Waterboarding
I figure since the theme of my blog this holiday season is to rain on everyone's parade (in my defense, I'm doing this partly for myself and the guilt I feel at ignoring these things normally) I'm going to continue my rant against moral corruptness.
Now, this isn't aimed at those who reserve judgment on an issue before they learn about it. No, this is aimed at those who know torture is absolutely horrible yet would approve of its use against other human beings because they think it keeps their own hides safe.
And to those people I direct my sincerest pity.
So much controversy over "waterboarding" alternatively know as "simulated drowning". (Another way to put it would be "simulated death" but for the same reason that "torture" is called "enhanced interrogation"...) Most of the time, I think the debate misses the issue. It's not whether or not it's torture - it's whether or not we as a nation should even be considering sinking to that moral level.
That said, I have taken a look at the issue from a "technical" standpoint, i.e. the is it torture or not question that gives people wiggle room. Today, I want to destroy that wiggle room so you have to make a conscious choice - support torture, or renounce it. No more hiding behind, "Well it's just splashing water on someone's face".
So I Googled waterboarding, in order to understand the basic concepts behind its usage. Here it is, somewhat simplified:
The goal of waterboarding is to simulate drowning without the actual drowning or inhalation of water into the lungs by the victim. In order to accomplish this the subject is restrained on an inclined plane with his head lower than his lungs (thus the lungs are above the "water line") and water is poured onto his face. The panic caused is essentially the same as that caused by actual drowning. It gets more advanced, but that's it for now.
So alright, if I'm being waterboarded at "stage one", I lie down on an inclined bench, and tilt a watercan to pour water on my mouth and nose. The water goes up my nose and I gag and choke and cough but after I get the hang of it I might be able to suppress my reflex and breath shallowly, expelling water rapidly to retain composure.
Next is a wet piece of cloth in the mouth. In the former example I can selectively breath through *either* the nose or mouth which helps maintain a sense of control. I'm not panicking too badly yet. But now, the wet rag eliminates the mouth as an option. (Try it yourself if you want - you can breath through cloth, but not if it's wet) So now controlling my breathing is absolutely paramount - one screwup and I'm out of control. I have to breath very shallowly and avoid exhaling until I've got a decently sized breath with which I can expel the water from my nose, throat, and sinuses. Definitely difficult, but perhaps not as bad as drilling holes in the body.
Lastly, we have saran wrap or some other material that has a similar function. Here, you wrap saran wrap around the mouth in several layers, poke a hole in the mouth area, and then proceed. At first thought this doesn't seem like that big of a difference over using a rag. But oh, there is:
The water fills the hole in the saran wrap so there's either water or a vacuum in my mouth. The water goes into my throat and sinuses, and like before I struggle to build enough pressure in my lungs to expel the water. Unlike with a rag though, I draw in less and less air each time I expel water - until finally my lungs are unable to do it and the water begins to draw into my respiratory tract.
This is the crucial point - something that is hardwired through us. Maybe it's an instinct given to us by God to help us avoid drowning in deep water. Your brain goes crazy, it says, "You're dying, you're dying! Do something! Get out of here! For God's sake get the fuck out of here!" Once my lungs are empty and collapsed and draw in water instead of precious air that I need to survive, I'm dead. I panic, and it's completely involuntary. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it. Anyone who's been held down in a pool coercively will know this - but unlike in the pool, the water's in your lungs already, you're dying and your body knows it. Absolutely helpless. No willpower will save you here.
At this point, I'm saying anything to get it to stop. "Do it to Julia!" (not an actual person - see 1984 by George Orwell) I've never felt anything like it before, and now... I understand.
And hopefully you do too.
Waterboarding pushes you to the point where your drowning reflex is triggered by water drawn up into your respiratory tract, and there's no question what happens once you're there. Maybe some last longer, maybe some crack even without a rag. Doesn't make a difference.
It's horrifying, inhuman torture. I'll say anything, do anything, confess anything. I didn't have anything to do with it? Doesn't matter. My brother was an innocent bystander? Doesn't matter, I'll say he was the mastermind behind 9/11 if it'll get the masked men to stop.
People know this. That's why those consumed by evil have been using it ever since the Spanish Inquisition. They know it works, in terms of making you suffer tremendously. To understand, and do it to another being... you have left the realm of humanity.
May God have mercy on your soul.
