That was the short answer; long one is to work at it 24 hours a day and bounce what you learn off at least three different and hopefully unconnected native speakers. Many folks are inclined to have at least a little fun with um, misleading terms, in teaching another their language. I learned more profanity unintentionally than purposely in a couple of languages...
Stupid of me to assume that professionals would not be familiar with all techniques of interrogation. I'm guessing it is civilians (like myself) of equal ignorance advocating torture. I'll study up more before posting.
Two problems with torture - COL (ret) Stuart A. Herrington, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 21 Oct.
Recently revealed White House memos have raised the ugly question yet again: Is torturing prisoners captured in the Global War on Terrorism an effective and permissible use of our nation's might?
I served 30 years in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer, which included extensive experience as an interrogator in Vietnam, in Panama and during the 1991 Gulf War. In the course of these sensitive missions, my teams and I collected mountains of excellent, verified information, despite the fact that we never laid a hostile hand on a prisoner. Had one of my interrogators done so, he would have been disciplined and most likely relieved of his duties.
Since my retirement, I have twice answered the Army's call, journeying to Guantanamo and Iraq to evaluate interrogation procedures. Subsequently, when the terrible tsunami of verified reports of detainee torture by American soldiers overwhelmed the dikes, the Army asked me to assist in training a new battalion of Iraq-bound Army interrogators in non-coercive interrogation techniques ...
SWJ Blog - Waterboarding is Torture… Period by Malcolm Nance.
Much more at the link...I’d like to digress from my usual analysis of insurgent strategy and tactics to speak out on an issue of grave importance to Small Wars Journal readers. We, as a nation, are having a crisis of honor.
Last week the Attorney General nominee Judge Michael Mukasey refused to define waterboarding terror suspects as torture. On the same day MSNBC television pundit and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough quickly spoke out in its favor. On his morning television broadcast, he asserted, without any basis in fact, that the efficacy of the waterboard a viable tool to be sued on Al Qaeda suspects.
Scarborough said, "For those who don't know, waterboarding is what we did to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is the Al Qaeda number two guy that planned 9/11. And he talked …" He then speculated that “If you ask Americans whether they think it's okay for us to waterboard in a controlled environment … 90% of Americans will say 'yes.'” Sensing that what he was saying sounded extreme, he then claimed he did not support torture but that waterboarding was debatable as a technique: "You know, that's the debate. Is waterboarding torture? … I don't want the United States to engage in the type of torture that [Senator] John McCain had to endure."
In fact, waterboarding is just the type of torture then Lt. Commander John McCain had to endure at the hands of the North Vietnamese. As a former Master Instructor and Chief of Training at the US Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE) in San Diego, California I know the waterboard personally and intimately. SERE staff were required undergo the waterboard at its fullest. I was no exception. I have personally led, witnessed and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people. It has been reported that both the Army and Navy SERE school’s interrogation manuals were used to form the interrogation techniques used by the US army and the CIA for its terror suspects. What was not mentioned in most articles was that SERE was designed to show how an evil totalitarian, enemy would use torture at the slightest whim. If this is the case, then waterboarding is unquestionably being used as torture technique...
~from Malcolm Nance: 10/29/07:
"I’d like to digress from my usual analysis of insurgent strategy and tactics to speak out on an issue of grave importance to Small Wars Journal readers. We, as a nation, are having a crisis of honor."
He goes on to say:
"A torture victim can be made to say anything by an evil nation that does not abide by humanity, morality, treaties or rule of law. Today we are on the verge of becoming that nation. "
In the course of the essay he states:
"Are we willing to trade our nation’s soul for tactical intelligence?"
"Waterboarding will be one our future enemy’s go-to techniques because we took the gloves off to brutal interrogation. Now our enemies will take the gloves off and thank us for it."
In describing enhanced interrogation, he comments:
"One has to overcome basic human decency to endure watching or causing the effects. The brutality would force you into a personal moral dilemma between humanity and hatred. It would leave you to question the meaning of what it is to be an American."
I think the full spectrum of American society needs to be addressed to get us all back on the path of righteous living. In particular, the message needs to get out to this strata of Americans - tell 'em hope floats, help is just around the corner and the full brunt of Public outrage is soon to be unleashed:
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/...05/summary.htm
During FFY 2005, an estimated 899,000 children in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect.
http://www.rainn.org/statistics/
Key Facts
• Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
• One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.
• In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
• About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
I would say the crisis of honor was unfolding some time ago and we were in a waterboard frame of mind long before Mr. Nance hit the print. The 1.2 million victims of domestic torture listed above were already questioning what it means to be an American while Mr. Nance was editing his essay. The selected audience of this forum is ultimately a product of the collective from which they emerge and until the collective is convinced that war is other than death, brutality and pain, this issue is not going away nor will it be resolved.
Please don't misunderstand my comments to mean that I don't believe terps can be useful in an intelligence role.Originally Posted by Jedburgh
As regards stupidity and using terps in source ops, or any form of collection, this is probably not the appropriate forum to discuss it in a clearer manner. I'll contact you off-line and throw some thoughts out for you.
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