Today I heard about the report being released regarding the decisions made to use certain types of interrogation techniques by the justice department and other senior civilian officials in the U.S. Government.

I have a question: How did the justice department determine that water-boarding was not torture?

The media simply tells us that they made a recommendation to the President. How did they come about this decision? Were the lawyers subjected to the “interrogation technique” known as water-boarding? Did they hear testimony from people who had endured this type of interrogation? How did they determine the precise limits of this procedure? Did doctors or psychologists testify as to the impact of this tactic on individuals? It seems to me that the media is leaving something out.

I would assume that the idea of water-boarding was “put on trial” and that a decision was reached, but I have no way of knowing.

The one thing I know for certain is that I do not know if water-boarding is torture. I do not know what torture is. I have never endured anything resembling torture. I wonder how these lawyers could make this decision.

The thing I find most disturbing (based solely on the reporting of mainstream media, including NPR) is that military lawyers advised against using water-boarding while the justice department concluded it was acceptable.