The methods were clearly understood in 1948 as war-crimes. The punishment for them was death.

[kpete]

more:
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/05/-versch-auml-rfte-vernehmung/228158/

[hobbit709]

1. It was wrong then and it is still wrong today.

And the clowns that authorized this should be locked up for a long time-and that includes the ones at the very top.

[newfie11]

2. But but this is America we speak of

Land of the free home of the brave!

The scum of the earth that did the atrocities and still allow atrocities to continue in Guantanamo should be at The Hague.

Unfortunately it won't happen. This makes SICK and I am embarrassed to be an American!

[99Forever]

3. You should submit this to the White House.

Apparently President Obama, his staff, and his Dept Of Justice are unaware of it.

[Enthusiast]

5. It seems to have escaped their notice.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. Apparently the BFEE willfully ignored this. And continue to flaunt their criminality.

[99Forever]

8. As does the Obama Administration.

Imagine that.

[zeemike]

10. Well what better way to establish it as a policy

Than have the first black president and a Democrat sanction it.
All we need now is the first woman to sanction it and it is established.

[ReRe]

18. I imagine...

... since they don't "look backwards." I agree... the author of the OP needs to FAX it to the WH and to the DOJ.

[jwirr]

26. And then I want an explanation of why we are not going to try them?

[rhett o rick]

31. They don't have the power to do anything about it. They get their orders from

a higher source. My bet is Clapper.

[99Forever]

32. I tend to agree.

The lack of spines there, doesn't help either.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. While 'sharpened interrogations' sounds a lot like 'enhanced interrogations'

It actually sounds like the Nazis were more restrained in their tortures than our war criminals were. That makes what our people did even more disgusting. Worse than Nazis, and not a Godwin in sight.

[Enthusiast]

6. +1

[Faryn Balyncd]

9. Yep...also some of the "enhanced: went further

[G_j]

11. Over a hundred documented deaths have occurred in these interrogation sessions.

Freezing prisoners to near-death, repeated beatings, long forced-standing, waterboarding, cold showers in air-conditioned rooms, stress positions [Arrest mit Verschaerfung], withholding of medicine and leaving wounded or sick prisoners alone in cells for days on end - all these have occurred at US detention camps under the command of president George W. Bush. Over a hundred documented deaths have occurred in these interrogation sessions. The Pentagon itself has conceded homocide by torture in multiple cases. Notice the classic, universal and simple criterion used to define torture in 1948 (my italics):

In deciding the degree of punishment, the Court found it decisive that the defendants had inflicted serious physical and mental suffering on their victims, and did not find sufficient reason for a mitigation of the punishment in accordance with the provisions laid down in Art. 5 of the Provisional Decree of 4th May, 1945. The Court came to the conclusion that such acts, even though they were committed with the connivance of superiors in rank or even on their orders, must be regarded and punished as serious war crimes.
The victims, by the way, were not in uniform. And the Nazis tried to argue, just as John Yoo did, that this made torturing them legit. The victims were paramilitary Norwegians, operating as an insurgency, against an occupying force. And the torturers had also interrogated some prisoners humanely. But the argument, deployed by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and the Nazis before them, didn't wash with the court. Money quote:

As extenuating circumstances, Bruns had pleaded various incidents in which he had helped Norwegians, Schubert had pleaded difficulties at home, and Clemens had pointed to several hundred interrogations during which he had treated prisoners humanely.

[Dragonfli]

28. They were under a lot of pressure would have worked as a defense if they were tried today

Actually, if Obama had been president in 1945, he would cite being under pressure as reason not to try them at all or so I would imagine if he is consistent in his legal views.

[Derek V]

12. Truth

and Rec.

[Blue_Adept]

13. We've evolved our thinking since then.

[mn9driver]

14. The article is from 2007. We've had a long time to think about this.

The apparent lack of horror by the larger public here is....disturbing.

[Odin2005]

23. The banality of evil. Americans are "Good Germans".

[woo me with science]

15. K&R

[2naSalit]

16. From some of the

reports I've been watching/reading, it has been noted that most of these egregious acts were performed by contractors which = mercenaries... a large population of whom are still in the theater.

The way things are shaping up politically at home, I can imagine that along with our militarized uniformed civilians might have some among them and/or may soon be joining them. I am convinced that many dots connect in close proximity to this issue, none of such a large swindle happens in a vacuum.

[albino65]

17. perhaps we've lost our resolve

[Journeyman]

25. And "those who ordered followers" were tried and convicted just as well . . .

[jwirr]

27. And last night John Brennan said "The Agency just did what the administration asked them to do."

[rhett o rick]

29. And I bet they had a wicked smile all the while they were doing it. John is using the "just followin

orders" argument. He broke US and international laws. Send him to Gitmo with the general population.

[jwirr]

30. Exactly.

[Orrex]

19. To be fair, the Gestapo used "sharpened interrogation"

whereas the good ol' US of A calls it "enhanced interrogation." Big ol' difference.

Or something.

[FailureToCommunicate]

20. After a trial of course...

[albino65]

21. That is so excellent n/t

[Odin2005]

22. This country is literally as bad as the Nazis.

stop the world, I want off.

[SomethingFishy]

33. Up on the roof...

Pink Floyd albums under my arm, guitar over my shoulder and thumb out.. First fucking ride off this shitty rock.

[progressoid]

24. But but but, 9/11 made us askeered of the brown men.

[SomethingFishy]

34. Jon Stewart showed this on a segment last night...

It, coupled with the very specific Torture Convention we signed and ratified, leaves no room to wiggle. We don't prosecute, we are in violation of the Convention.

[woo me with science]

35. kick

Breaking bones? Rape and sodomy of minors? As a matter of policy?

I never thought I would see the day when my government would refuse to treat these as crimes.