the rix mix

These 7 interrogation methods are not permitted under the Geneva Conventions:

1) induced hypothermia
2) long periods of forced standing
3) sleep deprivation
4) the "attention grab" (forcefully seizing the suspect's shirt)
5) the "attention slap"
6) the "belly slap"
7) sound and light manipulation.

I can say that 1, 2, 4, & 6 were used by coaches & gym teachers in my public high school. I didn't attend a tough high school. I know that certain teachers, male & female, from Catholic religious orders in that era went far beyond beyond an "attention slap." I associate 2, 3, & 7 with the Boy Scouts. Hypothermia was always voluntary. Neither my high school nor my Boy Scout Troop were covered by the Geneva Conventions. They should have been, because I witnessed unacceptable behavior masquerading as discipline & group initiation.

But there's more to President Bush's power grabs than what constitutes torture. Still, let us remind ourselves that torture as defined under the Geneva Conventions is a war crime no matter who does it or to whom or why. It is a crime by those who commit it & by those who order it. The Associated Press story on the agreement between Bush & the so-called "GOP Rebels" quotes Elisa Massimino, Washington director of Human Rights First: "Today's agreement makes clear that the president cannot unilaterally downgrade the humane treatment standards of the Geneva Conventions." So I wandered over to the HRF website to see what kind of organization they are - a lot of high-priced lawyers on the various boards, but it doesn't look like a neocon front group, & to their credit they haven't given up investigating the collusion between British government security agencies & the notorious Ulster Defense Association, a little-known story on this side of the Atlantic. There I found the rest of Ms. Massimino's statement, in an HRF press release, which concludes with this paragraph:

While the deal does not redefine the Geneva standards, concerns remain. The question whether the Administration’s interpretation of Geneva standards comports with the law is still open. The agreement would also make it more difficult to ensure that those whose Geneva Convention rights are violated can get justice in the courts. "Secret detentions without judicial oversight invite abuses. And if there is no forum in which abuses can be exposed, then the force of the clear prohibition against inhumane treatment will be undermined," Ms. Massimino said.

Sounds to me like she has serious reservations. If Human Rights First does, so do I.