Category: Oakland County politics
Posted by Laura Berman (The Detroit News) on Tue, May 12, 2009 at 5:22 PMWaterboarding in Oakland -- for charity
Activist Bruce Fealk, who dogged former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg with a giant paper mache head, is now trying to whip up a waterboarding frenzy, and not at the Waterford Oaks water park: He's challenged Chetly Zarko, a Republican consultant and blogger, to a torture tete a tete: "I'd give $10 per second for every second Chetly could withstand being waterboarded."
Zarko got the challenge after he characterized the interrogation practice as "pouring a little bit of water in someone's face" in a recent blog post.
He hasn't refused to participate, exactly, but he's posed some legalistic objections and called the challenge "ridiculous."
Both men have their ideological overkill shoes on, sure. But once Zarko dismissed pouring water over someone's covered face to simulate the sensation of drowning as a "little bit of water," he served up the Fear Factor concept to trickster Fealk.
It's the 21st century version of a 17th century duel: Two bloggers, some macho breast-beating and a charity challenge. Zarko wants to name the charity himself.(Fealk already picked Folds of Honor.
Given the ongoing back and forth, I wouldn't expect resolution on the duel/waterboard details anytime soon.
Comments
| Jump to bottom |
Out of context
I'm sure it was taken out of context in the press release or e-mail Fealk sent "marketing" this story to you, Laura, but the context of my quote was seriously truncated mid-sentence. The statement about "little bit of water" was in the context of comparing Bruce Fealk's allegation that the waterboarding of a single individual that probably resulted in information preventing an attack on Los Angelas amounted to a "war crime" was not a "war crime" in the context of historical events like the German Holocaust. That is - Bruce Fealk's desire to convict George Bush of something has trivialized the definition of war crime. The rest of my writing acknowledges that waterboarding is bad policy but questions whether any and all waterboarding rises to the definition of "torture" and again to "war crime". It should be noted that "killing" is a bad thing too, but that there are situations where killing isn't "murder" (self-defense is the most signficant, although negligent homicide isn't murder either because it misses the intent criteria which is the very core of murder). Fealk's argument is literally so inflexible as to discount any justification, ignore intent, and he declares all waterboarding equal to "torture" and all "torture" equal to "war crime." Certainly, some, or even many cases would be - but no exceptions?
Context is important. To war crimes ... and to quotations that have been truncated.
waterboarding debate
I am in no way trivializing torture. That is how this whole thing got started, Chetly said in a blog post that waterboarding was "just pouring a little water in someone's face." That's trivializing!
Laura, I don’t know if you’re still interested in the story, but today Chetly accepted my challenge with conditions. He wants an experienced waterboarder. I have two so far. I put an ad on Craig’s List and I have two people that have done waterboarding in a military setting. He wants me to have a doctor present. I’ve told him he should have his personal physician, since he may have health conditions an unfamiliar doctor wouldn’t be aware of and he wants a liability policy, which I’m sure no insurance company would offer at any price.
Waterboarding challenge
Bruce Fealk's challenge is both tasteless and tactless. Someone needs to grow up!
waterboarding debate
You too are trivializing the whole issue of torture. Sure Bruce is sensationalizing the issue - how else to draw attention to the Right who are trying to downplay the whole debate to a "prank" level. If you have been in the military as I have, you know that torture is no trivial matter. It is immoral, illegal and ineffective. Let me waterboard chetly and I will get him to confess to stealing the statue of liberty.
| Jump to top |
