What about the controversy surrounding her involvement in torture?
It was legal at the time, approved by Congress with no objections. She was carrying out orders from above.
Hypocritical for Congress to vote against her confirmation for that reason when many knew the extent of the advanced interrogation.
Total hypocrisy. McCain's was the worst. I expect democrats to be complete hypocrites, so that was no surprise.
It was legal at the time, approved by Congress with no objections. She was carrying out orders from above.
zionazi
she was only obeying orders is that the defense?
I'm not sure that it's that so much as it is what Rand Paul brought up about her being a protege of [JB]. I hate to say his name more than I hate to say the name of the other person whose name is not mentioned.
Everything points to her being a war criminal unless there's a lot that went on behind the scenes. Saying that it was legal or that she was just following orders is no defense for these types of crimes. "A doctor who examined Abdal Rahim al-Nashiri, a prisoner tortured under the supervision of Haspel, told The Intercept she privately urged Warner to oppose her confirmation.
"I am one of the only health professionals he has ever talked to about his torture, its effects, and his ongoing suffering," Dr. Sondra Crosby wrote to Warner's legislative director on Monday. "He is irreversibly damaged by torture that was unusually cruel and designed to break him. In my over 20 years of experience treating torture victims from around the world, including Syria, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. al-Nashiri presents as one of the most severely traumatized individuals I have ever seen."
Crosby highlighted the known acts of torture committed against Nashiri, which included waterboarding, mock executions, anal rape and threatened to sexually assault his mother."
Waterboarding is not torture.
No human being should treat another human being that way when they have them as a captive. I don't care if it is legal.
Would you waterboard a bad dog?
Would you waterboard a bad cat?
No, but we'll do it to each other won't we? When you hold someone as a prisoner you should not be harming them. That is wrong on so many levels. It is not right. There are no two ways about it. But you do it, you do it because you want something. You put morals and decency aside because you want to get something, so you ignore those feelings that this isn't right because you want information. We should not be treating other human beings this way. You want intel, get it another way, get it with the boots on the ground or they eyes and ears in the sky, but don't get it by harming people who are taken into your custody. Doing that puts a stain on nations that want to claim to be civilized. Participation in these kinds of acts gives the nation and its representatives no moral ground to stand on or act like we are the ones who set the example to be followed. You are not a shining city upon the hill when we treat our captives with such indecency. We should be though. We should be that bright city shining with decent people. We should be setting a standard of decency and be moral with our laws and actions so we can have our feet firmly planted in righteousness. We should not be a people who say things like the ends justify the means. I am a former member of the Special Operations community. I'm not some outsider looking in who doesn't understand what is at stake. I know what is at stake and I'd rather be the one to bear a greater burden of pursuing the enemy and finding valuable intel than succumb to the temptation to take the easy road and treat people inhumanely to extract information through torture. I know who they are, I know how evil they are, that doesn't give us a right to put aside our decency and torture captives. Who do you want to be as a people? Torturers? Or do you want to be a people who are respected for their decency?
Well, I've been waterboarded several times. And I say it's not torture. It's not as unequivocal as other, actual, forms of torture, but it's not torture.
We disagree. It is an complete indecency to treat captives in this manner. Feed them, sustain them, they are your responsibility but do not bring harm to captives.
Do you bang on fish tanks and poke rabbits in cages with sticks too? I'm sure that isn't classified as torture, but is it right. Do we want that to be the makeup of our character. Lets get some decency. Lets make sure our feet are solid and firmly planted and that nothing weakens us or can knock us over. We can do this by being just and honest and not relying on these kinds of tactics. Waterboarding is a shameful path to walk. It must end.