Anyway, I'm honestly not sure I'm quick-on-the-take with this exercise.
I am somewhat proud of my ability to “keep my head,” as the saying goes, and to maintain presence of mind under trying circumstances. I was completely convinced that, when the water pressure had become intolerable, I had firmly uttered the pre-determined code word that would cause it to cease. But my interrogator told me that, rather to his surprise, I had not spoken a word. I had activated the “dead man’s handle” that signaled the onset of unconsciousness. So now I have to wonder about the role of false memory and delusion. What I do recall clearly, though, is a hard finger feeling for my solar plexus as the water was being poured. What was that for? “That’s to find out if you are trying to cheat, and timing your breathing to the doses. If you try that, we can outsmart you. We have all kinds of enhancements.” I was briefly embarrassed that I hadn’t earned or warranted these refinements, but it hit me yet again that this is certainly the language of torture.
Comments?
1 comment:
The contrast between our soldiers being trained to survive torture and our training them to inflict torture is a rather damning one.
They should change the axiom from "a broken clock is right twice a day" to "the bush administration makes journalistic hacks contemplative and insightful."
I'm conflicted about the article. On the one hand, this is Hitchens and his arrogant bravado definitely shines. Do we really need another journalist "risking his life" to show how bad DROWNING is?? On the other hand, however, the point I mentioned in my first paragraph makes this compelling reading nonetheless.
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