A letter in the Las Vegas Sun this morning attempts to rebut the assertion that waterboarding isn’t torture because similar technqiues are used to train our own military. The letter writer claims:
The difference is, the airmen know what is happening, and they also know they won’t die at the hands of their fellow airmen. Can the same be said for prisoners who were subjected, some more than 100 times, to a similar technique?
Now, wouldn’t that actually make it less likely that it would be viewed as torture? When Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was taken in to be waterboarded for the 98th time, was he thinking, “Oh, no! The first 97 times just made me disoriented and uncomfortable, but this time I’m sure they’re going to kill me!”
Gently Hew Stone 