29 October 2006

Waterboarding

Fact: - The Army Field Manual printed by the US DoD does not list waterboarding as an approved technique for interrogation, and is therefore not permitted for detainees under DoD control.

Fact: - In 2005, the US Department of State recognized waterboarding as a form of torture in its examination of Tunisua's human rights record.

Fact: - in 1947, a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano was tried and convicted of war crimes when he waterboarded a civilian American victim.

Fact: - In their January 21, 1968 issue, the Washington post published a photograph of American GIs waterboarding an enemy suspect in Da Nang. The soldier depicted in the photograph was court martialed and drummed out of the army.

Tell me, why is it suddenly okay now, when it was never okay before? What happened to our soul? Our moral superiority? I believe we are doomed as a people as long as we blithely traipse through life, ignorant of the horrors our government exercises in our names.

Shame on you if you don't vote on Tuesday.

Thanks Fraize!!!

2 comments:

Shimmy said...

Great post!

To the U.S.: remember Yukio Asano on Tuesday when you go to vote.

--Shimmy

Thomas Sabino-Benowitz said...

Look, as far as i can tell, the whole Asano thing has been blown way out of porportion as a supporting reason for the US "Previously prosecuting people for water torture". He was tried for various other things, such as unlawfully taking red cross packages and various other forms of ineffably torture. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but at this point in 1947 weren't war crimes already going through the UN>