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- Paramnesia, on 07/10/2008, -8/+145Dugg for giving it a go and having the courage to change his position.
- HuskyPuzzle, on 07/09/2008, -4/+119And if he says "believe me, it's torture" after ONLY TEN SECONDS --then it must be pretty bad. They do that to people for hours at a time..
- alapoet, on 07/08/2008, -9/+103I'm glad Hitchens decided he had to go through this. One hopes he'll be a little more empathetic in the future. But somehow I doubt it.
- JasonWyatt, on 07/08/2008, -11/+59Its so nice when these blowhards actually realize the error of their ways.
- tempurasama, on 07/10/2008, -14/+60I am very surprised. Not at waterboarding, anybody with even a small amount of imagination knows it's torture. I'm surprised at the hate Hitchens is receiving from Digg. Hitchens wrote one of the greatest atheist book I've ever read, "God is not Great". I actually think he wrote an atheistic book as good, if not better, than Dawkins' book, which I also adored, "the God Delusion". Hitchens is extremely critical of all religions, and save his utter most hatred for Christianity and Islam. Sure, he has align himself with the right wing, but anybody has read his book knows he does not share the same sentiment as any neocon, and he himself is no neocon. Whatever alignment he finds with the right, I'm sure he arrived at it from an intellectual stand point, rather than blindly buying into whatever lies Fox news feed into the air everyday. We may not agree with some of his beliefs, but we cannot dismiss Hitchens as anything less than an intellectual equal, if not superior. If I am missing something, digg me down, but educate me first. I admire Hitchens as a human being, and as an intellectual.
- MacBookForMe, on 07/08/2008, -18/+54I don't need to try that waterboarding...I know that's just a terrible torture ):
p.s.
I would love to test it on VP :) - buckygrad, on 07/10/2008, -3/+38There is doubt it's torture? I suppose if you thought waterboarding involved a boat and a lake...
- Flytrap, on 07/10/2008, -2/+36It does not matter whether its in a Syrian underground prison, an American secret prison or an Al Queada desert camp... It is still torture!
The only difference is that we do not expect Al Queada to pay any credence to the rule of international law (that is why we refer to them as terrorists and not liberation fighters), but we do expect America and Syria to adhere to international rules, norms and conventions in this respect. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -1/+34http://youtube.com/watch?v=4LPubUCJv58
thanks the video - stfucupcake, on 07/09/2008, -7/+33It seems no matter what proof is offered or testimony is presented, that the right-wing dillweeds in Washington will never admit that they were wrong and/or change interrogation policies.
- anachronaut, on 07/10/2008, -4/+30"we're using methods we would have condemned if they were used by an enemy"
That's really the only quote that mattered to me -- a simple, eloquent reminder of America's ongoing hypocrisy and rampant egocentrism on this and other issues.
And to expound on that a bit, this pervasive holier-than-thou attitude on the part of the American government and the American people is absolutely sickening, especially as it's coming from a supposedly Christian-influenced country (I said supposedly!!) which clearly no longer recognizes the value of the Golden Rule -- which is basically the only worthwhile morality that comes from Christianity in the first place, not that the Golden Rule originated in Christianity, of course; it was borrowed like everything else in the religion.
None of that matters to the empathy-impaired, of course... - Rotzooi, on 07/10/2008, -0/+24I think my comment above is being misunderstood. I meant that if Hitchens gives up -not only after just 10 seconds- but also in the knowledge that he is always going to be fine and he is among good people -- imagine how horrible it must be for the detainees who know they are facing American/Syrian torture experts who mean business.
- Waiting2awake, on 07/09/2008, -4/+27There really was never any doubt though. That is the M.O of this gang. Argue, Argue deflect - start a talking point tangentially related hope the people start talking about that instead of the original point - if that doesn't work argue semantics.
It was that way with Saddam
Saddam and AQ
Saddam and WMD
Reasons for the war
The secret prisons
Rendition programs
wire tapping
etc
etc
etc - tempurasama, on 07/10/2008, -1/+21"I can only judge from the reactions I've had so far, including from some people who are supporters of the administration in general on the war on terror who say they agree with me that it's not something that the U.S. should be doing to its prisoners," Hitchens said.
There is "a feeling a line has been crossed, that we're using methods we would have condemned if they were used by an enemy," he added.
Have YOU read the article? How is that NOT realizing the error of his way? - ethornquist, on 07/10/2008, -1/+20More talking heads need to follow Hitchens - put your money where your mouth is (and water will be).
