False Confessions Tortured Out Of Our Prisoners

False confessions. What are they good for?

Depends. If you have to prove your case that the U.S. is under attack by all the people we've bullied over the years, then it may be the way to go. "False confessions from a tortured prisoner at Guantanamo Bay" says one headline, naming names. It may be a way to go too far.

If you have to convict someone in court, a false confession risks convicting the questioner. In real courts, in countries that have freedom, coerced confessions cost big bucks. Ask the City of Chicago.

In the Korean War, the Chinese learned how to make captured G.I.'s say anything.

Back in 1957 the Air Force charted their methods. In 2002 we took the chart to Guantanamo and held a class on how to use them. We then used these methods on civilian prisoners.


From the New York Times:

"Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said after reviewing the 1957 article that “every American would be shocked” by the origin of the training document.

“What makes this document doubly stunning is that these were techniques to get false confessions,” Mr. Levin said. “People say we need intelligence, and we do. But we don’t need false intelligence.” "

We now have some wonderful confessions, many of which prove that the U.S. is under attack. However, not many of them may hold up in U.S. court. And a real court they will see - not the kangaroo tribunal at Gitmo.

We tortured the innocent to make them confess to be our enemies. So we could have enemies.

We, the torturers.

You and I. The owners of our government.

Why do we need enemies?