# US military in torture scandal **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 30, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829 "2004-04-30T11:18:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829/402 "2004-05-11T14:04:13Z")
> [@Starguard](#): > > Take a look at [this website](http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheBigPicture2003/) and tell me what you can make of it > > - Please note that the contents of the above cite \*\* DO NOT\*\* reflect my personal views or opinoins in any way, shape , form, or fashion. This is just a brain teaser to see how it affects **your** views Sounds like every other anti-war diatribe penned by a 15 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829/403 "2004-05-11T17:09:16Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Originally posted by **World Eater** > > [Are you sure?](http://www.rutherford.org/articles/oldspeak-evil.asp) > “As Milgram’s experiments reveal, people have a capacity to distance themselves from the sufferings of others, as well as a darker capacity to justify such cruelty or even delight in it, so long as it is sanction by some legitimate authority, not a direct result of our actions, or seems to serve a higher purpose.” I first heard about this experiment in a high school psych class, and I’m still utterly fascinated with it. When people hear of an atrocity and ask “How can people be so evil?” I always think “I’m astonished these horrible things don’t happen more often.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829/404 "2004-05-16T03:21:28Z")
Finally an aexplanation that makes sense to me about how and why the pics were taken. [According to Seymour Hersh’s latest article,](http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040524fa_fact) it was to blackmail prisoners into being informants after their release. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829/405 "2004-05-16T04:05:12Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > Finally an aexplanation that makes sense to me about how and why the pics were taken. [According to Seymour Hersh’s latest article,](http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040524fa_fact) it was to blackmail prisoners into being informants after their release. Blackmailing? 😕 Oh, it´s clear now, I can visualize the WH apology for the abuses… [Music cue, GWB on an Italian suit, impersonating Sinatra] Regrets… I have a few… But then again… Too few to mention… etc, etc… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-in-torture-scandal/242829.md?page=20)