Andrew Sullivan, Stuck on Squeamish

Yet another "Eeeek, a mouse!" moment from America's preeminent hyperemotional hyperventilator.

First, as Allah tips, he calls CIA felons breaking the espionage laws "dissidents."

But then he quotes an article noting the approved "torture" techniques. These include, I shit you not, grabbing at someone's collar in a rough manner, the "belly slap" (open hand only, because punching could cause internal damage), making people stand for long hours, and subjecting them to cold, damp conditions.

It also includes waterboarding, which is a fucking revelation to ONLY Andrew Fucking Sullivan. Who on the face of the planet fucking earth did not know we were waterboarding? For God's sakes, it was reported we'd done just that on Khalid Sheik Mohammed like three years ago.

And what is waterboarding? It's actually less horrific than I'd imagined:

6. Water Boarding: The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner's face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt.

According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda's toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.

"The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law," said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.

St. Andrew of the Sacred Heart-Ache thinks that's torture. Well, it's certainly putting someone in great psychological distress -- which is precisely what the anti-"torture" brigade claims to be in favor of. Waterboarding relies on a physiological trick to convince someone, wrongly, that he is in danger of drowning. He is not. He's not even taking in any water. It's tricking the body's gag reflex to respond to something which is not gagging.

Shut the fuck up already, Andrew. Men are trying to win this war for you, so you can continue to take ecstacy at Madonna concerts without being blown up.

posted by Ace at 01:37 AM

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