(No, for those of you who might be freaking out, I did not subject myself to this. The first-person voice was simply the best way I could write about this. It's my may of expressing my absolute horror at this technique and any kind of torture, and my absolute disgust and immediate loss of respect for anyone who advocates its use)
Now, this isn't aimed at those who reserve judgment on an issue before they learn about it. No, this is aimed at those who know torture is absolutely horrible yet would approve of its use against other human beings because they think it keeps their own hides safe.
And to those people I direct my sincerest pity.
So much controversy over "waterboarding" alternatively know as "simulated drowning". (Another way to put it would be "simulated death" but for the same reason that "torture" is called "enhanced interrogation"...) Most of the time, I think the debate misses the issue. It's not whether or not it's torture - it's whether or not we as a nation should even be considering sinking to that moral level.
That said, I have taken a look at the issue from a "technical" standpoint, i.e. the is it torture or not question that gives people wiggle room. Today, I want to destroy that wiggle room so you have to make a conscious choice - support torture, or renounce it. No more hiding behind, "Well it's just splashing water on someone's face".
So I Googled waterboarding, in order to understand the basic concepts behind its usage. Here it is, somewhat simplified:
The goal of waterboarding is to simulate drowning without the actual drowning or inhalation of water into the lungs by the victim. In order to accomplish this the subject is restrained on an inclined plane with his head lower than his lungs (thus the lungs are above the "water line") and water is poured onto his face. The panic caused is essentially the same as that caused by actual drowning. It gets more advanced, but that's it for now.
So alright, if I'm being waterboarded at "stage one", I lie down on an inclined bench, and tilt a watercan to pour water on my mouth and nose. The water goes up my nose and I gag and choke and cough but after I get the hang of it I might be able to suppress my reflex and breath shallowly, expelling water rapidly to retain composure.
Next is a wet piece of cloth in the mouth. In the former example I can selectively breath through *either* the nose or mouth which helps maintain a sense of control. I'm not panicking too badly yet. But now, the wet rag eliminates the mouth as an option. (Try it yourself if you want - you can breath through cloth, but not if it's wet) So now controlling my breathing is absolutely paramount - one screwup and I'm out of control. I have to breath very shallowly and avoid exhaling until I've got a decently sized breath with which I can expel the water from my nose, throat, and sinuses. Definitely difficult, but perhaps not as bad as drilling holes in the body.
Lastly, we have saran wrap or some other material that has a similar function. Here, you wrap saran wrap around the mouth in several layers, poke a hole in the mouth area, and then proceed. At first thought this doesn't seem like that big of a difference over using a rag. But oh, there is:
The water fills the hole in the saran wrap so there's either water or a vacuum in my mouth. The water goes into my throat and sinuses, and like before I struggle to build enough pressure in my lungs to expel the water. Unlike with a rag though, I draw in less and less air each time I expel water - until finally my lungs are unable to do it and the water begins to draw into my respiratory tract.
This is the crucial point - something that is hardwired through us. Maybe it's an instinct given to us by God to help us avoid drowning in deep water. Your brain goes crazy, it says, "You're dying, you're dying! Do something! Get out of here! For God's sake get the fuck out of here!" Once my lungs are empty and collapsed and draw in water instead of precious air that I need to survive, I'm dead. I panic, and it's completely involuntary. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it. Anyone who's been held down in a pool coercively will know this - but unlike in the pool, the water's in your lungs already, you're dying and your body knows it. Absolutely helpless. No willpower will save you here.
At this point, I'm saying anything to get it to stop. "Do it to Julia!" (not an actual person - see 1984 by George Orwell) I've never felt anything like it before, and now... I understand.
And hopefully you do too.
Waterboarding pushes you to the point where your drowning reflex is triggered by water drawn up into your respiratory tract, and there's no question what happens once you're there. Maybe some last longer, maybe some crack even without a rag. Doesn't make a difference.
It's horrifying, inhuman torture. I'll say anything, do anything, confess anything. I didn't have anything to do with it? Doesn't matter. My brother was an innocent bystander? Doesn't matter, I'll say he was the mastermind behind 9/11 if it'll get the masked men to stop.
People know this. That's why those consumed by evil have been using it ever since the Spanish Inquisition. They know it works, in terms of making you suffer tremendously. To understand, and do it to another being... you have left the realm of humanity.
May God have mercy on your soul.
(No, for those of you who might be freaking out, I did not subject myself to this. The first-person voice was simply the best way I could write about this. It's my may of expressing my absolute horror at this technique and any kind of torture, and my absolute disgust and immediate loss of respect for anyone who advocates its use)
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