It's just a little water splashed in her face.

[elfs]

A soldier waterboarded his four-year-old daughter because she was unable to recite her alphabet. Joshua Tabor admitted to police he had used the CIA torture technique because he was so angry. As his daughter 'squirmed' to get away, Tabor said he submerged her face three or four times until the water was lapping around her forehead and jawline. Tabor, 27, who had won custody of his daughter only four weeks earlier, admitted choosing the punishment because the girl was terrified of water.

That's some fine parenting there. But, no, really, it's not a big deal. Waterboarding your four-year-old is an acceptable form of punishement. It has to be. It doesn't leave any marks, it doesn't do any long-term damage, it requires no more restraint than what one normally does in the course of putting a four-year-old into bed (repeatedly). It's just a little water splashed in her face.

At least, that's what the right wing would have us believe.

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

These same right wing hawks are the ones who in WW2, found japanese interogators that used it and shot them right on the spot. Funny how waterboarding is abhorrent enough to justify war crimes (killing an unarmed prisoner) when used against our boys. But when we do it, why, it's just wetnap on the face.

Besides, there are far far better ways to get intel. Zombie cucumber anyone?

[(Anonymous)]

Hell just make the terrorists watch Barney on infinite loop. If they don't crack their brain will be so badly melted they'll never pose a threat to anyone ever again. Of course they will require a straightjacket for the rest of their life...

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

And yet I get the feeling that many americans are more comfortable with this guy being a parent over a gay couple. Enjoy this little wonder from the far right. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-scott-maxwell-gay-adoption-020310-20100202,0,4681616,full.column :/

[blaisepascal]

Another comment thread I've read about this situation makes the valid point that (paraphrasing, using your terminology) that while what Mr Tabor is accused of is not "just a little water splashed in her face", it is also not waterboarding.

His daughter was not strapped down face up with water poured in her mouth and nose. She was held, face-down, in a pool of water with the intent to punish and terrorize her.

Child abuse? Definitely. Tortuous? Definitely. The CIA Interrogation technique of waterboarding? No.

It is unclear from the article if the identification of what he did as "waterboarding" comes from Tabor, the police, or the reporter.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

The point is that the right has consistently characterized waterboarding and other forms of "simulated drowning" with minimizing phrases like "water splashed in his face." They point out that the military puts its soldiers through waterboarding during training, and "no sane military would really torture its own people."

Obviously, the ones saying this have never been through SEAL training where, yes, they do indeed subject you to the kinds of things that John McCain went through and rightly called "torture," but now grudgingly signs off on because he can't afford to appear weak to his militaristic base.

If the right's argument holds any validity, then this guy is innocent.

[tehrasha.livejournal.com]

Of course, if the girl had drowned, he could have claimed it was a late term abortion, and then the lefties would be ok with it.




Wow, the broad brush of hyperbole is fun to paint with.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Better (worse?) than Barney is the Teletubbies.