Tancredo: Waterboarding is not torture

[TylerHinds]

My opinion, you have to do what is necessary to protect the nation and isn't always pretty.

[rmccay88]

@TylerHinds

The government will always justify and pass the most unlawful acts of legislation like it did with the Patriot Act, all in the name of "keep us safe." When the government says it's going to protect you, look out because you are about to lose your freedoms.

“They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” -Benjamin Franklin

[tpstrat14]

@TylerHinds And people like is are why we are no longer a free nation. Haven't been for many decades...

[NKA23]

Ohhh, it ain´t torture ?

Why don´t teachers use it on first graders if somebody wrote stuff like "Theedge is a moron" on the blackboard ?

Maybe you could even use it on psychics to solve all unsolved murder cases....

/sarcasm

[trenchnurse]

Waterboarding - when sitting the terrorist down to tea and asking "pretty please with sugar on top" doesnt work!

[InterstellarApple]

keep the country safe from what? you retard. and waterboarding gives the person such a intense effect that the person will actually believe that they're dying or already dead. how is that not torture???????????!!!!!!!!!!!

[yayarea41507]

people actually clapped for this schmuck???

wow.....

[PadawanOsswe]

and one of their interests is National Security numbnuts!

[b9keith]

Those who approve of waterboarding should have it done to them. These people aren't doing it to protect US, they just want to protect their own interests and money. Don't believe their lies. Let's waterboard them all and find out the truth! Please reply even if you disagree.

[PadawanOsswe]

now there was a CIA operative who back in 1983 was captured and killed by some Lebanese militants (I think they were Hezbollah).The man had a pipe shoved in his mouth and water flowed into his body, slowly flooding him internally until death.

waterboarding is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum from internal drowning.

[PadawanOsswe]

crunk, Drowning is when someone is bieng forced underwater with the intention of killing.

waterboarding is getting someone into the psychological state of knowing that they are vulnerable and dont have control over their situation,and their only way to make it stop is to give up info. and with no intention of said person getting killed.

[Tsukamori]

It's controlled drowning, because if continued for long enough water boarding will kill someone. It does not yield information. A victim will say anything to make the torture stop, even if they don't have any information.

[Tsukamori]

Here is an account from a French reporter who was subjected from waterboarding:

[PadawanOsswe]

well it obviouslly works sometimes. but they have to use all methods at hand.

[Tsukamori]

The rag was soaked rapidly. Water flowed everywhere: in my mouth, in my nose, all over my face. But for a while I could still breathe in some small gulps of air. I tried, by contracting my throat, to take in as little water as possible and to resist suffocation by keeping air in my lungs for as long as I could. But I couldn't hold on for more than a few moments. I had the impression of drowning, and a terrible agony, that of death itself, took possession of me.

[PadawanOsswe]

technically waterboarding is torment, not torture.torment is psychological while torture is more physical.

why do people care about terrorist's feelings anyway?

[CrunkWarrior]

Actually, Waterboarding involves strapping someone to a tilted table and forcing water into their lungs. Its not "drowning simulation", IT IS DROWNING. Most people would argue that drowning is probably a physical experience. People care about the feelings of terrorists because if you torture enemy combatants, how do you think American soldiers are going to be treated when they are captured by petty dictators?

[PadawanOsswe]

our troops know that they will be tortured and killed in a barbaric manner if they get captured or surrender.

ever see the videos where they saw off soldiers heads slowly with dull knives?

it doesnt matter if the CIA ever did torment ortorture anyne, because Jihadist's would still do that shit anyway.

and because of that,why do known terrorist's we capture deserve any beter?

[bruthav]

You're a misinformed putz. I fear the fact that you're probably old enough to vote, as well as sit on a jury. God help us.

[b9keith]

Our republic is a plutocracy that misleads the masses into thinking a democracy exists when the elections are fraudulent, the people are deceived by mockingbird mass media and threatened into compliance by armed authorities who tax the people while calling it security, similar to protection given by organized crime and local gangs using extortion.

[usmcdevildog83]

In the context of the question though, yeah Tancredo is right. If were in a situation with nuclear bombs about to go off, then we'd have to do anything and everything to get answers and just hope they are not lying.

[YadaYadaguy]

get real man ....think about what your saying ...he will torment children weman..familys whole towns if he thinks your "lieing" if your killing people so they wont kill you whats that say about the world you live in? also ever wonder why they wanna kill you in the first place?

[usmcdevildog83]

Torturing suspects should only be used if ABSOLUTELY necessary and if we are in a life and death situation.

and this is coming from a Marine. I support McCain on this issue. Whatever information you would get out of torturing someone isn't worth it, because they will just say anything to make the torture stop. Plus that would just give the enemy another reason to do the same to our guys.

[b9keith]

usmcdevildog83 - gee... do you think if I waterboarded you, I could get you to change your mind?

[usmcdevildog83]

Haha Keith, yeah probably. like I said you could get anyone to say anything in that situation. So whatever info you get you'd have to take with a grain of salt, cuz they are probably lying and just saying anything to make it stop.

[james4tancredo]

The problem with many American citizens (and many citizens of western countries that are well developed) is that we don't know what it is like to live with bombs going off in our country every day and certainly not nuclear ones. When criticizing Tancredo's answer, at least have enough attention span to remember the context of the question.

[fighterDC]

Tom is speaking the truth. He is admitting what all the other candidates are thinking. If we had been hit with a nuclear weapon, and we had a suspect in custody every president would allow waterboarding to be performed to stop another nuclear attack. Tom is one of the few with the guts to admit it.

[marko95403]

What an idiot! Torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information.

[abe3443]

It is possible to keep this country safe without pissing off more terrorists. All we have to do is stay the hell out of other peoples' and other countries' business. Tancredo wants to violate the authority of the US constitution. He doesn't think we should obey the rules this great country is based upon. He is a fascist.

[raiders1967]

Tom Tancredo will secure this nation's borders. Mike Huckabee believes that illegal aliens should be given a path to citizenship. Tom Tancredo will not give illegal aliens a path to citizenship.

[avintar]

Ron Paul won't grant amnesty to illegal aliens either.

Here's my problem: ANY person that says they'd approve torture (or any "enhanced interrogation") should be forced to undergo the procedure themselves.  That way they know what they are subjecting people to. Not every person caught is guilty, thus, innocent people WILL be subjected to torture under these fools (who want to be kings).

[bruthav]

Our special forces (the best, brightest and most able folks that defend our nation-state) undergo water boarding. If its OK for us to do it to the very men and women that are protecting our country, then why can't we do it to our worst enemies?

[raiders1967]

Yet another Tancredo basher that is afraid to say what candidate for president he or she believes would make a good president.

[raiders1967]

What candidate do you beleive would be a good president?

[raiders1967]

Tancredo is right.

[Colten99]

Tancredo rules!

[linkdead14]

Well said cwm9

[cledus3110]

It's not torture so he shouldn't mind.

[cwm9]

Frankly, I don't want to be kept safe. When the colonists fought the revolutionary war, 1% of them died to obtain our freedoms. If being free and upright means accepting some risk in my life, so be it. Standing up for freedom, even in the face of danger, is what being an American is about. Not hiding behind a broken constitution and a president willing to destroy the world to protect me.

[badi03]

I'll be standing right beside you, if it ever came to such a case.

[bruthav]

That sounds great -- in theory. The Colonists did not have to face the threat of nuclear holocaust (or dirty bombs), like we do today. The world has changed and we have to respond to threats to not only our national security, but to life as we know it.