We've suddenly got a big crush on Stephen King. In a startlingly witty interview with Time magazine, he calls Britney Spears "trailer trash," reveals that he's working on a musical with John Cougar Mellancamp (about '50s ghosts, and with "homosexual subtext"!), and that he thinks someone from the Bush family should do some personal research on waterboarding:So I said something to the Nightline guy about waterboarding, and if the Bush administration didn't think it was torture, they ought to do some personal investigation. Someone in the Bush family should actually be waterboarded so they could report on it to George. I said, I didn't think he would do it, but I suggested Jenna be waterboarded and then she could talk about whether or not she thought it was torture.
We have nothing against the Bush girls, but this is a brilliant plan, and a fantastic slogan for those of us who are ashamed of our country for condoning torture and then having the gall to say it's not really torture. How long do you think it will be before we can buy a "Waterboard Jenna!" T-shirt?
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 6)
16. #3 Alan, You watch to many Hollywood movies (with Reese Witherspoon) dont you know they are agenda driven and not to be taken seriously?
SUE at 3:29PM on Nov 26th 2007
17. #7 aj - I live in a world where there are more important things than my life and the life of everyone dear to me. That is the same world in which people who risk their lives in the military and police & fire departments to create a better world live. You are living in a fantasy world if you believe that torturing people will make you safer. For every piece of information you get that saves a life today, you are creating a family of outraged people who may get revenge later. You are also getting a lot of outraged people who have no information and are guilty of nothing. You are also getting a lot of bad information.
alan at 5:41PM on Nov 26th 2007
18. Those Americans who are in favor of waterboarding or "any means available" to extract possible information from prisoners have acknowledged to Imperial Japan, Communist China, Communist Cuba, Communist Vietnam, Nazi Germany, North Korea, and Islamic Fundamentalists that: They had the right idea. Why would any American, who has actually read the Constitution, want to play copy-cat to the above despot nations and groups? American ideals and principles used to be worth dying for - even if it means that despots still torture and Americans don't. It's not "aggressive interogation". Torture is torture - there is no euphamism for it. Those who think it's a great idea to use any means available to interrogate prisoners have little or no idea about the Constitution or U.S. history. Torture, in any way, is un-American and anti-American. The ability to hold the moral high-ground with integrity is a far more powerful and convincing weapon than any means of torture. The moral high-ground is worth dying for - at least it used to be.
Frank at 4:30PM on Nov 26th 2007
19. I think Bush should be waterboarded and all of those people who are so scare of the terrorist and dumb enough to believe the right-wing corporate media that they are prepared forgo American principals and become a bunch Nazis. Think about it, the Bush administration has terrorized and killed a hell of a lot more innocent people than the terrorists have at this point. And the only reason the terrorists haven't struck again is because they already won, thanks to Bush and that moron cheney.
gshort3011 at 4:30PM on Nov 26th 2007
20. If you support waterboarding, you are, by definition, a TERRORIST.
Tatiana at 4:40PM on Nov 26th 2007
21. #16 - Sue - Please do not trivialize my convictions. I do not go to the movies.
I have read many of the posts to this article and realize that those of you who support torture believe that we do it rarely, only to people we know to be the enemy, when there is an immediate threat, and it provides good information. Where do you get this? From watching The Unit and 24?
We don't know how many people are tortured. Our leaders will not reveal that information. I suspect that waterboarding has been used more than 3 times. How can we tell someone is the enemy? Because they are Muslim? How many of the enemy in Iraq were our friends until we occupied their country, causing the loss of their ability to provide for their families? How do we know there is no other way? How do we know how much of the information is good and how much is bad? Our government won't tell us.
Why are you living in such fear? You and your family are more likely to die in a car crash.
alan at 4:39PM on Nov 26th 2007
22. #14 wrote: "Some of you obviously are ignorant of the facts. Even tho we have only used this technique three times (OMG!!) water boarding has indeed worked, and we have gotten correct information, that did stop attacks on us. Look it up, educate yourselves and quit getting your taking points from the uninformed, its embarrassing."
You are the one who should be embarrassed. We don't know HOW many times it's been used, and it has NEVER given any information that stopped attacks. If you want us to believe otherwise, show us PROOF of your claims.
Are rightwingers missing a gene for honesty?
Tatiana at 4:41PM on Nov 26th 2007
23. Ada -
Not your usual blog topic. This one seems to have polarized your readers.
alan at 4:41PM on Nov 26th 2007
24. Ada -
Sorry. I reread your blog on the Thanksgiving event and have to retract my last comment that implied that polarizing your readers is rare.
alan at 5:11PM on Nov 26th 2007
25. They wouldn't say it out loud, but privately, the Bush girls probably say "This is Daddy's war. Don't drag us into it!" Too bad everyone else in the United States has been dragged into Daddy's war.
WackyWade at 5:13PM on Nov 26th 2007
26. #24 - WackyWade - Pure suposition, but I would like to believe it.
alan at 5:20PM on Nov 26th 2007
27. Wow. You liberals really piss me off. They are terrorists. If they had the chance they would murder you in front of your family, and then murder them too, just for having a different religion. Sack up, people. Those who argue against water boarding are the same kind of people who would sue you for shooting a robber in defense of your own home: radical liberals. WAKE UP! This is not the land of Oz, our God given rights need to be defended against a horde of evils, and this is not going to happen if you politely ask a terrorist for information.
Parker at 5:39PM on Nov 26th 2007
28. #26 - Parker. Who are terrorists? All the people our government has detained? We know that is not correct. All of the people they have tortured? We will never know; our leaders will not tell us. All Muslims? Absurd on the face.
Would you execute anyone who shouted, "I'm going to kill you." becasue they might?
If someone walked up to me and said, "I am a terrorist. I have taken your family and will kill them in an hour.", I might take strong measures. If someone walked up to me and said, "Abdul is planning to kill your family; give me a reward.", I would react differently. What is happening in the world is somewhere between these extreme cases. How should we react? Would you be willing to be tortured by mistake because someone thought you are a threat? I wouldn't. Would you say whatever you thought the torturer wanted to hear? I would.
alan at 5:52PM on Nov 26th 2007
29. How come someone hasn't thought that Bush should get waterboard to see if it is torture or not.
richard at 5:58PM on Nov 26th 2007
30. These sensitive liberals, that are so shocked by agressive interogation, should be required to watch the video of the beheading of Armstrong!
It might give them an insight into the nature of the people whose welfare concerns them so. I say "might" because the typical "liberal" hates to have his views refuted, or to face reality!
Larry
Lawrence Hudson at 6:25PM on Nov 26th 2007