Marcus, I do not know who you are. Only that you have smeared Israel with a story from your Colonel in DaNang. No anecdote every describes the truth; it merely reflects an aspect of limited human cognitive processing of informtation. You were naive enough to accept your colonel’s characterizations as veridical. I am glad that you are not in a decision-making capacity.
Here is a letter that I wrote recently to New York Public Radio.
May 28, 2009
WNYC Radio Board of Trustees
c/o Nicki Newman Tanner
160 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013
Dear Madam:
Regarding the Brian Lehrer show of 5.28.2009 between the hours of 11: 00 and 12:00 there was broadcast a segment regarding torture. During the interview, the interviewee described a technique that he called “Palestinian Crucifixion.” Playing the straight man, Mr. Lehrer asked why it had been so named and his interviewee, in the most off-handed manner, said, “Some say that is because the Israeli army used it on Palestinians.” Mr. Lehrer allowed the charge to stand. Is that the level of objectivity that we can expect from your guests and those that are there to help them present their views? Characterizations of Israel as the source of such vile methods is no different than calling Israel a Nazi state. How dare you allow the casual demonization of Israel to reach the level of mundane acceptance! Your station then becomes the purveyor of lies that will end quite expectedly in the taking of life on both sides of the conflict.
What is the other side of the argument that Mr. Lehrer failed to pursue? This excerpt is taken from Wikipedia:
Strappado is a form of torture in which the victim’s hands are first tied behind their back, and then he or she is suspended in the air by means of a rope attached to wrists, which most likely dislocates both arms. Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and increase the pain.
Other names for strappado include “reverse hanging” and “Palestinian hanging”, although this last name may be a misnomer, because human rights groups do not believe that the technique is used by either Israel or the Palestinian Authority.[1][2] It is best known for its use in the Medieval Inquisition, but the practice continues into the modern era.[3][4]
1. ^ Goldhaber, Michael (2007). A People’s History of the European Court of Human Rights. Rutgers University Press. pp. 109. ISBN 9780813539836.
2. ^ Rejali, Darius (2007). Torture and Democracy. Princeton University Press. pp. 355. ISBN 9780691114224.
The use of “Palestinian Crucifixion” instead of the tradition name, strappado, speaks to the interviewee’s need to attribute something damnable to Israel. The failure of Mr. Lehrer to bring the interviewee up short speaks to his ignorance of the topic and perhaps his own confused feelings about his role as radio host: truth and lies hold the same weight. Some human being said it, so it must be true to some degree!
Let me take this opportunity to point out that the only group to justify crucifixion in recent history is Hamas. By fully implementing Sharia law in Gaza in December 2008, it explicitly mentioned that crucifixion was an acceptable form of capital punishment. Whether it has been used is unclear, but whether it has been included in the context of implementing Sharia law is part of the public record.
Sincerely,
(name withheld)
