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Brandon McAllister English 1102 022 Germaine MMP Argument Torture: A Right or Not Right? Water Boarding. Attention Slapping. Long Time Standing. The Cold Cell. These are just some of the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency in order to extrapolate information from prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Water Boarding consists of placing a towel over the face of a restrained person, while they are on their back, and pouring water on the towel around the nose and mouth area to simulate the experience of drowning. In my opinion I believe torture is acceptable but we should only use it selectively, only for certain reasons, not just because its available to us. Reportedly, even the toughest of prisoners were begging to confess after just a couple of minutes of water boarding. Although these techniques are illegal, ineffective, immoral, and pose health hazards, would not using them pose a greater threat to the security of our nation? As I said Water Boarding is when a towel is placed over the head of a restrained subject and water is poured on the towel around the mouth and nose area to simulate drowning. Attention Slapping is a method used along with long time standing and the cold cell to keep prisoners awake for long periods of time. Attention slapping is slapping the person in the face while they are restrained so that they have no choice but to take it and cannot retaliate. Long time standing is as it sounds, the subject is not allowed to sit down so that they may stay awake for long periods of time. The cold cell is a sensory deprivation technique just as much as it is a sleep

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deprivation method because the subject is forced to sit in a cold room for long periods of time, often naked, they become numb and it can have adverse effects on their health after awhile. Do these enhanced interrogation techniques question the morality of our nation? In an article Adam Ciarella said, Imagine if someone could show some great social or securit y benefit from committing genocide, would we even consider listening to this argument? Shouldnt this be the same for torture? (Ciarella, 2013) Well, some believe it should be and also some against using torture as a method for procuring information state that it is barbaric and that we should be past using these methods. Apart from the morality of using these techniques, they also have lasting effects on the individuals subjected to them. Psychological techniques are more damaging than physical ones. Experts say that the effects of the methods are deep and permanent. Also, addressing the part of effectiveness, many articles on the subject both say that these torture methods are generally ineffective in procuring information, or at least the correct information. Two separate articles by Bonnie Block and Adam Ciarella both say that the prisoners subjected to these practices will confess to anything under the pressure of the torture, so although we get them to confess we cannot be sure the information is correct. (Block, 2008) Even sometimes it might prove more dangerous for us to torture these individuals because they may have feelings of revenge after we are done with them. Along with potentially being immoral, hazardous, and ineffective these enhanced interrogation techniques are illegal in the United States. According to an article by Marjorie Cohn, enhanced interrogation or torture has always been illegal in the United States. We have always prohibited the use of torture in our laws, constitution, executive statements, and judicial decisions. We have ratified treaties that have all outlawed torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading behaviors such. (Cohn, 2008) Also torture is a violation of human rights and is

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prohibited and denounced by article 5 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, the U.N. Conventions against Torture, the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S. Army Field Manuel. So why were these acts permitted? Although there are many reasons to not use torture, why was it used? Some believe it is excellent in procuring information from individuals about torture. Often an individual will torture another individual if they feel threatened by the person or if they feel helpless and desperate. An author posed a scenario on why torture should be used. The scenario is, what if a terrorist placed a bomb on an island where many Americans are and we have the terrorist in custody, then would be a time when it would be okay and right to use torture because the cost of the many American lives should outweigh constitutionality. In an article by Tom Leonard about George Bush. Former President Bush was quoted in his book as saying, We did use Water boardingbecause it saved many American lives. (Leonard, 2010) George Bush claimed the use of water boarding helped stop attacks on the U.S. In his memoir, he told about how certain individuals were water boarded to get information on plots. As we see although there are many arguments against using torture, its very apparent that it worked in this situation, saving many American lives, so can torture be all bad? Although these techniques are illegal, immoral, and pose health hazards, would not using them pose a greater threat to the security of our nation? I think there are positives and negatives to any situation like that but I think we, as a nation, have to decide what we believe to be right or not and if we do decide that the negatives outweigh the positives, we can judge cases one by one to decide what to use but ultimately if we outlaw it all together then we must find an effective alternative that can do what the previous method has done so we can preserve the security of our nation.

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Sources
Block, B. (2008, January 12). Torture is Illegal, Immoral, and Ineffective. Retrieved from Common Dreams: https://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/12/6339 Ciarella, A. (2013, January 25). The Use of Torture Can Never Be Justified. The News Herald, p. 2. Cohn, M. (2008, May 6). Counter Punch. Retrieved March 25, 2014 Leonard, T. (2010, November 9). Mail Online. Retrieved March 25, 2014 Levin, M. (n.d.). Michael Levin: The Case for Torture. Retrieved March 25, 2014 Ross, B., & Esposito, R. (2005, November 18). CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described. Retrieved from ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Investigation/story?id=1322866

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