Community | May 03, 2011 | 18 comments

Does the Death of Osama justify torture ? you decide... :Washington's Blog

source: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/

There's a new meme widely circulating today claiming that torture was okay after all, because it helped us locate and kill Bin Laden. See this, this, this and this.

As ABC News notes:

The revelation that intelligence gleaned from the CIA's so-called black sites helped kill bin Laden was seen as vindication for many intelligence officials who have been repeatedly investigated and criticized for their involvement in a program that involved the harshest interrogation methods in U.S. history.

"We got beat up for it, but those efforts led to this great day," said Marty Martin, a retired CIA officer who for years led the hunt for bin Laden.

But as ABC notes in the next paragraph:

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, leaving it once again up for debate as to whether the harsh technique was a valuable tool or an unnecessarily violent tactic.

Reuters points out:

But the possibility that detainees who at some point were subjected to physical coercion later gave up information leading to bin Laden's discovery is sparking discussion among intelligence experts as to whether he could have been found without them.

"It will reignite a debate that hasn't gone away about the morality and ethicacy of certain techniques," said Richard Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Interlude-(I'm taking this moment to say , if i have to look at another Osama article thats the same article repackaged or is just rumor mongering and conspiracy hack jobs with not so inventive title's either (blah blah blah , at least do informative and insightful one's please!) I'm gonna find you and eat your rotten little soul like a boiled egg... k - and so .. more on this article at added link! with massive links to the meme the files and so much more enjoy this very well done journalism blog -G.Figgdimension
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  2. tags:
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18 comments // Does the Death of Osama justify torture ? you decide... :Washington's Blog

  • GENERALNATTY
    • 0
      GENERALNATTY  

    • The opposition to torture is a human rights issue , its not about its effectiveness , although people who are opposed to it will try to tell you its completely ineffective but thats a load of horseshit.
      The problem is that the idea of the moral wrong of torture has been reset , it was a sacrifice i hope , they wont have to regret in the future.

    • 1 year ago
  • bigredkev
    • 0
      bigredkev  

    • Even though we both speak the same language, it's amazing how there are some subtle differences between American-English and proper English:

      You say "sidewalk" we say "pavement"

      You say "pants" we say "trousers"

      You say "buried at sea" we say "naked and chained to a metal bed frame with a car battery connected to his bollocks whilst being beaten for answers"

    • 1 year ago
  • Richard_Wyatt
  • Leen61
    • +2
      Leen61  
    • Image

    • Does the Death of Osama justify torture? No. Never did, never will. There's never been any proof that supports the conclusion that torture provides any actionable intelligence. I think Michael Moore's link speaks volumes on how this country has lost it's moral compass.

      http://www.michaelmoore.com/

    • 1 year ago
  • guitar1100
  • Jeremy_Benson
  • sammykatz
    • +2
      sammykatz  

    • Torture does not add to intel gathering: Not only is it morally reprehensible, torture violates the Geneva Conventions and puts our troops in harms way.

    • 1 year ago
  • noxidereus
    • +3
      noxidereus  

    • The only thing requiring justification is the fact that this question is actually being asked.

      I have a query of my own:

      Is it too late for us? Are we too far gone to ever hope for our country to regain a sense of reality? of humanity? of decency?

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
    • +2
      timetide  
    • noxidereus:

      did ya hear, 57% of people below the age of 30 think bribing is an appropiate way to get ahead in the world. i'm thinking Bush did more to screw up my generation than the previous one thought.

    • 1 year ago
  • rustyred
    • +1
      rustyred  
    • Image
    • noxidereus:

      Jeez, I hope not. Something's got to give. But, becoming a right-wing conservative who wrap themselves in the American flag, our Founding Fathers, Big Business, white supremacy, fuck the poor, ad nauseam is not the answer. We need to move forward not backward.

    • 1 year ago
  • rustyred
  • figgdimension
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • figgdimension
  • moodyblue
    • +4
      moodyblue  

    • uh.. no. It doesn't work. Torture is not something a civilized society does.

      Should be repeated for all those who dont read for comprehension and will gloss over this little bit of information.

      "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"

    • 1 year ago
  • figgdimension
  • figgdimension
  • figgdimension
figgdimension
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