Why torture? Why can’t we just use DRUGS to interrogate people?

[El Fuego]

I’m just a layperson, and not a physical torture expert like bush or Gonzales, but I don’t understand why they can’t just shoot the “detainees” up with a pharmaceutical cocktail to get them to talk. A couple bottles of wine is enough to get the average person to spill their guts. (I have used this particular interrogation technique with great success on several ex-boyfriends. Which is why they are EX-boyfriends.)

What’s with this administration’s preoccupation with medieval torture techniques? Waterboarding?? Strapping someone to a board and nearly drowning them?? But this is OK since Gonzales’ torture memo says the Evil Empire can subject people to any amount of pain as long as it doesn’t cause "injury such as death, organ failure, or serious impairment of body functions." (RW lurkers: This is YOUR country. Aren’t you proud?)

Experts say information obtained by physical torture is usually unreliable because people will say anything when they’re under extreme physical duress. Why physically torture someone to put them in a mentally dis-associative state when this can be accomplished with a single injection? Why not keep them doped up until they become so disoriented that they lose all resolve and start blathering? Why is this administration so focused on the use of torture?

I suspect the reason is simply this:

BECAUSE THEY ARE SICK SADISTIC FUCKS.

[Taxloss]

1. I would say that drugging people IS torture.

And the information produced is every bit as unreliable as evidence produced by torture.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. Hey haven't you heard, drugs are harmful!

:sarcasm:

[wtmusic]

3. Another bandaid

Or we could just adopt a sane foreign policy and let people think what they want to think, and not have to know what they think.

[Rosemary2205]

4. I do believe drugging is against the geneva convention also.

And I would consider forced drugs a form of torture.

A vietnam POW friend told me they forced him to get addicted to heroin and then use the next fix as a way to get him to do what they wanted or to try and get information.

Drugging is not good.

[El Fuego]

14. They've already thrown the Geneva Convention into the shredder

along with the Constitution.

In a more civilized nation, the question of whether or not drugs are a form of torture might be a subject for debate. But bushco actually physically tortures people and looks for a legal basis to do so, so we're not in Kansas anymore.

[Generic Other]

5. They tried giving people LSD

Now do you want to risk the security of our nation on the intelligence you are going to get from someone hallucinating on LSD?

Ooooh, I'm seeing colors...trails in front of my eyes...holy crap...a giant ladybug just walked into the room, and she's eating a bowl of cup-o-noodles!!!

[Swamp Rat]

15. LOL!

I'm hungry now. :D

[Generic Other]

16. You won't think it's so funny when the Michelle Malkin hallucination

kicks in.

:rofl:

[Crazy Dave]

6. On drugs or alcohol a person might tell the truth

Instead of what they person interrogating really wants to hear.

Iraqi prisoner: "There are no militants in our village so please don't destroy it and kill everyone".

Interrogator: "BULLSHIT YOU LYING PIECE OF SHIT!!! (While a dog is biting the guy's genitals)

Interrogator: You better tell me what I want to hear or I'll tell the dog to rip them off!

Iraqi prisoner: What is it you want me to say?

Interrogator: Admit there's weapon's and terrorists in all the village houses.

Iraqi prisoner: Okay! Okay! You got me. There's weapon's and terrorists in all the houses.

Interrogator: Very good. Thanks for your help and cooperation.

[K8-EEE]

7. That's An Interesting Question

Is there really such thing as "truth serum?" Not that I would like to be jabbed with a needle myself but if they can put people under and medically make it harder to lie (understanding this is also illegal) it is way more humane than pretending you are going to drown them, cut off limbs or whatever. Actually they HAVE killed at least a few (probably more) with the "program" so you would think this would be preferable and more acceptable. Just sayin'...."getting information" obviously has nothing to do with it.

My friend who was in jail told me they they used to line them up for all kinds of shots, even in jail as a US citizen you have nothing to say about it....creepy. He was jailed for some dumb drug charge in the 70's, he's been a model citizen for (and incidentally, made a fortune in legal sales!) for 30 years and still can't vote. The "war on drugs" has a lot to do with voter suppression IMO.

[noonwitch]

8. Allegedly sodium pentathol is truth serum

If you give the person a lower dose than you would for a general anesthetic, they will tell the truth when questioned. It's torture, technically, but not quite as awful as giving someone LSD and then asking questions.

[Hamlette]

9. it doesn't work...the so called "truth serum".

Most people just fall asleep. Honestly, if it worked, don't you think we'd use it on criminals here? Or terrorists here and there?

[QuestionAll...]

10. the beast and his torturers are not interested in information

they torture to terrorize and weaken the population.

like Negroponte did in central america.

[BlooInBloo]

11. drugs'r bad m'kay?

[BlooInBloo]

12. ticking bomb! TICKING BOMB!!!!

There's your answer.

No, I don't believe in the answer either. But that's the answer they'll give, and Americans are stupid enough/bigoted enough to go along with it.

[sweetheart]

13. i volunteer for the LSD-25 group

Hey, pure acid is hard to come by. So what, a little time with some FBI gears, and then an
acid trip on the state whilst they interrogage me about my toothpaste brands and preferences;
about my concerns over the Oral-B monopoly and even filming whilst the tripping subject goes
swimming in the Atlantic ocean.

This sounds like a great idea, the government supplies the drugs and the sound system, and the
people just show up for the party, what a great idea. We need more forward thinking in the party-sphere like this! ;-)

[intaglio]

17. There ain't no such animal as a truth serum

Remember Pilate asking "What is truth?" That is the problem torturers, lie detector advocates and drug interrogators have.

better is this wikipedia article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_drug