Republican Senator Endorses Torture: "It Would Have Been Me, Bin Laden and a Baseball Bat"

Republican New York State Senator Greg Ball has used the Boston Marathon bombing as a convenient opportunity to (draw some attention to himself) remind everyone how he feels about torture. After the second suspect was put into custody by police on Friday, he tweeted his support for the use of torture for "punks":

To which the twittersphere angrily responded:

He was given the opportunity to speak on Fox News today and address the controversy that ensued after his offensive tweet. Instead of explaining why he regrets casually promoting the use of torture, he preferred to explain the pleasure that he would himself take in torturing other human beings. And this guy stands for small government?

"At the end of the day ... when you talk about terrorism, information matters. And if getting that information, including torture, would save one innocent life — including that we've seen children — you know, would you use torture? And I can tell you I would be first in line," the senator said.

The only thing that annoys me more than people starting a sentence with "at the end of the day" is somebody perpetuating the myth that torture leads to better information. Torture-free interrogations are actually much more effective because using torture often leads to false information. Why? Because when you water-board someone they'll say anything just to get you to stop. Why? BECAUSE YOU'RE TORTURING THEM. They will say anything for you to stop, because it's bitingly painful. That's why torture didn't lead us to Osama bin Laden, nor will it help us catch further terrorists. Also, another small detail the senator seems to have forgotten about is the existence of human rights in America. You can't physically harm people just because you want information out of them. Despite these moral and practical considerations, Senator Ball is certain that "many New Yorkers" would "have appreciated at least 30 minutes in a room alone with Osama bin Laden."

Funny because I know approximately zero New Yorkers who would appreciate spending any length of time with Bin Laden "alone in a room," With the presence of a baseball or not.

"I know I would. It would have been me, Osama bin Laden and a baseball bat," the Senator added. "And maybe I’m not going to be a career politician, maybe you shouldn’t be honest, but this is how I feel. And in the United States of America we have people who believe we can play patty-cake," Ball continued.

Yes, because guaranteeing every American citizen the right to a fair trial is exactly like playing a children's game in which two participants gently strike their palms together to a nursery rhythm. If we're going to be such lefty patty-cake hippies, maybe the police should read suspects their Miranda rights to the sounds of Old MacDonald Had a Farm too.

Ugh. 

Speak for yourself, Senator Ball. Actually, cross that. For America's sake, take a break from talking for a while.

For more updates on the offensive nonsense that comes out of the GOP, follow me on Twitter: @feministabulous

via: The Rawstory