The Bane of McCain
I'm from the Vince Flynn school of intelligence gathering.The current movie "American Assassin" is based on one of his books. Only one character is portrayed accurately, he is played by Michael Keaton to a fair-thee-well and makes the whole film worth seeing.That performance made me think of John McCain and what it takes to withstand torture.
The current paradigm purports that torture doesn't work. You cannot say that to anyone who has performed it or has suffered it. ".....if you try to convince people in thousand dollar suits who had Ivy League law degrees that torture was an effective and necessary tool against an enemy who refused to put on a uniform and intentionally targeted civilians, you'd be wasting your breath." Most operatives are well aware that torture, if given enough time, will inevitably break the strongest of wills. That is particularly true when psychological torture is combined with physical torture.
Because of our squeamishness about torture and being forbidden to practice it, the subject to be tortured is sent to countries where it is happily used such as Saudi Arabia.While a book can be written about the effectiveness of torture the only ones benefiting from it are the ones doing it.> The results have been so redacted that the result is useless to us and useful to the torturers. Those being "questioned" usually wind up dead after a week or two.If you believe as I do that that torture is effective and should be used when our people's lives are on the line, we now come to Senator John McCain.I have done little research of a psychological or biographical study of Senator McCain.I cannot know for certain that as a prisoner he was subject to torture or not.I do know that as a result of his stay at the hands of the enemy he has lost the proper use of his arms.According to the story, he was subjected to week and moths of torture and never broke. Through the influence of his family he was given the chance to walk away but preferred to stay with his men.So Senator McCain was that one person in a thousand who couldn't be broken by torture. However, when he ran for president, I could hardly wait to support this great hero. But instead, I observed this rather wimpy guy with repeating slogans and talking points. If I heard him say "My friends" one more time, I'd throw a shoe at the TV. Could it be as claimed by McCain's fellow prisoners that he broke and became an information conduit for the enemy who covered his treason by portraying it as heroism?
To sum up, I was not surprised when Senator McCain showed his true colors by not helping Trump get us out of Obamacare and admitting that there was no possible way he would ever vote for anything Trump put forth. Like the vengeful child he is, he had been insulted by Trump and would get back at him every chance he got and to hell with what was best for his constituents who are paying from what I understand the highest premiums for health insurance.
The current paradigm purports that torture doesn't work. You cannot say that to anyone who has performed it or has suffered it. ".....if you try to convince people in thousand dollar suits who had Ivy League law degrees that torture was an effective and necessary tool against an enemy who refused to put on a uniform and intentionally targeted civilians, you'd be wasting your breath." Most operatives are well aware that torture, if given enough time, will inevitably break the strongest of wills. That is particularly true when psychological torture is combined with physical torture.
Because of our squeamishness about torture and being forbidden to practice it, the subject to be tortured is sent to countries where it is happily used such as Saudi Arabia.While a book can be written about the effectiveness of torture the only ones benefiting from it are the ones doing it.> The results have been so redacted that the result is useless to us and useful to the torturers. Those being "questioned" usually wind up dead after a week or two.If you believe as I do that that torture is effective and should be used when our people's lives are on the line, we now come to Senator John McCain.I have done little research of a psychological or biographical study of Senator McCain.I cannot know for certain that as a prisoner he was subject to torture or not.I do know that as a result of his stay at the hands of the enemy he has lost the proper use of his arms.According to the story, he was subjected to week and moths of torture and never broke. Through the influence of his family he was given the chance to walk away but preferred to stay with his men.So Senator McCain was that one person in a thousand who couldn't be broken by torture. However, when he ran for president, I could hardly wait to support this great hero. But instead, I observed this rather wimpy guy with repeating slogans and talking points. If I heard him say "My friends" one more time, I'd throw a shoe at the TV. Could it be as claimed by McCain's fellow prisoners that he broke and became an information conduit for the enemy who covered his treason by portraying it as heroism?
To sum up, I was not surprised when Senator McCain showed his true colors by not helping Trump get us out of Obamacare and admitting that there was no possible way he would ever vote for anything Trump put forth. Like the vengeful child he is, he had been insulted by Trump and would get back at him every chance he got and to hell with what was best for his constituents who are paying from what I understand the highest premiums for health insurance.
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Kudos from alloadhominensaur
John McCain graduated near the bottom of his naval academy class. Normally, this is not the recruiting zone for naval combat fighter pilots on aircraft carriers - but in his case it was. Daddy being a flag officer / admiral no-doubt helped then-ensign McCain.
McCain inadvertently armed and fired an air to air missile while running through his preflight on the deck of the Forrestal. Witnesses (ground crew) stated he was passed off prior to the incident because he was at the back of the take-off line. The resulting explosions, fire, over 100 casualties, and the crippling of an aircraft carrier during time of war should have ended his career, but instead the Navy conducts an exhaustive research effort into proving the missile could have armed itself and fired. If there was anything to it, we could have assumed Raytheon or whoever made it would have been responsible, but nothing like that happened - just more funding for 'safety' weapons that also happened to have better effectiveness at a time when naval pilots were struggling.
Upon returning from captivity, McCain soon dumped the pretty young wife that had wrote letters, lobbied, and waited for his release for Cindy (who happened to be cuter, richer, and more of a trophy for the 'hero' that could also get him into congress.
His time in Congress has been that of an unremarkable RINO, and basically a turncoat. The only thing he did well was see the spark in Sarah Palin that wasn't good necessarily for McCain but certainly sparked an enduring conservative movement and opposition to Obama (at McCain's displeasure).
So if you look at the evidence of behavior surrounding events for which we only have his word - and that of a few sailors easily ordered to stick to a story by a flag officer - then I have a hard time buying one narrative versus another. Be sure to Google fire on the Forrestal and John McCain.
I constantly drive my cousins crazy, You know what makes them really nuts? The fact that I love some of the same art, music, plays, etc. that they do. All conservatives must be knuckle dragging neanderthals so how could cousin Herb love (you name it) like I do.
Forster:
The connection is the character difference between a hero or a traitor. That kind of character would not hesitate to cause his constituents to suffer because he was piqued at Trump. That is the mentality of a vengeful child.As to torture, I think you may want to balance not only good vs evil, but the degree of good vs. evil. Rand often dealt in B&W and left out shades of gray. So...the old proposition: While torture is ugly, would you use it to save 100 persons? 50? 10? Your best friend? Your son?
Like most of the Vietnam war era events , the truth is murky. John Kerry painted a different image of his actions than many others who witnessed them. It seems that McCains peers would have an idea if their playbook was leaked and who could be the leaker. What ever the true story, he has been a phony exposed in his presidential run. To me he handed the election to the community rights activist.
"John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."
;^)
Every rational American who has listened to John McCain speak has endured one form of mental torture.
Those who voted for him rank in rational thought along with those who voted for O and Hitlery.
McCain embodies everything that is wrong with the Senate.
I also wonder how Objectivist a position it can possibly be to support government torture, but that's an aside.