the other method of waterboarding is or what it consists of.....until that is explained I am not sure.......methods of torture through centuries old tacits of war have been used to elicit information from enemy troops in order to turn the tides of war.....has it worked? yes it has.......has it ended wars that could have lasted longer killing way more people than already hurt maimed and killed yes it has.......is it humane? no......do I agree with it.....am completely unsure

what i say is of little cosequence. we have laws because we all rarely agree on what should and should not be. having said that, i think where aggressive interrogation ends and torture begins is not well defined in a legal or a moral/ethical sense. waterboarding is extremely uncomfortable and terrifying, so i here anyway, but so can depravation of sleep which is a common interrogation technique. neither does permanent physical harm. i would not want to be calling the shots when it came to interrogating a suspect when the information sought would be in the interest of saving lives. but i can see that tough choices are often presented to interrogators and policies regarding such tactics should be decided by people more informed than myself. fortunately, though not perfect, we have a fair representative republic as our governing system in america and my view is we mostly, not always, take the moral and ethical path when it comes to things like this. good enough for government work you might say.

YES

I never heard of waterboarding so I had to google it. It certainly would seem like torture to me.

Water boarding as it is currently described involves strapping a person to an inclined board, with his feet raised and his head lowered. The interrogators bind the person's arms and legs so he can't move at all, and they cover his face. In some descriptions, the person is gagged, and some sort of cloth covers his nose and mouth; in others, his face is wrapped in cellophane. The interrogator then repeatedly pours water onto the person's face. Depending on the exact setup, the water may or may not actually get into the person's mouth and nose; but the physical experience of being underneath a wave of water seems to be secondary to the psychological experience. The person's mind believes he is drowning, and his gag reflex kicks in.

Really surprised you had never heard of waterboarding.(Will I have to put up a thread called... If Canadians Knew...lol) Some reporter from this side of the planet tried to prove that it wasn't all the bad and volunteered to undergo an experiment ...he lasted 9/10 seconds and he wasn't bound. By the way there was no cellophane involved just a towel..you are actually drowning as such.

Torture.....without a doubt.

Guess us Canadian were in the pub having a beer when all that went on.

IT'S TORTURE!

I wish they would have made Sean Wannabe (Fox) get waterboarded when he said on national TV that it wasn't torture and he would do it for charity! *****! Never went thru with it and shut up quick after the Vanity Fair article on it.

They waterboarded Christopher Hitchens who wasnt even inclined with his head lower than his feet, no cellophane. He lasted about 20 seconds.....

http://punditfight.blogspot.com/2009/04/watch-christopher-hitchens-volunteer-to.html

Id forgotten it was him ... another right wing nut Christopher Hitchens

Yep, but at least he had the balls to do it, Hannity chickened out!

You'll also notice in the vid that they only poured a little at a time too. The real deal they pour about a quart at a time, continualy, one after the other.

Yes ...fair play to Hitchens

I would pay decent money to see Hannity get the real treatment

Line em all up from Faux....Murdock (we might find out more than we want to), Hannity (just because he needs it), O'Rielly (maybe more deserving than Hannity for obvious reasons), and all the rest (other than Judge Nep)!

Then add Dick Donald George and Colon Codi Paul etc etc

Water boarding is considered torture under International Law...Obama banned it in in the US in 2009...It really didn't get much press here in the states until 2004 when it was made public that it was allegedly used in 02 and 03 by the Bush administration as a means of interrogating three suspected a-Qaeda terrorists.....In 02, The US Legal Counsel did write a memorandum which concluded water boarding was NOT torture and could be used for interrogation purposes...Does that make it right? Probably not...I am hard put to choose a side on this one because after 9/11, the game changed.....Those like Herman Cain, Governor Perry, and Michele Bachman who state unequivocally they would reinstate it if they were elected may not be in the majority, but at least they are being up front about it and I am sure they have access to more facts than I do or ever will have...In all honesty, if I was ever in a position where I had to make a choice and I was convinced American lives were at stake and I could save those lives, I would use any means I could to get the information I needed to protect innocent citizens.....PLEASE DON'T WATER BOARD ME!!!

So anyone arrested can be waterboarded for information? Do you have any idea how many people are arrested under the "Patriot Act" guidelines each year? They can lable ANYONE a terrorist they see fit, invade their home (without a warrant), no due process, no lawyer, no rights....and you want to allow waterboarding too?

Forgive me..... haven't we given, or should I say, haven't they TAKEN enough of our liberties, freedoms and rights already?

What next? Warrantless executions?

Forgot, Obummer already did that!