- DreKor, on 07/10/2008, -0/+17You look like a dumb ass. Everyone who posts the whole "It's torture and terrible and nobody should use it. But lets waterboard Bush and Cheney!!1!" is a raging hypocrite.
- bosssmiley, on 07/10/2008, -4/+21Plenty. Let's keep waterboarding them!
Someone throw sacks over Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh next and break out the water hose.
Hey, they say it's not torture, they'll have no ground to object. :-) - FlaNative, on 07/10/2008, -3/+20How can anyone claim water boarding is not torture.
We tried several Japanese military officers for water boarding after WW2;
They were convicted of War Crimes. - stanleyford, on 07/10/2008, -1/+16"They do that to people for hours at a time." -- I suppose I'll get buried for this, but you do yourself and others a disservice when you exaggerate like this. I think the most anyone ever lasts under waterboarding is a few minutes, and I've read that most people who try it last less than a minute.
- illdavey, on 07/10/2008, -8/+21Fair play to him for actually trying it - maybe he'll be less opinionated and irrational in future.
- Waiting2awake, on 07/09/2008, -3/+16Until the America population starts to hold them accountable
Where is the American population? Seriously, there can be no doubt what has been happening - and continuing to happen.... Where are they? Where are all these people that claimed patriotism? Love of Old Glory?
Where? What happened to them? - bosssmiley, on 07/10/2008, -7/+20"It does tons of temporary psychological damage, no physical damage whatsoever."
The torturer's holy grail. - anselm83, on 07/10/2008, -8/+20Good satire, well-played.
- anselm83, on 07/10/2008, -8/+20Neo-con pundits are a dime a dozen. It's the default position for anybody without an empathy gene.
- tempurasama, on 07/10/2008, -0/+12I don't care about what Hitchens think of waterboarding. I'm glad he finally realized the err of his way, but I hardly think one man changing his mind will stop the torture. What I'm concerned about is that people are blindly putting him into the same level as a neocon, and he simply is not. Most people immediately assumes that because he supports the Iraq war, he must embodies everything that is a neocon, I'm trying to argue against that.
Secondly, I'm not sure if your second comment was directed at the likes of me. i hardly consider myself a fanatical atheist. I've arrived to where I am through much reading from a wide variety of authors, and through much interpreting and analyzing of my own. I admire the man, but the admiration does not go any further than a concurrence with his logic. It is okay to admire someone without throwing yourself at their feet. However harsh he may be, he makes a lot of sense in his ways. He does not simply embodies the baser instincts, as his contempt is not unfounded. You may call it intolerance and elitism as well, but you cannot deny his logic, and his knowledge of the very subjects he criticized. This is not a man blindly screams into something he doesn't understand, Which is a favorite past time activity that many many neocon pundits do. This is man who reads, understands, and realizes that the only way to fight fire is with fire. I may not share his enthusiasm, but I don't deny his argument. If you haven't already, you should try to read his book, however annoying you find it is. Maybe you will change your opinion on the man. And yes, it is possible to change your opinion without appearing foolish and wish washy. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+12You should read the overwhelming evidence presented by science, but I suspect you are a science illiterate without the capacity for critical thinking.
- anachronaut, on 07/10/2008, -1/+13Wrong, he's an American citizen.
- monoa, on 07/10/2008, -1/+12As wrong as Hitchens' pro-war stance on the war is, 'blowhard' is not a pejorative you can label him with. He is extremely knowledgeable on the Middle East, Islam and his articulate justification for the war is compelling - provided you do as he does and ignore the massive collateral cost in innocent lives.
- fugazied, on 07/10/2008, -3/+14"Only three terrorism suspects have been waterboarded" , what absolute CRAP.
- sindex, on 07/10/2008, -2/+121. Yes, this has been done before.
2. While you may feel waterboarding is "obviously torture," there is nonetheless great debate on that subject. Therefore any look into it is warranted.
3. All reporters want attention because that's how they make their living.
4. "I really question why he became anti-waterboarding after experiencing it himself. Hasn't he read the testimonials or seen the videos? The excruciating pain is obvious." - And now it's extremely personal to him, and as someone who has defended waterboarding in the past, he has now changed his mind. Coupled with his "attention grabbing" this is welcome news to the waterboarding debate. A vocal supporter of waterboarding has been lost, and that only strengthens the argument that the US should not be doing it.
Hell, have every supporter of waterboarding experience it for themselves. See how many supporters it has then.
If you can't see the validity and potential importance of a vocal supporter of waterboarding becoming a vocal critic of it in the mainstream media, then you are as closed-minded and blind as a neo-con. - an0nymous, on 07/10/2008, -1/+11Have you read the quote by Malcom Nance, a SERE instructor? (it's available here http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/01 ...
