Politics and Culture

Since many call simulated drownings, loud music, and sleep deprivation torture, what do you call this, Super-torture? Isn't the difference between this and water-boarding as large as the difference between a night at the Hilton and water-boarding? Let's use these terms:

Level one: Captivity.
Level two: Captivity plus interrogation (Geneva conventions).
Level three: Captivity plus enhanced interrogation (us).
Level Four: Captivity plus permanent damage-causing torture (N. Vietnam, say).
Level Five: Al Qaeda butchery.

WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda terrorists use blow torches, electric drills and meat cleavers to torture and force information out of their victims, according to a "how-to" book discovered in a terrorist safe house in Iraq.

The Defense Department recently released disturbing images and cartoons showing how to torture a captive found by American forces during a raid on a Al Qaeda safe house a few weeks ago. They also found photos of tortured Iraqi victims.

The book guides followers of Al Qaeda how to interrogate and torture captives.

The drawings and cartoons depict ways to use electric drills and irons, meat cleavers and other devices to force victims to talk or harm them.

Some of the drawings show how to drill hands, sever limbs, drag victims behind cars, remove eyes, put a blowtorch or iron to someone’s skin, suspend a person from a ceiling and electrocute them, break limbs and restrict breath and put someone’s head in a vice.

Items found at the safe house include electric drills, hammers, blow torches, meat cleavers, pliers and wire cutters, chains, screw drivers, whips and handcuffs.

Earlier this week U.S. troops found the information near Baghdad, along with five Iraqis being held.