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 5 of 6)
61. Maybe we should waterboard Keith, the first poster in this thread, for not being able to spell the word SCRAPER. Keith is a graduate of the GEORGE BUSH SCHOOL OF SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. Congratulations, Keith!
dottie at 6:55AM on Nov 27th 2007
62. I would like to say it is inconceivable how someone, like Ada, who fashions herself a liberal, could possibly be so intolerant of different belief systems to advocate: 1) The hideous ethnocentric insult of a celebrity; 2) Homosexual ghosts; and 3) Assaulting the President's daughter.
However, we can't really say Ada's statements are inconceivable for a liberal today, now can we?
Ada, you are not a liberal. You are, in fact, one of the most prejudiced bloggers I've ever read.
Mikey the Nail at 8:42AM on Nov 27th 2007
63. Keith and others could use some perspective. Each month more than 3,000 people die in horrific traffic accidents in the U.S., many involving alcohol. I haven't heard anybody jumping up and down to have our rights to drive or drink taken away. This country is all about liberty, rights, freedom and the sovereign rights of individuals - it's what makes us Americans. If we allow our government to use terrorism as an excuse to take away those rights (like habeas corpus, due process of law and adherence to the Geneva Conventions), then who wins? When we lose the moral high ground, we lose America. BTW, there is no big, bad "war on terror" - it's been going on since I was a kid 50 years ago, so what's new?
Jim at 9:00AM on Nov 27th 2007
64. #61 Dottie
That was funny and witty!
Ken at 9:12AM on Nov 27th 2007
65. How incredibly rude and obnoxious we have become! Everyone is an expert on everything and everybody. We are seeing the decline of our civilization. God help us all.
Barb at 9:22PM on Nov 27th 2007
66. Now I find the academic discussion that all pundits and bloggers make about the merits of harsh interrogation techniques to be silly and uninformed. Have they ever been waterboarded? No! But I speak from experience. I have as part of my training as a Navy pilot in the early 80's, been waterboarded. Even under the controlled conditions of a training situation, it was extremely unpleasant, but not fatal. I managed to survive that interrogation technique, and it was only a sample of what could have be done to us. Our instructors were quick to point out that our enemies were generally sadistic and ruthless. DON'T DOUBT FOR ONE MOMENT that any of our adversaries today would show one iota of mercy towards any American citizen, service member or civilian. They will do far worse to any captive they take than a waterboarding. At the end of a waterboarding, the person of interest will likely get up and spit in their interrogators face. The same cannot be said of someone who was just beheaded.
The point of this pointless debate is that do we and our goverment, as a leading nation of the world, want to tke some moral high ground and ban the use of harsh interagation technique to extract vital information that might save American lives? Or do we just fail to live up to the premise that governments exist to protect their citizens and continue to sacrafice more American citizens to fanatical terrorists who operate worldwide with Impunity. If we don't stand up and accept the fact that sometimes harsh tactics are required to deny terrorist further opportunities to kill and attack our citizens. Like any other bully, the terrorists will continue to attack whenever they can until they are stopped by a greater force.
Joe at 1:28PM on Nov 27th 2007
67. Tatiana #21 Educate yourself woman and talk less please! You were given one mouth and two ears for a reason. Can you pronounce Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? He was one of three that was water boarded and gave up information that saved lives... look it up if you know how, its called a search...Its old news but you obviously missed it...to busy talking and posting instead of listening again? Your liberal agenda is so tired.
Jim at 1:40PM on Nov 27th 2007
68. Water boarding or any other form of torture is completely pointless, except for those who enjoy doing such things to others in the guise of gathering information. Anyone who has read a newspaper, the 9-11 Commission report, or any other reporting on the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks couldn't help but notice that if one single department in any governmental agency had actually done its job, the attacks never would have happened. It isn't about torturing useless information out of someone...it's about the tens of thousands of elected officials and employees of the American people not doing their jobs. It's really great that we spend time and effort arguing whether we, as Americans, should be torturing people rather than analyzing why Saudi Arabia still enjoys favored nation status with us (the hijackers, lest we forget, were Saudis)why the INS wasn't picking up foreign visitors with expired visas, even though they knew where they were, why the FBI didn't follow up on investigations of Saudis with expired visas learning to fly planes in the US....it just goes on and on. One massive collection of laziness, interdepartmental bickering and incompetence. If everyone right here in the United States had just done their jobs it never would have happened.
pamela ward at 11:57AM on Nov 28th 2007
69. "I would like to say it is inconceivable how someone, like Ada, who fashions herself a liberal, could possibly be so intolerant of different belief systems to advocate: 1) The hideous ethnocentric insult of a celebrity; 2) Homosexual ghosts; and 3) Assaulting the President's daughter."
Did you notice that she was reporting what someone else said? It was Steven King, in an interview with TIME, who called Britney "trailer trash," talked about his play with ghosts and "homosexual subtext," and who suggested that Jenna be the one to see if waterboarding is torture. Why are you blaming the messenger?
