"Verschärfte Vernehmung"
May 30, 2007 9:00 PM   Subscribe

Looks like the phrase "Enhanced Interrogation" has a History.
posted by delmoi (28 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wir müssen warten, bis alle fakten gesammelt werden!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:08 PM on May 30, 2007 [1 favorite]


The 'money quote' as Andrew likes to say:

As extenuating circumstances, Bruns had pleaded various incidents in which he had helped Norwegians, Schubert had pleaded difficulties at home, and Clemens had pointed to several hundred interrogations during which he had treated prisoners humanely.

The Court did not regard any of the above-mentioned circumstances as a sufficient reason for mitigating the punishment and found it necessary to act with the utmost severity. Each of the defendants was responsible for a series of incidents of torture, every one of which could, according to Art. 3 (a), (c) and (d) of the Provisional Decree of 4th May, 1945, be punished by the death sentence.

posted by empath at 9:11 PM on May 30, 2007


The Cold Wars Darkest Secret thrown out a window.
posted by hortense at 9:21 PM on May 30, 2007


Naturlich.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:24 PM on May 30, 2007 [1 favorite]


Toll! Unser geprisoners sind undgehelfless!
posted by localhuman at 9:31 PM on May 30, 2007


// sind undgehilflich
posted by localhuman at 9:32 PM on May 30, 2007


Under this circumstance, the sharpened interrogation may be applied only against Communists, Marxists, members of the Bible-researcher sect, saboteurs, terrorists, members of the resistance movement, parachute agents, asocial persons, Police or Soviet persons who refuse to work, or idlers.

Well thank goodness!
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:42 PM on May 30, 2007 [1 favorite]


Those damn idlers are always fucking things up
posted by delmoi at 9:45 PM on May 30, 2007 [1 favorite]


The Andrew Sullivan link is broken for me.

War and Piece has a picture of the translated Gestapo memo and a comparison to the current SS, sorry, US, rules.
posted by sien at 10:04 PM on May 30, 2007


At the ABC link it seems to say twice that the reason waterboarding is wrong is because it is ineffective.

So there's a demand for an improved version of it then?

It also mentions music, which I guess may be incomprehensible, or worse, amusing to some decision makers. Pavlov's dog drools when he hears a bell. Just like that.
posted by nervousfritz at 10:07 PM on May 30, 2007


Is this the influence of Carl Schmitt?
posted by wuwei at 10:25 PM on May 30, 2007


"All genuine political theories presuppose man to be evil."Carl Schmitt
posted by hortense at 11:07 PM on May 30, 2007


This is why delmoi is one of my favorite Mefites. Thanks delmoi.
posted by orthogonality at 11:36 PM on May 30, 2007


Under this circumstance, the sharpened interrogation may be applied only against ... , ..., asocial persons, ...

Code for gays. And Norwegians. And anyone else in the hands of the Gestapo.
posted by sour cream at 11:40 PM on May 30, 2007


Wißt Ihr wer auch verschärfte Vernehmungen verwendet hat?

I have to make stupid jokes to keep me from crying.
posted by chillmost at 11:55 PM on May 30, 2007


I like Andrew Sullivan's blog. I just wish you could leave comments there.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 3:55 AM on May 31, 2007



"...First as tragedy, then as farce."

Unfortunately, I think we're still at the first stage.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:39 AM on May 31, 2007


That should have said "Polish," not police... would have been interesting if the Gestapo were torturing themselves, too.
posted by Citizen Premier at 5:43 AM on May 31, 2007


Sullivan says, "the use of hypothermia, authorized by Bush and Rumsfeld, was initially forbidden. 'Waterboarding' was forbidden too, unlike that authorized by Bush." Great. So not only are we taking a page from the Nazis' book, we're doing things that were too bad for Nazis to do.

Citizen Premier forgot Poland.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:39 AM on May 31, 2007


So not only are we taking a page from the Nazis' book, we're doing things that were too bad for Nazis to do.

Well the vintage 1937 or whatever Nazis. That's the thing about 'em, they got progressively worse and worse. So "goodwin's law" ends up stifling a lot of legitimate criticism because if you do X and the Nazis did X, if X isn't as bad as killing six million Jews then it's unfair to compare you too the Nazis. Even though X might be something frequently brought up as an example of how bad the Nazis were.
posted by delmoi at 8:39 AM on May 31, 2007


Why don't we have an opposition party which speaks out against these atrocities?
posted by leftcoastbob at 9:16 AM on May 31, 2007


Why don't we have an opposition party which speaks out against these atrocities?

Too comfy?
posted by taosbat at 12:38 PM on May 31, 2007


Why don't we have an opposition party which speaks out against these atrocities?

because they're too busy giving Bush all the funds he needs for Iraq with absolutely no deadline for withdrawal attached. they're also too busy giving him carte blanche to attack Iran without Congressional (ie, the Democrats') appproval.
posted by matteo at 1:05 PM on May 31, 2007


Not that I disagree with you, matteo, that that is certainly what the Democrats have been doing, but my question could be rephrased to read: "Why don't we have a real opposition party as opposed to these fucking spineless weasels whose claim to fame is that they aren't quite as bad as the Republicans, but who are, in reality, much worse because they hypocritically pretend that they oppose the Republicans' stance on the war but yet never the less continue hand in hand with the military-industrial complex because it is politically expedient as opposed to the right thing to do?"

I just thought that my first question was not only much more polite, but also more succint and coherent.
posted by leftcoastbob at 1:34 PM on May 31, 2007


&, my "too comfy" reply could be rephrased to read: "When enough US citizens become uncomfortable enough, we will create 'a real opposition party as opposed to these fucking spineless weasels whose claim to fame is that they aren't quite as bad as the Republicans, but who are, in reality, much worse because they hypocritically pretend that they oppose the Republicans' stance on the war but yet never the less continue hand in hand with the military-industrial complex because it is politically expedient as opposed to the right thing to do,' but not a moment sooner." Thank you eversomuch for that succinct portrayal, leftcoastbob.
posted by taosbat at 2:16 PM on May 31, 2007


"opposition party"? you mean "wasted vote"?

(sorry. that's what everyone always calls my opposition party.)
posted by saulgoodman at 2:23 PM on May 31, 2007




...[Senator Bill Nelson] found value in the enhanced interrogation techniques used against detainees in the war on terror...
posted by taosbat at 1:09 PM on June 1, 2007


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