They also used torture during the Salem Witch Trials, right?

[ck4829]

A lot of old-school water boarding was used to find Witches too, I'm not sure if they did it during the Salem Witch Trials, but you get the idea.

And we all know that the torture exposed a LOT of evil witches, right?

[Warpy]

1. Quite a lot of it, in fact

The most infamous was the ducking stool. You were held under water until you stopped fighting and then brought up for air just before you drowned.

I'm sure after an hour or so of being brought to unconsciousness under water, you'd be ready to confess to anything. The ones who didn't were judged to be witches, their intransigence being as much a proof of consorting with Satan as a confession was, and they were hanged for not confessing along with some who had. In other words, you were guilty, period.

Pressing under weight was also used to extract confession, and one death resulted from that.

Contrary to popular opinion, no one was burned in Salem.

[Jack Rabbit]

19. The Dunking Stool

It should be important to point out that the dunking stool is a form of what is now called waterboarding.

I think any idiot would know that by using a technique used to get witches to confess, they are using something that is more likely to get the subject to say what the interrogator wants to hear rahter than what he needs to know.

[Yoda Yada]

2. Is torture part of the Republicans' "Christian values"? Ask them. n/t

[Yoda Yada]

4. Oh, I'm sorry...

Republicans are not allowed to use the word "torture".

They have been instructed to call it "coercion tactics".:crazy:

[thecrow]

13. Oh Damn!

<making note to change "abuse" and Fraternity pranks" to "coercion tactics">

You think I would have known.
Sorry.

Oh wait... I don't speak Republican.
Whew!!! off the hook!

[Jack Rabbit]

18. I thought the proper term was Harsh Interrogation Techniques

I prefer one word instead of three.

[roseBudd]

3. Yes, mostly to get "witches" to rat out other "witches"

Most did rat out anyone just to stop the torment.

[Monkeyman]

5. You mean like dunking chairs

Burning their bodies with hot pokers .Hey its the same people in charge of our government

[SDDEM06]

6. I saw Goodie Bush speaking with the Devil!

And here's the picture to prove it!

[mcscajun]

8. Ha!

WTG, Tituba. :)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

22. Ouch !

I feel cursed right now. Is that her version of a "wave" ?? Creepy.

[mcscajun]

7. Not in the Salem Witch trials, and not in America.

Torture of suspected witches, including the "ducking stool", was used quite extensively in Europe.

The pressing death of Giles Corey is the single exception. It took him two days to die, and he stubbornly refused to plead before the court or answer to charges throughout, so technically, he was never "tried". A lousy technicality, but English Common Law was full of 'em.

[Bucky]

11. Giles Corey - is he the defiant guy whose dying words were "more weight"?

If it's the same guy, he's my hero.

[mcscajun]

16. That's the guy. "More weight" would bring his death on quicker

Two days is a long time to suffocate and have your ribcage crushed.

[rzemanfl]

9. Yeah, and how many witches are there today? So see, it worked.

Why do you hate freedom? :sarcasm:

[Bucky]

10. And we've not had problems with witches in this country ever since

[thecrow]

15. I dunno... my tomatoes are looking pretty crummy this year....

Could the be >gasp< CURSED?

[ComerPerro]

12. it protected people from witches, and every single person they tortured

was a witch and ratted other witches out.

Freedom was really on the march then.

The same way they claimed they only torture witches, FReepers will claim that we only torture terrorists.

[KayLaw]

14. Oh, yes.

La plus ça changé, la plus ça même chose.

[NNN0LHI]

17. This torture will only be used on "suspected" terrorists though

The catch is everyone is a "suspected" terrorist.

Don

[pat_k]

20. Even if tortured people didn't give their torturers the fantasies they

. . .wanted to hear, it would still be a horror that must be purged in all its forms.

But the Bush regime NEEDS the fantasies that the tortured tell their torturers. Else how could they keep terrorizing the American people with threats of Mushroom Clouds in 45 minutes, or imminent biological attacks, or plots to blow us up on the way to work?

[The Straight Story]

21. Who is 'they'? (nt)