Earl spotted this from David Isenberg. Another Reason Torture-tape-gate is Abhorent I’m astonished at what’s happened in the USA over the torture tapes – as Earl says this is another nail in the coffin of the perpertrators. Or should be.
Suppose the torture victim says something useful, but mumbles, or uses disjointed syntax, or uses a language that the torturers don’t know. Maybe the victim has a moment of weakness and then clams up again. Or maybe the victim utters the valuable information and dies. Or maybe the information needs to be translated by somebody who’s not present. Or maybe it only gains value as it is subject to further analysis.
To NOT RECORD torture is to risk losing the very utility the perpetrators claim makes torture necessary. If they’re risking loss of information to keep their own asses out of the fire, it’s even worse. Shame. Shame. Shame.
