On 10 Dec 2014 at 8:28pm Jack Bauer wrote:
You are an officer in the British army in possession of strong intelligence suggesting that by the use of water-boarding and sleep deprivation,further information could be acquired that would prevent a bomb detonating beneath one of Lewes`s schools. The probability is that a failure to act will result in the death of hundreds of local children.
1- What would you do?
2- Can torture ever be justified?
3- How would you explain your decision?
The captive will not talk and time is running out. Some local parents at the scene are ready to take any means necessary to break the prisoner. All you have to do is look the other way. Do you ?
1- What would you do?
2- Can allowing torture ever be justified?
3- How would you explain your decision?
Time is running out type your answer now ..NOW!
On 10 Dec 2014 at 8:53pm Old Bloke wrote:
Stupid post.
On 10 Dec 2014 at 10:40pm Kettle wrote:
Which school?
On 10 Dec 2014 at 11:05pm skeptical green wrote:
I am aware that the US Senate report this week found that all their use of torture methods( although they fight shy of calling it that) failed in every instance to gain information of any imminent attack. I am also aware that Arch Republican and ex presidential nominee John McCain who was severely tortured as a POW in N Vietnam says he was happy to say anything he could make up to satisfy his torturers and thinks it is a useless method of interrogation. We don't torture because it doesn't work but more importantly because we do not want to become that which we are fighting against.
On 10 Dec 2014 at 11:48pm Jack Bauer wrote:
So what would you do?
On 11 Dec 2014 at 12:09am Mark wrote:
Surely in these circs, water boarding and sleep deprivation would be a dreadful waste of time - taking days to work. I think It would probably be more sensible be more sensible to use a fraction of that time searching thoroughly under the schools.
Perhaps this wasn't the intended point?
On 11 Dec 2014 at 6:45am Jack Bauer wrote:
..and ( Mark ) if the time factor was taken out of the equation and your choice was to use torture, for the purpose of saving local children,or not, would you ?
Its a moral choice not a gaming scenario.
Choose.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 10:05am Mark wrote:
Answering more seriously... State-sponsored torture can't happen. That's a moral imperative. You could invent the most heart-churning scenario to try to make a case for it, but no matter how extreme that scenario was no civilised country should be doing that. (Apart from the USA)
Where would it end? Would it be alright for the police to torture a drug dealer to get him to reveal his suppliers?
On 11 Dec 2014 at 10:40am 8 miles from home wrote:
I wouldn't torture the suspect. Instead I would torture the suspect's family in front of him/her.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 1:33pm Xplorer1 wrote:
I'd evacuate the schools, search for bombs, deal with one if found, let the pupils return, monitor the premises to prevent a subsequent planting, and let due process deal with the suspect.
No moral dilemma, no need for panic.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 1:57pm someone else wrote:
Jack Bauer - the way you have presented the question is idiotically distorted and bears no resemblance to reality. Allow me to present my version:
You hold a terrorist and you need information. All available evidence shows that if you torture the terrorist you are highly unlikely to get any useful information. Furthermore, you know that if you go ahead with the torture you will actively increase the likelihood of additional members joining the terrorist organisation, and in so doing increase the likelihood of further terrorist attacks against you. Do you go ahead with the torture?
On 11 Dec 2014 at 2:16pm bastian wrote:
Quite so "someone else". one would almost be inclined to think that world governments want terrorism because it makes us comply with their needs and give up our human rights to them abidingly, after all "if you have niothing to hide, you have nothing to fear".
I am appalled that torture of any kind has been used in my life time, particularly in what is described as the "Free West", in the interests of what is known as "Democracey".
There is no excuse for torture-as someone else just pointed out, it's a great way to create more terrorists.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 2:19pm bastian wrote:
also I remember schools being threatened by the iRA in the 1970's, we had bomb drills, no one was tortured to find out who it was, and it wouldn't have succeeded.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 3:31pm Jack Bauer wrote:
Someone else - The "Recruiting Sergeant" for X evil organisation-argument, is always available to justify inaction
What evidence there is of 'prevented atrocities' is, of course, inconclusive.
No matter; if you accept these arguments then your choice would be not to used "enhanced interrogation" in the circumstances above. In the event that a school of children was destroyed you would, of course, be obliged to explain your reasons to the grieving parents.
On 11 Dec 2014 at 5:09pm Mark wrote:
The reason that you would present to the parents is that torture is wrong - fighting fire with fire is wrong in this instance. A slippery slope that we can't go down. They would be rather cross, I suppose. Lots of fluffy-haired kids with names like Tarquin and Griselda unfortunately maimed. But (fingers crossed)... the scenario is unlikely to arise.
On 12 Dec 2014 at 7:58am Belladonna wrote:
Obviously the school would be evacuated. All schools in the area would be evacuated. Children saved. End of story. The scenario is ridiculous because the necessary information is already known - perhaps the security services picked it up monitoring Facebook conversations....No need for me to repeat what others here have said about the effectiveness and morality of use of torture.
On 12 Dec 2014 at 5:54pm Clifford wrote:
Scenario: You are a psychopathic bully who enjoys inflicting pain on people but are too much of a coward to do it in a situation in which you may put yourself in danger. You join the armed forces or security service hoping an opportunity may arise in which you can pretend that torturing someone will secure I formation, though you know this to be u true. Your objective is to satisfy your twisted sexuality while appearing a hero.
On 13 Dec 2014 at 9:01am OffRail Pirate wrote:
There's a trolley thundering down the tracks. There are 4 people on the line and another 1 in Uckfield. Do you divert the train to Brighton or Lewes?
YARGH!