Torture memos

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by Redux

I think she was also taking about the Reagan DoJ that prosecuted a Texas sheriff and deputies for waterboarding.

Yes. I actually cited 3 different references, I believe, this was one of them.

And waterboarding is waterboarding. It suffocates you. You lose consciousness. You have the fear you are drowning. The fact that the Japanese did other things in addition to waterboarding means nothing.

If you are in the hands of someone you trust, as in a demonstration or training situation, then mentally you know you will be OK because you know nothing bad is going to happen to you. In the case of being in the custody of an enemy, or a prison guard, the psychology is different. You fear for your life, because you DON'T know that, ultimately, you are safe. According to the definition of torture, that applies.