tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post5819691405256978243..comments2023-12-16T16:50:25.810-08:00Comments on The Heart of the Matter: Why Won’t Senator Feinstein Call Torture Torture?Barry Eislerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-25991916269523849092014-03-20T14:30:08.732-07:002014-03-20T14:30:08.732-07:00The interrogation practices described in the Army ... The interrogation practices described in the Army appendix seem pretty low-key to me, by comparison with things like waterboarding, electric shock, etc. Putting aside the oft-cited but rarely-realistic "ticking time bomb" excuse for using drastic measures, I would ask: what interrogation techniques are acceptable? To our side, that is; the other side has very few qualms about what they subject their prisoners (our people) to. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05331368761887080168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-81993099334604930332014-03-13T02:16:41.788-07:002014-03-13T02:16:41.788-07:00Regardless of whether their elves are prowling the...Regardless of whether their elves are prowling the Internet, I hope this posting is brought to the attention of Sen. Feinstein and Pres. Obama. They need to see this and act for the people…finally.Don Bayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00814709778927449921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-91622517549611363142014-03-12T09:02:23.437-07:002014-03-12T09:02:23.437-07:00Jorn, apologies -- I inadvertently deleted your co...Jorn, apologies -- I inadvertently deleted your comment because I didn't know what you meant by square/scare, and that plus the link made it look like spam. Just realized you were pointing out a typo (square quotes rather than scare quotes, now corrected). Thanks for that and again, apologies. Here's the comment:<br /><br />Jorn has left a new comment on your post "Why Won’t Senator Feinstein Call Torture Torture?": <br /><br />square/scare http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001780.html Barry Eislerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-76176839253488448512014-03-12T08:32:04.782-07:002014-03-12T08:32:04.782-07:00Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Jeff (Valtin), g...Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Jeff (Valtin), great point and familiar as I am with your work, I should have thought to say so myself. Even David Brooks (!) recently wrote an op-ed acknowledging that long-term isolation is a form of torture, and that psychological pain can be every bit as torturous as the physical variety.<br /><br />It's possible that if the details of the Senate report are gruesome (that is, accurate) enough, consciousness will be raised not just about things like waterboarding, but about the more insidious practices permitted by Appendix M, as well. Of course, the far better way of achieving the same goal would be simply to enforce our existing laws. With Obama, Holder, Feinstein et al running the show, I can't say I expect that will ever happen.Barry Eislerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-24340513438731343432014-03-11T23:05:31.798-07:002014-03-11T23:05:31.798-07:00Great article, Barry, but I do have a quibble.
Yo...Great article, Barry, but I do have a quibble.<br /><br />You wrote, "If Feinstein or anyone else is serious about ensuring America never again engages in institutional torture..."<br /><br />But actually, the US does still practice institutional torture via its Army Field Manual, and especially its Appendix M. One effect of all the concentration on the CIA and its own program, is that attention skips over the ways in which a torture program centered around use of isolation, sleep and sensory deprivation, manipulation of fears, manipulation of environment and diet, inculcation of hopelessness and helplessness ("Futility") and use of drugs -- all of which is allowed in the Army Field Manual -- continues unabated.<br /><br />The current use of torture, based on long-studied psychological forms of torture, was instituted by Obama via executive order as THE rules by which interrogation is practiced.<br /><br />For more, readers can see my recent Guardian column: http://t.co/uxRs94IaUJValtinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07427976389098964420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-54950724486189328952014-03-11T19:38:03.632-07:002014-03-11T19:38:03.632-07:00She should admit it is torture. Hear her whole spe...She should admit it is torture. Hear her whole speech here: Here is a link to the whole speech: <a href="http://youtu.be/JqPWNKMuhYo" rel="nofollow">Senator Feinstein on the Intel Committee's CIA Detention, Interrogation Report</a> and see what they did to this victim of CIA torture.Representative Presshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09958518516826154703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-46219741174687910582014-03-11T17:55:32.462-07:002014-03-11T17:55:32.462-07:00I sincerely hope that Feinstein doesn't run fi...I sincerely hope that Feinstein doesn't run fir re-election. She has stayed too long at the fair.Left Coast Oraclehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13959632567667684191noreply@blogger.com