Trivializing Torture
Michael Goldfarb of the Weekly Standard, in a post entitled (I kid you not) "Trivializing Torture," writes the following:
Yes, those of us who object to our government subjecting detainees to simulated drowning and forced hypothermia are the ones trivializing torture. Of course. That makes perfect sense. People like Michael Goldfarb, on the other hand, who casually dismiss criticism of such practices, who sarcastically mock the pain and trauma of the millions of people who have been forced to endure this kind of torture throughout human history, they are very serious people. When Goldfarb writes "boo hoo" after describing practices that are unquestionably acts of torture, he is in no way trivializing torture. No, he is a very serious person.
Is there any doubt that Goldfarb's position would change instantly if he was subjected to any of these techniques?
The Times indicts the Bush administration for exposing terrorists captured abroad to "head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures." Boo hoo.He then observes that this is not "real torture" and that it "trivializes the seriousness of it to apply the word to 'head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures.'"
Yes, those of us who object to our government subjecting detainees to simulated drowning and forced hypothermia are the ones trivializing torture. Of course. That makes perfect sense. People like Michael Goldfarb, on the other hand, who casually dismiss criticism of such practices, who sarcastically mock the pain and trauma of the millions of people who have been forced to endure this kind of torture throughout human history, they are very serious people. When Goldfarb writes "boo hoo" after describing practices that are unquestionably acts of torture, he is in no way trivializing torture. No, he is a very serious person.
Is there any doubt that Goldfarb's position would change instantly if he was subjected to any of these techniques?
posted by A.L. at 11:01 AM
5 Comments:
I would happily treat one Michael Goldfarb to trivial exposure to extremes of temperature, extreme sleep depravation, and THEN some invigorating waterboarding.
C'mon Goldfarb, what are you, yella?
What a limpdick coward he is.
Is there any doubt that his position would change if captured US troops were subjected to these practices?
"Is there any doubt that his position would change if captured US troops were subjected to these practices?"
Actually, it wouldn't. He would either ignore such a question (while busily calling for a nuclear strike on the new Hitlers du jour) and/or thunderously impugn the patriotism of the questioner for daring to suggest an equivalence between US troops and the evil men detained by the US (without any process) who deserve eveything they get. Being a Republican means never having to grapple with intellectual consistency.
I think there are a few levels on which Goldfarb's sentiments are repugnant (Repugnican?). As you've pointed out, these actions aren't trivial and worthy of a "boo hoo." Goldfarb's words are meant to trivialize the objections of normal human beings rather than Republican realists. What's ignored is that these supposed non-torture methods are practiced endlessly, without stop. It's not as if someone is put in an excessively air conditioned room for an hour and then asked where Osama is. These people are stripped naked and left in extremely cold rooms for weeks, months, .. who knows how long? Looking at Jose Padilla and how he was treated one can understand that what might be a "boo hoo" if referred to in the most mild terms possible are without doubt extreme torture if done for a long term.
Then there's the idea of "head-slapping." Really. These "terrorists" are given a few "head-slaps." Never are they actually beaten. No one would ever beat one of them and then stuff them in a sleeping bag and sit on them until they suffocate. Oh wait. That wasn't a terrorist. That was a prisoner of war. Oh boo hoo for the mistake and your liberal tears.
But that's where the key fundamental anti-American lie comes in in all these "24" sort of defenses of torture. I mentioned an Iraqi general that was murdered while being questioned. It was known that he was a general in an opposing army. He should have had prisoner of war status but still, who and what he was was known.
That's not the case with the vast majority of those that Bush's government takes into custody and tortures. Goldfarb says ".. exposing terrorists captured abroad to "head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures." But they are almost never actually proven to be terrorists. In most of the cases where some proof has been found it's usually the reverse. They're innocents with nothing to do with terrorism. They're even released. It's "guilty until proven innocent" with often no opportunity to prove innocence. It's the reverse of everything that is supposed to be American.
It's the Cheney doctrine where if there's a chance that 1% of the people you capture, detain and "not torture" are terrorists, then your actions are validated. It's a repulsive policy of the most repressive governments in history. Nice practice to emulate and "simulate."
P.S.
"Head slapping" reminds me of John Stossel. Years ago he did some expose on professional "wrestling." He confronted a wrestler on the choreography of professional wrestling and whether the fighting was real and anyone actually hurt. The wrestler responded by demonstrating one of the trivial moves that was commonly done in professional wrestling. The head slap, or in Stossel's case, in looked like the classic bitch slap. Needless to say once Stossel experienced that boo hoo maneuver he immediately turned and ran off like a cartoon character disappearing into the distance, moving in a manic zigzag pattern. Stossel sued for that boo hoo head slap. And that was a head slap, not a beating and it was one head slap, not dozens and dozens for weeks on end between bouts of other "boo hoo" activities.
I've little doubt that if Goldfarb was subjected to some boo hoo head slaps he'd quickly confess to being the classic third in line Al Qaeda commander.
"Head slapping..."
Sounds like a day at Columbine High School.
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