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May 23, 2009

Yeah, It Kinda Is Torture. No, Make That It REALLY Is Torture

I'm late to the ball on this one (I have to work for a living, yo) but by now it's all over the intarwebs: the noted conserva-shockjock Erick Muller actually got waterboarded, under controlled conditions, as a test to see how long he could hack ('scuse) it.

He lasted but six seconds.

Muller, known by the nom de guerre "Mancow" (all the decent radio aliases apparently spoken for) is a syndicated talker/shocker who has a reputation for conservatism and on-air stunts that get him in trouble (it must be said, though, that I appreciate what he did to Fred Durst that one time. I've always said Limp Bizkit was overrated. Anyway.)

It's reported that Mancow manned-up in a demonstration at his radio station designed to prove that waterboarding wasn't torture – or if it was, it wasn't all that bad, I guess.

"It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that's no joke ... It is such an odd feeling to have water poured down your nose with your head back... It was instantaneous... and I don't want to say this: absolutely torture," Rachel Wiener of the HuffPo quoted him.

He didn't want to say it. But he did. He had to. He experienced the subtle joys of simulated drowning.

Now, I'll give Mancow credit for having bigger stones than Sean Hannity did, who said he'd do it for charity but hasn't yet been brave enough to take the ... well, plunge, which should surprise no student of arrogant bullies.

It's way past time for this argument to move on to what I think is the real question – are we as a nation cowed enough to think that we have to do this to protect ourselves? It has been done in our name; that ship has sailed (I sure have way too many opportunities to use that phrase lately). Some still advocate its use, despite a chorus of warnings that it does no good, and that an America that believes in truth and justice and an America that tortures its adversaries are mutually exclusive things.

Still, it's a welcome dose of happy schadenfreude to see someone who didn't think simulated drowning was so bad admit that it is indeed that bad. The grudging in the admission is just a bit extra happy.

But at least Mancow had the courage to put his air supply where his mouth was?

And Hannity?

Olbermann gave ten large to Mancow's favorite charity. The offer to Hannity has been rescinded (link features video pwnage).

And so it goes.

Posted by The Chinuk at May 23, 2009 08:58 AM