If there is any doubt whatsoever in your mind as to whether waterboarding is a particularly brutal form of torture, read the August 2008 article by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair, titled "Believe Me, It's Torture".
Hitchens (who is clearly intrepid bordering on insane) agreed to subject himself to a slightly milder form of waterboarding under very controlled conditions, so he could experience what it feels like. He wrote about the entire experience in the article you can read by clicking here.
The episode was also was filmed by Vanity Fair (Warning: It's mildly graphic):
I highly doubt whether the solicitousness these guys showed to Hitchens was extended to the prisoners and terrorists suspects. The question is simple, really. How far do we stray from our ideals in the pursuit of a false security?
Is it even debatable that we not only have to know everything there is to know about what our government did, but subject the responsible parties to prosecution?
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