One more thing

I can’t believe I forgot this, because it is so important, and it is very much a part of the whole bin Laden issue. I am very bothered by people who say this proves the efficacy of torture.

No. No. A thousand times no.

While some of the people who eventually provided useful information may have at some point been subjected to enhanced interrogation, the information that ended up leading to bin Laden did not. This is not a coincidence; this is how it works.

The enhanced interrogation techniques were developed based on training for increasing resistance to brainwashing. This cannot be stated enough.

The problem with any torture (beyond the moral considerations) are that people will often say anything to stop the pain, so if they don’t know the desired answers, or the truth is not believed, they will lie or make things up.

Beyond that, the specific methods that have been at issue, like waterboarding, are designed specifically to break a person down so that they will say what you program them to say. Useful, if reprehensible, if you need to propagate false information, but disastrous if you need accurate information to provide maximum results and safety.

This has been well documented, but it just doesn’t seem to matter. People still say it is a necessary tool. Maybe it’s because it always worked for Jack Bauer on “24”, but that was fiction, and the writers could make it come out how they wanted. When you really have 2 hours to find the ticking time bomb, you don’t have time to chase down a false lead, realize it is wrong, and correct. Torture is the last thing you should do.

Just needed to get that off my chest.

40 minutes walking outside
1 Nephi 9-16