Exactly. I think it's along the lines of "two wrongs don't make a right".

Also, let me restate - I have no issue with the episode of South Park, or the movie Team America and I have no issue with the picture (if it wasn't a forced autograph).

So, let me get this straight. It's ok if they play "These Boots Are Made for Walking" at top decibal 24/7 if the objective is to sleep deprive your captive for advanced interrogation techiniques, but it's not cool to play "Bigger Longer and UnCut" ad-infinitum if the purpose is to humiliate him?

Per the Geneva Convention, I guess that would be right. Unless the "advanced interrogation techniques" are torture, which under Bush they probably were.

So... by that logic if the South Park movie was only played to keep him awake and not to humilate him that would be okay?

Yes. Which is why I think it's absurd everyone getting in an uproar about playing the movie over and over, but - aside from the recent "Torture" thread, which had like 2 replies - I haven't seen any panties in a bunch about similar and far worse techniques being used on more common prisoners.

Besides, no one's alleged Saddam was all Ludivico'd with toothpicks propping his eyes open while tied to a chair with his head in a vice. How, exactly, did they "make" him watch it? Was it projected on all four walls of his cell?

More than likely, he was made to listen to it, because you can't really escape sound. And if this particular sound was designed to humiliate rather than "advanced interrogate," please put that in the perspective of guard dogs, naked human pyramids, koran desecration, hoods and stress position and wires attached to the genitals.


Let's get a freaking grip about the South Park torture.

I didn't say it was worse than torture.

I said the people who did it were probably just doing it to be dicks. And when you do something to be a dick then you are a dick.

Is it the worst thing in the world? No. I'd just prefer that people not go around trying to be dicks. I especially prefer that prison guards not be dicks to their prisoners. I even more prefer that they not torture them but I'm a dreamer and dream of a world in which I get both.

I think he should.

But I'm in favor of being a dick to the dicks of the world.

I just want to say that I really like this post.

I, too, agree with the gist of Alex's post ...

But I also think American Soldiers being a dick to Saddam Hussein, in particular, is the smallest problem in the entire world. Smaller than little Bobbie's pimple on his neck this morning. Smaller than not having exact change.

That would be because you all were not celebrating the torture of prisoners in other threads I have seen.

Now if you want to post a thread laughing at and celebrating the treatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib then yes, I suspect I would respond to that and do so much more fervently than I did this issue.