Teens Now Look Favorably On Torture Because Media Teaches Its Morally Acceptable

[LaCroix]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

indeed, let us begin the prodding of the citoyens. papa joe of maricopa asks: who needs search warrants!

[merithyn]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

[Lettow77]

 Wait, half as many criminals as we should?

Our prisons runneth over. It shames America just how many people we have locked up. Do you really mean to say we should have twice that number behind bars?

I don't trust our prison systems at all to give them the power of physical coercion even if I approved of the method in theory. They are notoriously corrupt.

We should focus on making our prisons productive places, safer, and stop handing out arrests for non-violent crime.

[Zeus]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

That's why I said not to use any extreme torture. I am familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and that was torture used stupidly. But, as Slargos pointed out, we could have such things as work camps in Alaska to give people pointless work to do. And, of course, we wouldn't let anyone go unless their information proved true.

[Syt]

I'm extremely against torture or physical coercion in our criminal justice system. We need more humane treatment of prisoners, not less.

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

United States, a nation of bandits, thiefs and criminals?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate

[LaCroix]

That's why I said not to use any extreme torture. I am familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and that was torture used stupidly. But, as Slargos pointed out, we could have such things as work camps in Alaska to give people pointless work to do. And, of course, we wouldn't let anyone go unless their information proved true.

those are some substantial changes to our rule of law, but you may have a point. stupid torture would never work, but safe torture could give us just the edge we need

@syt: america stands tallest in moral integrity, good

[Slargos]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

What a silly and, it seems, indestructible myth. 

Torture is an excellent tool for finding hidden treasure [be it the location of the other perps or the kidnapped rape victim or the body], since it is the kind of information that can be verified before acting on it (unlike "she's a witch").

You're assuming once the tortured gives up the information the torture stops and can never be resumed again. You would of course be incorrect.

[/b]

[Slargos]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

That's why I said not to use any extreme torture. I am familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and that was torture used stupidly. But, as Slargos pointed out, we could have such things as work camps in Alaska to give people pointless work to do. And, of course, we wouldn't let anyone go unless their information proved true.

I was, in fact, calling you a communist.

[Zeus]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

That's why I said not to use any extreme torture. I am familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and that was torture used stupidly. But, as Slargos pointed out, we could have such things as work camps in Alaska to give people pointless work to do. And, of course, we wouldn't let anyone go unless their information proved true.

I was, in fact, calling you a communist.

Since I'm a capitalist your calling me a communist is instantly refuted due to my money aura.

[Slargos]

And your kind of mentality is why we don't catch half as many criminals as we should.

You do realize that torture is a very bad way to get information, don't you? It's kind of how they found 26 "witches" instead of 1 or 2 in Salem. People will say anything - and point a finger in any direction - if it will stop the pain. Torture is unreliable at the best of times.

That's why I said not to use any extreme torture. I am familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and that was torture used stupidly. But, as Slargos pointed out, we could have such things as work camps in Alaska to give people pointless work to do. And, of course, we wouldn't let anyone go unless their information proved true.

I was, in fact, calling you a communist.

Since I'm a capitalist your calling me a communist is instantly refuted due to my money aura.

But your aura of immense stupidity acts as a gravity anchor and there you are again.

[Zeus]

Eh, shit happens.

I still say moderate torture would work.

[Strix]

I'm extremely against torture or physical coercion in our criminal justice system. We need more humane treatment of prisoners, not less.

Something along the lines of Andersonville, perhaps?

[Capetan Mihali]

tates, a nation of bandits, thiefs and criminals?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate

Cher identified the increasing social problem of gypsies, tramps, and thieves in this country as early as 1971.   

[Hansmeister]

On a related note:

Ex-Iraq commander may throw hat in Texas Senate race

By MARIA RECIO

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- Democrats appear to have recruited retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez to run for the U.S. Senate in Texas, setting the stage for a potentially competitive race in 2012 for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes confirmed that Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the head of the Democratic Senate campaign committee, was referring to Sanchez Thursday when she said that Democrats were very close to announcing a candidate in Texas.

Sanchez, reached by phone at his San Antonio home, said, "I can neither confirm nor deny."

While Sanchez, the former top military commander in Iraq who was forced out by the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, wouldn't speak about the Senate race, he did discuss his career and political philosophy.

"I would describe myself as during my military career as supporting the president and the Constitution," Sanchez said. "After the military, I decided that socially, I'm a progressive, a fiscal conservative and a strong supporter, obviously, of national defense."

Sanchez, a Rio Grande City, Texas, native, said that he was shaped by his upbringing.

"It's my views and my history, having grown up in south Texas, depending on social programs and assistance, that America has a responsibility to its people," he said.

Barnes, one of the state's last high-profile Democrats, said, "I talked to him. It sounded to me like he's close to being a candidate."

"He's got a very compelling story," Barnes added. "He's the one guy who could unite the Hispanic vote. He'll get the conservative Hispanic businessman."

There is, however, the hangover from the year he spent as U.S. commander in Iraq, in 2003 and 2004.

Asked if the Abu Ghraib scandal - where U.S. military personnel and contractors humiliated prisoners in photos seen around the world - had effectively terminated his military career, Sanchez said, "That's pretty fair." He retired in 2006.

Sanchez emphasized that he hadn't known or had anything to do with the actions at the prison and was cleared by Army investigators. His 2008 book, "Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story," was critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war. In the interview, he said that President George W. Bush "at times asked the right questions, but didn't impose his will."

Until now, all the attention in the U.S. Senate race has been on the Republicans' multitude of potential candidates, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, former Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Houston lawyer Ted Cruz.

Barnes is eager for the Democrats to make it competitive, especially with Texas' growing Latino population.

"It's the one candidate that will cause John Cornyn some heartburn," he said of the Texas senator who heads the Republicans' Senate campaign committee.

Reps. Henry Cuellar and Charlie Gonzalez, both Latino Democrats, said they welcomed Sanchez's likely entry into the race.

"I think he will be a very viable candidate," Cuellar said. "He's got the background. Texas is about ripe to start shifting into the blue area."

Gonzalez said, "His heart is in public service." But he said that "it's really tough" for a Democrat in Texas to raise money, although he was waiting "to see what the climate is" in 2012.

"The changing demographics are there, but you still have to get people to register and turn out on Election Day," Gonzalez said.

After Murray's surprise announcement that Texas was one of "Six in '12" states Democrats were targeting in 2012, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh said, "Republicans can only hope that national Democrats are going to waste their money in the state of Texas. We look forward to their mystery candidate."


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/15/2169676/ex-iraq-commander-may-throw-hat.html#ixzz1JpVNqSOP

It's funny to see how unprincipled the Democrats were in their cries of outrage over Abu Ghraib.  One criticism of Sanchez was that he approved a memo authorizing interrogation methods that went beyond which was legally permissive at that time, to include the use of guard dogs in interrogations.  Once villified by the left he will now become their darling.  Oh, that is too rich.

[Lettow77]

I'm extremely against torture or physical coercion in our criminal justice system. We need more humane treatment of prisoners, not less.

Something along the lines of Andersonville, perhaps?

Andersonville doesn't stick as far as mistreatment allegations go. There wasn't enough food to feed Confederates, let alone the north's hirelings. Now, why were there crippling food shortages in Georgia again? 

The locals stepped in with rations for prisoners where they could. Libby prison is the one that has no excuse, not andersonville. The blackguard damnyankees are lucky they were captured by civilized Christians so prepared to treat them decently- Doubtlessly why union POWs were more likely to fight for the Confederacy than vice versa.