Torture 101

Much has been made about President Obama planning to close GITMO, and his declaring " the US will not torture." Or words to that effect. CJ, over at A Soldiers Perspective gives the reality of the US and torture - the rules the US already follows:

Ensuring Lawful Interrogations

January 24th, 2009 by CJ

I need to reiterate something here because this is going to be a touchy subject. In accordance with AR 360-1, the opinions expressed on A Soldier's Perspective are those of the individual writer and do not reflect the official positions or policies of the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or the United States Government." Theses views are based upon personal experiences, research on the facts, and analysis. This blog is maintained as a citizen of the United States and NOT as a US Soldier. Though the author may be a Soldier, in no way, shape, or form am I writing in that capacity. I write this post on my personal time, using my personal computer, and my personal funds and do so under the guarantees of the United States Constitution, Amendment 1.

Now let's move along to the issue of interrogations and the recent decision regarding interrogations by President Barack Obama.

Much has been made of the fact that President Obama recently signed an Executive Order banning any interrogation methods not expressly covered in FM 2-22.3, Human Intelligence Collector Operations. I will NOT be linking to this regulation, nor will I specifically discuss what is in it. The Executive Branch of our government has already given the enemy enough notice and insight that I do not need to help it along. The following is a hypothetical situation.

In just a few weeks, the United States will experience our annual ritual called the Super Bowl. The teams this year are the Arizona Cardinals versus the Pittsburgh Steelers (I'm rooting for the Cardinals, by the way). It's probably no secret that the Steelers are highly favored to win. They are a superior team. They have a spectacular offense and defense. The NFL Commissioner recently decided that the Steelers were simply TOO good. They use plays that the Cardinals don't even know about. They are highly complex and successful.

To ensure that the odds are evened out a bit, the Commissioner decided the Steelers can only play in the Super Bowl if they use the Cardinals' playbook. Any plays that are not contained within the Cardinals playbook are strictly forbidden. The Steelers are to IMMEDIATELY cease any and all training on all strategies they have successfully used to get to the Super Bowl.

On top of this, if the Steelers wish to use 2 or 3 specific plays in the playbook, the Steelers must request approval from the Commissioner prior to using them. Some of their plays are simply too sneaky and the Steelers can't be trusted to use them unless it can be assured they truly need them to win. The Cardinals may continue to play as they always have and use whatever tricks and options they choose in addition to the standard plays the Steelers are restricted to.

Under these circumstances, what do you think the outcome of the Super Bowl is going to be? Ladies and gentlemen, we're playing the Super Bowl EVERY DAY in this country. Only we're not looking to catch a football down the sidelines or prevent the other team from putting points on the board. We're playing for our very lives. A touchdown by the other team results in dead Soldiers, Civilians, and poor, helpless puppies and sea kittens....

There is more after this great analogy, of course, and you can read it here. I don't really need to add anything else to this one!