Christopher Hitchens - Axis of Evil (6 of 7) - North Korea & Torture

[shakenation]

My personal belief is that any interrogation method at all is probably not very reliable, people are very good lairs after all. Besides psychological torture can probably make the victim go insane. Sleep deprivation, mind games, drugs ect.

[shakenation]

@markdown01 So let me get this straight. Christopher Hitchens experienced water-boarding, and from that experience concluded that if his torturers had been trying to get information from him, they very well might have gotten it. You are saying that his conclusion from his first hand experience is wrong and you conclusion is right which is that physical cannot work. Have you been water-boarded? I bet they could make you say an equal amount of B.S. and truth and have no idea which is which.

[writersblock26]

Thank you for posting this, upandopen.

[kacplaymyst]

President Ronald Reagan was correct we need Strategic Defense Initiative

[saidox]

It's not the audio, its the microphone they used. It's a 30 degree mic (captures sound waves that are in a 30 degree range from its center), so when he moves his head and speak at the angel outside of the mic's range the audio's volume gets lower.

[gtalcstories]

Damn. Hitch was in Poland when i was there. I got halfway through this speech back then, before i had to stop and i didnt finish. If i had got to the end, and found out hitch was there, i would have cycled the 400km out to malopolska to try and meet hitch "by chance"

[nottinghamization]

N. Korea = 1984

[chakazulu87]

he's dead on about Iran and N.Korea ,N.Korea is more threating than Iran cause the Iranians are untelligent and know bullshit when they see it. The North Koreans are brainwashed zombies even if it was liberated Kims policies would still be in effect.

[Hashishin13]

what the fuck is with the audio? It jumps like mad.

[Domzdream]

I had no idea Hitchens is of Polish descent.

[ProtoCosmos]

Somebody give him a lozenge.

[sh0ckerturb0]

doesn't it suck to know nobody takes you seriously?

[FeralCr]

How can anyone take racism like that seriously? My question is: why isn't he mad at the blacks for being here or the Asians? Is it just because our ancestors did some really shitty things?

My thinking is that he was indoctrinated into some white-hating cult.

That, or he's just joking.

[sh0ckerturb0]

LOL

[sh0ckerturb0]

the English language - learn it.

[888berg]

lol

[FeralCr]

Are you like... Five? Your statements make little to no sense and your grammar and spelling are so bad I can't tell if this is written by a functional retard, a child, an insane person, or someone who is just completely uneducated.

Though, judging by your views on the "white race" I think the insane part isn't too far off.

[sh0ckerturb0]

So your solution to world peace is killing people? Education tends to solve ignorance of your type.

[FeralCr]

You're, quite possibly, as racist a person as I've ever had the misfortune of gaining knowledge of.

[sh0ckerturb0]

education - get one.

[sh0ckerturb0]

could you be any less coherent?

[sh0ckerturb0]

Come back when you get an education.

[markdown01]

To be clear. ANY torture puts our troops at risk. Why? He won't mention that due to his idiocy. If OUR troops are captured, and WE flaunt the law and dare torture, WHAT is to stop a more brutal enemy from doing the same, knowing they can justify it if ever tried for it, for their enemy (us) doing the same to them. Of coruse, any such war is a product, again, of banker and corporate elite. The mystery school (not true Christian) faiths bless it. So much he's missing in the big picture he fails.

[sh0ckerturb0]

Ok mr. know it all, if you're so smart, why aren't you writing books and articles and engaging in written and spoken debate on these subjects.

[upandopen]

Our enemies capture their enemies and use piano strings to slice their faces off. What our torture policy is has no impact on these people.

And by the way, if you actually read what Hitch wrote after getting water-boarded, it was that we shouldn't be doing it.

[sighandstuff]

@markdown01 I think you mean flout, not flaunt.

[markdown01]

It's been proven by intel officials NOT in line with the right wing totalitarians that torture is NOT as effective as other far more subtle forms of coersion. It is so much more effective to psych them out with skill, and this is easy to search on Google for more info on those methods. His saying torture usually works but to a point is idiocy. Based on what? He got WB'd. So what? That doesn't make him an expert. He's carrying corporate right wing water. His God / faith, to the mammonist elite.

[upandopen]

Which intel officials?

[markdown01]

YouTube won't let me post URLs. I'll post the words you need to Google, this will be the top thing that pops up when you do your search. This is one of at least a half dozen reports of more than one former intel folks who know of torture's ineffectiveness.

Google this, minus quotes: "Top Interrogators Declare Torture Ineffective in Intelligence Gathering".

[markdown01]

Again, please counter what was presented. You can't. IF WE TORTURE, the enemy, if they capture our troops, will be more likely to torture them. Why? We set a precident. This is logic. Aren't you Athiests supposed to be very smart? You let me down here. I'm beguiled by both you and Hitchens in falling hook line and sinker for the neo-con justifications. This whole 'war on terror' scheme is a resource grab, weath builder for the top .01%. It took eyes off white collar crime that sank our economy.

[markdown01]

Folks you would call 'stupid religious fundamentalists' are strange bedfellows with you on this. They agree with you. "A-Rabs gonna get us". They call our president one. They were all upity about 'terra' while JP Morgan Chase's Hedge Fund / CDS scheme, aided by their protoge' Goldman Sachs, looted our treasury. Trillions to wars for profit, bankers, etc. & that bozo up there is busy demonizing the powerless tool that was Sadaam. I'm against fanaticism. CS gets that right, but he's wrong on this.

[RebelWrestler45]

@markdown01 It depends on your definition of torture. Torture which involves acute physical pain is not effective in eliciting valuable information, though it has in certain instances usually in the field. Interrogation which involves extreme mental stress and induces panic is effective in gathering information from an unwilling source. Take if from someone who has been waterboarded, and will be again after Airborne school during SERE training, it sucks terribly, but it is an effective technique

[RakshasaCat]

@markdown01 What do you mean 'NOT in line...'?

I was under the impression that the intelligence community had long know that torture was one of the least productive ways of gathering intelligence. A good meal is much more efficient than any kind of torture, and that is how the personal guard of Osama bin Laden was turned.

[markdown01]

@RakshasaCat We are not in disagreement. the person I aimed that is defending Hitchens. Hitchens says torture works to a point. That is wrong, period as you say. The 'not in line' means those defenidng torturte as working (even to a point, as Hitchens says). He is defending Bush war policies for God's sake. Like some right-wing secrete weapon. Bash Christianity to please left-leaning Athiests while stumping for a neo-con view of war. This bumbling idiot has lot all credibitily for his bullshit.

[migkillertwo]

Here are the facts: officers closely involved with torture themselves have said that it did save lives and that they did gain valuable intel from these methods. Argue all you want about rights and ethics, however we should all trust people actually involved in these matters before some policy-wonk in a think tank totally isolated from these methods.

[markdown01]

@migkillertwo More involved in such things said torture DOES NOT work as well.

[sh0ckerturb0]

Your hatred and bigotry is appauling.. And amusing.

[keithrockerboblewis]

I added a video response for ColonialismIsEvil.

[sh0ckerturb0]

I used to type in all caps like you too, then i decided I didn't want to mix concrete for the rest of my life.

[upandopen]

You're a racist who thinks that people are more likely to be immoral if they're white, when in fact race and morality have nothing in common.

World peace, peace in Korea, and a united Korea will come only when Kim's regime collapses.

[JCLADOG]

Wrong. His equally lunatic son is waiting in the wing to carry the torch.