...the subject of waterboarding and interrogation. Including a remarkable admission by a lefty to a complete disinterest in becoming informed of the facts:
Yglesias Admits His Ignorance [Marc Thiessen via NRO]
Matthew Yglesias embarrasses himself further over at the oxymoronically named “Think Progress,” where he attempts to respond to my post taking down his false comparison between the CIA’s interrogation practices and the Spanish Inquisition.
First, he admits he has not read my book (“if he wants me to read it he’ll have to force water down my throat to induce the sensation of drowning.”) In other words, he acknowledges he is willfully ignorant (“I’ll concede that I’m not nearly as well-versed in the precise ins-and-outs of different ways of torturing as a sicko like Thiessen is. But what’s the point.”) and he is uninterested in correcting said ignorance. Matthew doesn’t even feel the need to get informed on what the other side is saying. Heck of a way to make your case, Matthew. “I don’t know as much about the topic the person I’m criticizing but here’s why he’s wrong.” You don’t need to put a dime in my pocket to get informed Matthew. Just grab a “comfy chair” at Borders or your local library, and you might seem a bit less of an ignoramus.
Second, Yglesias exposes his ignorance even in his explanation of why he has not read my book. He already admits in his post that the CIA did not use sharp cords to rip apart the flesh of the terrorists, as the Spanish Inquisition did. But if he had read Courting Disaster, he would also know that the CIA never “forced water” down the throats of terrorists. (He even includes a picture alongside his post of Inquisitors forcing a device down the throats of a man to fill his innards with water). This is a technique called “pumping” that was employed by Imperial Japan and other despotic regimes. They would force water into their victims until their internal organs expanded painfully (the Japanese even fed them uncooked rice first which then expanded inside their bowels when it made contact with the water), and the victims passed out from the pain. The torturers would then jump on the victims’ stomachs to make them vomit — reviving them so they could then start the process over again. The CIA never did anything even remotely like this. A few seconds of water being poured over the mouths of terrorists, never entering their stomach or lungs, does not compare to these tortures. Yet Yglesias and his ilk want you to believe the CIA did the same thing. They are either deeply uninformed or intentionally lying.
Third, critics like Yglesias really do themselves a disservice by insisting that the CIA and the Spanish Inquisition used the same techniques. It just makes them seem ridiculous. Few Americans really believe that the United States employed the same techniques as the Spanish Inquisition, or Nazi Germany, or the Khmer Rouge. That they stake their ground on this specious argument shows how vapid their case is.
Finally, Matthew writes: “Marc Thiessen and his friends aren’t very smart and they are very immoral. They love inflicting violence.” Really, Matthew? We love inflicting violence? We aren’t smart? These are the kinds of arguments people make when they are uninformed and incapable of engaging the other side on the basis of the facts.
(Go to article to access links)
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWJlZmU3NmNmNGU2M2ZmMzM5ZmM4YTVlZGI4NWFmY2Y=
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