Could you?

A bunch of us were sitting around at work discussing this guy that is Usama Bin Laden's close associate. Of course you know that the talk is that he is being tortured. This question was posed. If you caught Bin Laden, or any of his people and you knew he was planning more attacks on innocent targets, could you torture him to get the information out of him? Not for previous sins, just to prevent new ones. Could you? I will post my answer after afew others, because I am sincerely interested in what all of you have to say, and do not want to set the tone for the discussion. I was very surprised at some of the answers I got from my co-workers, what some people would consider a "rough crowd."

no, violence begets violence.

no way.

Torture is ineffective because the subject will eventually just tell you what you want to hear, to make it stop.

Look at the American POWs in North Vietnam. Many of them confessed to "war crimes" while being tortured.

Interesting question, but I would personally have to say no.

My mind and spiritual beliefs work on a total different level that torture could never play a part in it!

Tempting as it may be to see him in as much pain as he caused our whole country, I wouldn't physically torture him simply for the reason that Cindy already said. It doesn't work. Didn't work in the Middle Ages, Spanish Inquisition and all that. Didn't work in the witch hunts. Didn't work in recent history either. The other problem with physical torture is that the longer they hold out, the more of a psychological victory that the "victim" has over the torturers. There is only so much pain a person can physically take, but if they can withstand that and not say anything they convince themselves that they have won and have even more willpower than before the torture.

Although, psychological torture/manipulation works very well, and can be just as damaging. OK, so there's a side of me you guys never even suspected! Probably comes from reading too many books on serial killers.

Originally posted by valanhb
Although, psychological torture/manipulation works very well, and can be just as damaging.

OK, so there's a side of me you guys never even suspected!

Probably comes from reading too many books on serial killers.

Click to expand...

Muahahahahah..........



Don't get me started on my dark side, it may be psychologically damaging!!!!



(sorry to go OT, back to the discussion!)

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:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: I am sorry but I have been waiting forever to use this picture.

BUT

Yea torture is the worst if of all craziness. The thing is that you are you are because life has made you into what is like a evolution.

I was a bad boy when little I burned ants with a focus lens, kicked dead birds a football field and just kid stupid crap but I remember what I have done and it lives with me forever and it's easy to chaulk it up to being young and just dumb....but you remember.

If my country asked me to torture Bin Ladin.....I would not hesatate a second, matter of fact I would say hell yea! He has fried more than all...human life an never seen the face of what he has killed. This guy is a puss and needs a whoopin so bad.

Would I remember? In my older years it would haunt me so much I would not be able to get it out of my mind!:disturbed But I would do it again if it ment the freedom to allow us to have and see a Dialogue like this again!

p.s. 4 beers now and still don't step on an ant when I see them on sidewalks.

The question was if you KNEW you could get this information by torture. My answer is yes, I could do it. I would not enjoy it, but I could do it to save innocent lives.
The basis for this discussion was a quote from author Robert Heinlein, I don't rmember the exact words, but the gist of it was that the female is the more ruthless of the species. When we asked this of the 3 women and 4 men, only half of the men said they could do it. All the women said they could under those circumstances.

I couldn't. I just can't hurt people. my dh on the other hand i think would have no problem.

This may be an unpopular thought, But id give a go and then say no.

I'd slap him around a bit, but I wouldn't torture him... well, perhaps a little chinese glass tube in penis torture, but that's it... well...

i wouldnt torture him, it would make me as bad as him. i remember reading something somewhere (like you Heidi, i read a lot of books about serial killers as well) and the CIA etc is trained to lie when under duress, situations like this.

just my 2 cents.

I don't think I could torture him, either. I think I could only torture someone if they hurt someone I loved, and then I might just hurt them a little.

Here's an article by a rabbi which is kind of interesting, and a little long.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/122/story_12245.html

Tourcher can be done in many forms, it doesn't just have to be in the phsyical sense that we all imagen. I for one WOULD do it, mostly because I just want to. I like to inflict pain of various sorts on those whom are diserving.
Either via torcher or some other means, you never really know of a person is lieing to you or not.
But at the very most I would like to engrave it in his mind that all of what he and everyone else is doing is wrong, so very very very wrong!

i doubt torture will work with an individual like Usama!!

Oops, guess I didn't read the question right. Sorry Rebecca! If I KNEW I could get real information that would save lives in the future, I would do it in a heartbeat. Like WOE said, too, if my COUNTRY asked me to I would too.

Here's the really sad thing about my thinking process....I would never do anything like that to an animal, under any circumstances. Not even under threat of death to myself. I could do it to someone like Osama Bin Laden and honestly not feel too bad about it.

I didn't read the question right either!



Still, my answer doesn't change. I'd be compromising my own spiritual beliefs and identity. There will always be good and bad and once Bin Laden is tortured, there would be a next person, and a next person etc.

i'm not sure i can answer that because i am on both sides of the fence (there's a shock, eh?).

i don't think you would get anything out of him. i keep thinking in all these situations that come up that we are not fighting an enemy that plays by our rules. ot them it is honorable to die in order to destroy lives of people they don't agree with. i am not saying they are without remorse. i can't see into their heads any more than they can see into mine. but suicide for the right cause raises them in their hierarchy of religion. bin laden would die before he gave up.

on the other hand, i would do whatever it takes to save lives, theirs and ours. if i thought i could get info on him that would stop what is going on, i don't know how far i could go.

I just could not torture someone...anyone....I'm not saying I would be opposed to it, if thousands of innocent lives could be saved, but I could not persoanlly do it myself....they would have to get someone else to do it and I would want to be far far away so as to not hear the screams.

I agree with Brenda though...if someone hurt my family, especially my child, I think I could cut a few fingers off in blind rage.