Monday, March 7, 2016

Trump New Reality Show “Competition for Torture: to Inflict Pain and Agony”

Trump View of Torture (and Outcome)
(He never broke and never revealed info)

GOP's Favorite All-time Hero
(his view on torture)

Donald J. Trump is moving so fast and changing so quickly on this topic that’s it hard to keep up … so, here we are again with another update on his stance and views about torture.

But, first I present Trump in this short clip from “Face the Nation.” More details follow the clip. This an extremely important topic – torture of war detainees – for any candidate for President to tackle the way Trump has in the past, then he flip-flopped, and now, as seen this clip, he once again reverses course back to his original position. Watch it if you didn’t catch it on the live broadcast. It is about 11 minutes long.



Background: Trump said late last year on Fox to Sean Hannity and just recently reinforced his views that he would order and allow killing suspected terrorist family members and also have our Armed forces use torture like waterboarding and in fact that waterboarding was not torture in his view, etc.

Now this latest from him – his first backpedaling (my emphasis):

“I will use every legal power that I have to stop these terrorist enemies. I do, however, understand that the United States is bound by laws and treaties and I will not order our military or other officials to violate those laws and will seek their advice on such matters. I will not order a military officer to disobey the law. It is clear that as president I will be bound by laws just like all Americans and I will meet those responsibilities.”

As seen in the “Face the Nation” clip, he once again reverses course by saying he if is elected president, he would “strengthen laws to allow for the use of torture.”  As noted in the interview, Trump for the third time states his view on torture. Here are his own words from that show in part on this subject that I want to emphasize:

“We have an enemy in the Middle East that's chopping off heads and drowning people in massive steel cages. We have an enemy that doesn't play by the laws. You could say laws, and they're laughing. They're laughing at us right now. I would like to strengthen the laws so that we can better compete. You know, it's very tough to beat enemies that don't have any, that don't have any restrictions, all right? We have these massive restrictions. Now, I will always abide by the law, but I would like to have the law expanded. I happen to think that when you're fighting an enemy that chops off heads, I happen to think that we should use something that's stronger than we have right now. Right now, basically, waterboarding is essentially not allowed, as I understand it. ... I would certainly like it to be, at a minimum, at a minimum to allow that.”

[Trump discounted the argument that if the U.S. military used waterboarding, captured American soldiers and hostages could be subjected to worse treatment]. 

Trump continued: “They're doing that anyway. They're killing our soldiers when they capture 'em. I mean, they're doing that anyway. Now, if that were the case - in other words, we won't do it and you don't do it, but we're not playing by those rules. What, did somebody tell ISIS, “Look, we're going to treat your guys well; will you please do us a favor and treat our guys well?” They don't do that. We're not playing by - we are playing by rules but they have no rules. It's very hard to win when that's the case.”

Host Dickerson asked if rules are what “separates us from the savages,”

Trump said he didn't think so, adding “We have to beat the savages.” Dickerson then asked if that would require us throwing all the rules out.

Then Trump showed his true colors: “You have to play the game the way they're playing the game. You're not going to win if we're soft and they are not; they have no rules. Now, I want to stay within the laws, I want to do all of that, but I think we have to increase the laws.”

So, he would get laws in place that puts us on par with those we are fighting to “compete” like in a new business deal selling sneakers, or deal for another high-rise building, or getting permission to build a new casino in Nevada or off-shore?

All I can say is this insane talk from an insane man who wants to be President and do insane things.

Related here (General Officer rebuke), and here (Sen. John McCain).

That’s all I say at this time – more later, I am sure.



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