by Aamer Madhani
Ken Robinson, a former Army Special Forces intelligence officer turned Hollywood producer, was working on a short-lived Pentagon drama for CBS aptly titled the "E-Ring" when two of the show's writers stopped by his office to discuss the details of torture and other harsh interrogation methods.
The writers, Matthew Federman and Steve Scaia, seemed intent on accurately portraying torture on an episode of the television show in which a Special Forces operator was captured by Lebanese militants.
While Robinson was pleased by the writers' desire to thoroughly research the topic, he was concerned Federman and Scaia had a sanitized concept of some of the interrogation methods, including waterboarding, an interrogation technique that makes a prisoner believe he is in imminent danger of drowning.
"I asked them both: 'Do you really want to understand waterboarding?' " said Robinson, referring to the technique prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Army Field Manual. "And they go, 'Absolutely, we'd love to see it.' " I go, 'Well, you know, seeing it is not going to really help you. But ... if you were waterboarded, I think you could write an excellent episode.' "
The two writers were game. Federman would be waterboarded while Scaia would take notes.
Robinson, who had been waterboarded five times as part of his military training, tied Federman to a board, forced water down his throat, and the young writer said he felt the unmistakable of sensation of drowning.
Before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the portrayal of torture on network television was a rarity. But the moment piqued interest in Hollywood and led to dozens of television and movie story lines in which American heroes deal with uncooperative antagonists who hold critical information about an imminent attack.
By 2003, the first year of the war in Iraq, there were 228 instances in which torture was portrayed on network TV, according to Human Rights First, a civil liberties group that advocates governments banning torture.
Last year, 117 scenes portrayed torture, according to the organization.
Read the rest of the story about Hollywood's portrayal of torture in the Chicago Tribune.
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Comments
The article is just a free ad for "Human Rights First", described in the article as a "civil liberties group".
Since this is the Tribune, the betting is that when a group is featured in an article, it's a left wing group, and the article tries to hide that fact. And such is the case.
HRF was founded by Marvin Frankel, a Johnson administration appointee. The Exec Director is Maureen Byrnes, on record as donating to both Howard Dean and John Kerry in 2004. It's board includes such veteran leftists as Kerry Kennedy (RFKs daughter), Clinton administration stalwart Harold Koh, and actress Sigourney Weaver. Should anyone be surprised these people criticize the Bush administration?
Posted by: Bruce | July 12, 2008 10:19 AM
Here is a question that should first be answered by anyone who denounces water-boarding of the most savage and brutal people walking this earth, people who held secrets that would kill countless Americans.
The question is:
A terrorist is holding a 3 year old little girl, you are the father, he will brutally have your little girl killed and you need to know where he is holding her. You can water-board to get the information. Do you water-board? I would! If you can honestly say no to water-boarding when your loved one is in life threatening danger, then go ahead and complain about water-boarding. My bet is, if you would choose to not water-board, either your are deluding yourself or you are a unique individual.
http://brokengovernment.wordpress.com
Posted by: Ken Moyes | July 12, 2008 12:46 PM
RNCbruce,
Who the "F" cares where a person comes from if the facts are presented. I get so sick and tired of you personally slamming every freak'n piece of information unless it comes from one of your righwing whackjobs. Facts suck, don't they you RNC shill!
Posted by: neal | July 12, 2008 1:09 PM
We must use any means that will help us defeat the terrorists. They have only one goal our death. If we fail, One day millions will die by a mushroom cloud or bio-weapon.
The number one job of government is to keep us SAVE. Yes, at any cost. Sad to say. But as I have said many times. "IT IS TIME WE PUT BACK OUR SHOES AND NEVER TAKE THEM OFF AGAIN.
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | July 12, 2008 1:27 PM
Thanks for the personal insults and profanity, "neal". I must be hitting a nerve with fact-allergic Leftnuts.
Next time, "neal", try asking the reporter why he hid these facts. Or try refuting the facts I presented. Or try answering Ken's question.
Posted by: Bruce | July 12, 2008 3:22 PM
RNCbruce...you're quite welcome. Again, you failed to address the topic of a post you just attacked the messenger. This Rovian tactic is stale, as are your posts and the entire RNC crowd. You rightwing losers have nothing more to offer this nation than hate and tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent of the nation. You've sold your soul to the RNC, bruce, and they've very little to show for it.
Posted by: Neal | July 12, 2008 5:08 PM
Sure, I'll bite the hypothetical.
Knowing that studies have shown torture to be an ineffective technique in obtaining reliable information, why waste the time? Even veteran CIA interrogators have denounced water-boarding as ineffectual. You are more likely to get manufactured information or false confessions from water-boarding.
Bruce, as usual, your "facts" have no relevance to the story.
Posted by: Bubba | July 13, 2008 10:42 AM