If you are so upset with King's comments, how did you feel when John Derbyshire, in his National Review column, suggested that Chelsea Clinton should be killed?
Tatiana at 2:19PM on Nov 27th 2007
70. "Tatiana #21 Educate yourself woman and talk less please! You were given one mouth and two ears for a reason."
That sounds pretty silly when you consider that we are writing and not speaking.
As for educating myself, apparently I'm more educated than you are since I was able to read the treaty and understand the ramifications. Obviously you can't do the same.
"Can you pronounce Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? He was one of three that was water boarded and gave up information that saved lives... look it up if you know how, its called a search...Its old news but you obviously missed it...to busy talking and posting instead of listening again?"
Perhaps YOU need to do a search. He did not give up any information about any plans. He only gave information about PAST events. It didn't save lives.
This is from an article about his confessions:
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One CIA official cautioned that "many of Mohammed's claims during interrogation were 'white noise' designed to send the U.S. on wild goose chases or to get him through the day's interrogation session." For example according to Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and the top Republican on the terrorism panel of the House Intelligence Committee, he has admitted responsibility for the Bali nightclub bombing, but his involvement "could have been as small as arranging a safe house for travel. It could have been arranging finance.”
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Why don't you do some research instead of parroting Bill O'Reilly? Like that fool, you have spouted indignation, yet turned out to be wrong. What’s next? Are you going to make a false claim about winning a Peabody award?
"Your liberal agenda is so tired."
Liberal agenda? Quoting a treaty to which the US is a signatory nation is part of a liberal agenda? Wanting to follow the laws of OUR land is part of this liberal agenda? Knowing how treaties work? Pointing out that we prosecuted people for doing the same thing? Give it a rest. This is an AMERICAN agenda.
Apparently YOUR agenda involves breaking laws, violating treaties and behaving like barbarians. If you don't like living in a nation of laws, feel free to pack up and go elsewhere.
Tatiana at 2:57PM on Nov 27th 2007
71. To all those who think it's ok to torture "ENEMIES"...
What if your father is accused of having information?
What if YOU are put on a no-fly list?
What if your sister is suspected of aiding a terrorist?
It's NOT all the OTHER guy! Yeah it's great to hurt someone who IS trying to kill you but what about the ones who aren't?
Is it ok if they want to torture YOU? Are you going to be good with that?
Are you going to shake the hand of the torturist when he's done and they find out you're innocent? Or rather, they don't, because you DO admit to things because of the pain and fear of torture?
THERE IS NO BLACK AND WHITE.
Stop with the knowing how things should be..."we should kill them all" mentality. That is for unthinking losers. Thank God you are not in charge of anything but your own rather pathetic existence.
Peter Canuck at 2:54PM on Nov 28th 2007
72.
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Personally, I would rather die than violate my personal morals on the use of torture. Do you have any principles that are worth your life?
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This is the kind of moral decay that has infested our world. I'd torture the individual to save the many he has set up to die his brand of ignominious death. Do YOU have any principles that are worth your life? Never been fond of serving your country have you? That often puts others ahead of YOU. New concept for YOU?
Bill at 9:30PM on Nov 27th 2007
73. "This is the kind of moral decay that has infested our world. I'd torture the individual to save the many he has set up to die his brand of ignominious death."
Bill at 9:30PM on Nov 27th 2007
You call it moral decay? What about the willingness to engage in torture? By many people's morals, it is rather reprehensible. And what will you start justifying, once you've started down that slippery slope? And if we start justifying our actions by saying, "Well, THEY do far worse" then we're in trouble. That will only lead to us becoming more like them. Surely there are better places to set the bar of "good" morals at the level of the terrorists, given the atrocities they commit.
Besides which, I would view this as trying to create a world where everyone can live in peace, a utopia, if you will. Not that I expect to ever see it myself, but I don't mind.
The thing is, if we want to reach moral perfection, we can't aim for anything less. As soon as we admit that we're going to need less than good measures, we've stopped trying to do our very best, and without trying, failure is guaranteed.
I would prefer to keep trying, so that one day, my distant descendants might reach that utopia.
Raigon at 10:20PM on Nov 27th 2007
74. What defines a terrorist or a person they would use this on? Is it only the ones that are carrying signs saying they're a terrorist? Or is a terrorist a person still trying to utilize the freedom of speech in this wasteland of hillbilly rhetoric about protecting ourselves?
The TRUE problem is, once you allow something to start occurring - you open the door for it to accumulate!! For further reading, go to google and type in Nazi regime, to see how they got everyone to go along with their methods (it wasn't instant!).
Jim at 9:55AM on Nov 28th 2007
75. Well, here's the t-shirt, as predicted:
http://www.cafepress.com/monkeygroupie/4161301
Amy at 10:44AM on Nov 28th 2007