Thursday, December 08, 2005

Pursuant to Essayist #12:

A classic example of reductionism, courtesy of Slate. It begs many questions: is a police threatening harsh treatment at the hands of other prisoners in jail "torture"? Is using bright lights to disorient and disturb thought processes "torture"? Is playing good cop/bad cop "torture"? If not, why not? They're all coercive, and they're all aimed at getting information, or a confession, out of what may be an innocent person. Where is the line drawn? And if the line can be drawn, and clearly, why is it risible to argue that the line should be drawn elsewhere?

I'm not holding my breath for answers.

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