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Originally Posted by aceventura3
When does waterboarding become torture?
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It is torture when used to coerce a confession, to punish, or to seek pleasure. Because waterboarding causes incredible mental stress and extreme discomfort, a discomfort which is worse than many instances of actual pain, it causes substantial and real suffering. This suffering is mental pain, and mental pain is listed as one of the two circumstances for torture, the other of course being physical pain.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is it torture at the same time for every person?
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It is the same torture because the reaction to waterboarding is innate to virtually every person. It is a survival instinct in humans to a combination of disorientation and drowning. I am unaware of anyone without the understood reaction to waterboarding. If there is such a person, the torture would not be the same, but short of finding that person and demonstrating his immunity to the process, I'd have to say it's virtually the same for everyone.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is the threat of waterboarding torture?
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No, but it's not an effective method of extracting information so I can't imagine it's use being necessary.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is describing waterboarding with a threat of it being done to a person torture?
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Same as above.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is being shown a videotape of someone being waterboarded with the threat of it being done to a person torture?
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Same.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is doing everything up the point of using water and not actually using the water torture?
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Same.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is putting a rag in someone mouth with no intent of waterboarding but when the person thinks they may be waterboarded actually torture?
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Same.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Is being captured and thinking you may be waterboarded torture?
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Same.
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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Pretend you are the AG and I am the Director of the CIA, and I have just asked you for clarification, what do you say?
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I'd suggest you use proven and legal techniques to extract intelligence instead of torture, and I'd warn you that should you ever be prosecuted for torturing it's entirely possible that there would be serious legal consequences for your decisions.
Then again I've never attended law school, never passed the bar, and I've never practiced law, so you'd probably want to take my recommendation with a grain of salt. My understanding of waterboarding and torture comes from what I learned of torture from professors, books, articles, and of course being waterboarded myself.