Raw Story: Massachusetts could elect senator who supports waterboarding

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Massachusetts could elect senator who supports waterboarding

By John Byrne
Monday, January 18th, 2010 -- 9:16 am

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/massachusetts-elect-senator-supports-waterboarding/



The Republican state senator vying to fill the Senate seat recently vacated by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) says he doesn't believe waterboarding -- where a suspect is effectively temporarily drowned -- is torture.

State senator Scott Brown's candidacy has taken Massachusetts by storm and political analysts by surprise. Until recently, Democratic state attorney Martha Coakley was considered a shoe-in for the position. But Massachusetts independents have apparently grown so frustrated with Democrats in Congress, and so tepid on Coakley's candidacy, that they may send a Republican to the Senate who seems to contravene many of the state's apparently liberal ideals.

At a press conference in early January, for example, Brown said that the US should continue to employ waterboarding against terrorist suspects, a technique considered torture for which the US executed Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Speaking of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, the Nigerian attempted "Christmas bomber," Brown said that the would-be terrorist should be subject to “our rules of engagement and laws of war,’’ and not be tried in civilian courts.

Noted the Boston Globe, "Brown asserted that waterboarding does not constitute torture, but he did not specifically say Abdulmutallab should be subjected to waterboarding.

He then added, “I don’t support torture; the United States does not support torture,’’

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. It probably has majority support....

...it certainly does nationwide.

So I'm not surprised.

[still_one]

2. and women who have been raped should not be offered birth control, and should pay

for their own rape kits

this guy is a real winner

[krabigirl]

3. Sadly, a lot of people in this country think that's a plus.