"Having been subjected to this technique, I can say: It is risky but not entirely dangerous when applied in training for a very short period. However, when performed on an unsuspecting prisoner, waterboarding is a torture technique - without a doubt. There is no way to sugarcoat it.
In the media, waterboarding is called "simulated drowning," but that's a misnomer. It does not simulate drowning, as the lungs are actually filling with water. There is no way to simulate that. The victim is drowning.
Unless you have been strapped down to the board, have endured the agonizing feeling of the water overpowering your gag reflex, and then feel your throat open and allow pint after pint of water to involuntarily fill your lungs, you will not know the meaning of the word.
How much of this the victim is to endure depends on the desired result (in the form of answers to questions shouted into the victim's face) and the obstinacy of the subject. A team doctor watches the quantity of water that is ingested and for the physiological signs that show when the drowning effect goes from painful psychological experience, to horrific suffocating punishment to the final death spiral.
Waterboarding is slow-motion suffocation with enough time to contemplate the inevitability of blackout and expiration. Usually the person goes into hysterics on the board. For the uninitiated, it is horrifying to watch. If it goes wrong, it can lead straight to terminal hypoxia - meaning, the loss of all oxygen to the cells." - leerayIG88, on 07/10/2008, -1/+11waterboarding is a crazy sport. I could never learn how to swim.
- an0nymous, on 07/10/2008, -1/+11In 1947, the United States prosecuted a Japanese military officer, Yukio Asano, for carrying out a form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian during World War II. Yukio Asano received a sentence of 15 years of hard labor.
- noobifiggah, on 07/10/2008, -3/+13Vice President...? haha I guarantee a youtube video of Cheney trying waterboarding would instantly become the most watched video of all time on youtube... and simultaneously crash their servers.
- tempurasama, on 07/10/2008, -1/+11"I had only a very slight encounter on that frontier, but I still wish that my experience were the only way in which the words “waterboard” and “American” could be mentioned in the same (gasping and sobbing) breath."
From his own article. - EddietheHated, on 07/10/2008, -2/+11Here's the video of Hitchens getting boarded. He doesn't even last ten seconds.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/video/ ... - Azerael, on 07/10/2008, -5/+14Or a brain.
- Mootabolife, on 07/10/2008, -1/+10On one end, public ridicule..
On the other end, waterboarding...
You decide. - slave1, on 07/10/2008, -9/+18"Then get ready to give it up to the people who hate your very existance just because of your religion and skin color."
.. people like Bush, his cohorts, and ***** like you. - monoa, on 07/10/2008, -2/+11Coulter, O'Reilly, all the Fox anchors, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush - all given 30 minutes waterboarding.
The tickets for that show would sell faster than if the Beatles reunited and did a double bill with the original Led Zeppelin boys and special guest appearance from Hendrix. - nedzeve, on 07/10/2008, -1/+9Except this guy was a waterboard apologist until now.
- jgzman, on 07/10/2008, -2/+10This information, that only three people were tortured, came from the same government that spent a long time telling us that nobody had been tortured?
Told us there were WMD in Iraq?
Told us the air around the WTC was safe to breath?
Told us that Plame was not a deep cover agent?
Told us that they did not fire lawyers for political reasons?
What, precisely is my motivation to believe them? - znicket, on 07/10/2008, -2/+9Hitchens always provides a sober view and cuts through sentimentality and hyperbole in his articles. I admire him for actually standing up for his opinions and try these torture methods out. Waterboarding is torture - simple as that.
- Hangly, on 07/10/2008, -11/+18First Andrew Sullivan and now Hitchens. How many neocon pundits do we have left?
- combatgoose, on 07/10/2008, -1/+8This is a condensed version of an article from last week.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/0 ... - VolSurrealist, on 07/10/2008, -0/+7Neocon pundit? You have no idea who Hitchens is do you?
- Waiting2awake, on 07/10/2008, -7/+14You are a coward and a traitor to your nation's ideals. May your fellow Americans show you more mercy than you are obviously will to extent to others - and make no mistake about it - those that you are indirectly defending are your true enemies, not some poverty stricken desert people.
- mtrip, on 07/10/2008, -1/+8So what if he thinks that. He is still a more honest opponent than the sycophants who chain their opinions to whatever their own group tells them to think.
- AdamFromMyspace, on 07/10/2008, -0/+6If I got hanged for every misdemeanor I committed..!
- humanerror, on 07/10/2008, -0/+6"Hitchens always provides a sober view"
Sober? I don't know who you were thinking of but this article was about *Christopher* Hitchens. -
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