…Does that make me a torturer?

An independent investigation into the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has turned up three violations of Army regulations and the Geneva Conventions (none of which involved torture of any kind):

The chief investigator, Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, described the interrogation techniques used on Mohamed al-Qahtani, a Saudi who was captured in December 2001 along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
. . .
Schmidt said that to get him to talk, interrogators told him his mother and sisters were whores, forced him to wear a bra, forced him to wear a thong on his head, told him he was homosexual and said that other prisoners knew it. They also forced him to dance with a male interrogator, Schmidt added, and subjected him to strip searches with no security value, threatened him with dogs, forced him to stand naked in front of women and forced him onto a leash, to act like a dog.

After reading the horrendous torture tactics employed by US Soldiers, Annika believes now that she may have been tortured too:

Looking at the list of “violations,” i realize that most, if not all of these things have happened to me at various times in my life.

Even more disturbing, after reading the list of violations, I’m afraid that I might be a guilty of being a torturer. After all:

• I’ve insulted someone’s mother and/or sister before. In fact, I’ve probably insulted my own mother and sisters.
• I’ve askedforced my wife to wear a bra before (to the company picnic), and strongly urge her to wear one when we go out in public. And, while I’ve never forced her to wear a thong, I have purchased one for her and strongly urged her to wear it.
• I have removed clothes from other people’s body for no apparent security purpose
• My large Lab has scared some small children
• I’ve witnessed men standing naked in front of a woman, and did absolutely nothing to stop it.
• I once made my brother dance with me at a wedding. I also force my wife to dance the Marcena at the same wedding.

After reading this horrible list of torture techniques, and re-evaluating my past, I can come to only one conclusion: I am guilty of torture.

I should be immediately detained on a Caribbean Island, fed three squares a day, given free world class health care, and unfettered access to any and all cultural and religious practices and items that I might require.

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Thursday, July 14th, 2005 | Trackback |