Torture..

[Chad32]

I'm not sure how slowly being suffocated half to death isn't considered torture. Being confined is not torture, as long as all basic needs are met. When you have food, water, social interaction, exercise, and so forth, it's not torture. When you're strapped down, and you can hardly breath because there's a soaked towel over your mouth and nose, and someone's pouring more water onto it, it's torture. When someone's blaring horribly loud music 24/7, and you can't sleep or think straight because of it, it's torture.

[Minimalist]

That being said, if we're forced to choose between torture and collateral damage, I would have to say the former is less unethical and should be employed if, and only if, there is substantive reason to believe that when done the possibility of the latter will be removed.

The amount of torture needs to be measured or balanced. It would be morally wrong to torture Lois Lerner by waterboarding....but not wrong to torture her with imprisonment.

How about giving her the Medal of Freedom for doing her job and not rewarding Tea Party fucknuts with tax exempt status they did not deserve?

[Violet]

If we are talking about Muslim terrorists then they already have us beat. What's worse than getting your head cut off with a knife?

Physically painful. Not very high on the psychological horror aspect, however. Maybe we can suspend him by his nipples? Perhaps we waterboard while we cut off the head with a knife-SLOWER, go around in circles, yeah? Let's give him a bad trip while we're at it. Ooh, do we have images we can pull of of this man's mutilated family? Yes? Good, also, get the caltrop rape machine going in here-make sure the rubber seals are tight!

...

There is an awful lot of depth to pain. By no means does it stop at having one's head sawed off (which is agonizing).

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Being confined is not torture, as long as all basic needs are met.

Being locked in a little box is horrifying. Fed, breathing... "interacting"... "exercising".

Some people lose it in little boxes. Strap them down, or they might break the bones in their own body from pure terror. The effect of confinement on the human psyche can be... shattering.

[Aractus]

Imprisonment causes mental suffering for the purpose of punishing those imprisoned. It meets the UN definition of torture.

Some forms of imprisonment could certainly be construed as acts of torture and would be against the treaty.

So why aren't there UN resolutions condemning putting criminals in prison?

They DO condemn it.

E.g. they condemned the treatment of Bradley Manning.

[Anomalocaris]

The most immediate problem with torture is the favor will be reciprocated.

If we are talking about Muslim terrorists then they already have us beat. What's worse than getting your head cut off with a knife?

Getting water boarded for fun before getting your head cut off.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I would imagine that the soldiers who died during WWII are rolling in their graves at the idea of having sacrificed so much for a nation whose people have become so unworthy that they can even carry on a serious debate about whether it's okay to torture other human beings.

I can't speak for them, but as an Air Force veteran myself, when I learnt of our involvement in torture, it made me sick; it made a mockery of the oath I swore, and the service I rendered.

Turns out the enemies we should have worried about were domestic, not foreign. Buildings can be rebuilt. Honor, however, cannot be unsullied.