Sadism and Silence

Recent headlines are full of stories about torture. Writers seem to be surprised that torture was being used on detainees suspected of being involved in terrorist activity. This is nothing new. Torture has been going on since recorded history. Spartacus, Jesus, and millions of others rebels were tortured. It was done as punishment to break their wills before murdering them. This practiced should be stopped. Nobody but Sadistic monsters benefit from it.
Some are saying that that the recent torture of detainees was used to gather information that was useful in protecting the nation. But there has been no proof that a single bit of that information was useful. There have been other reasons for torturing hundreds of detainees. New evidence is surfacing that false confessions were used to give a valid reason for the invasion of Iraq. There is a wide spread investigation now going on to get at the truth. It is feared that the answer will be that it was done for the joy of the Sadists in power. This should come as no surprise. Sadism is the norm in most areas of life and it is found most often in wartime. Many join the military for the opportunity to express themselves.
The Sadist is feared most by prisoners because he wants more than information or a confession. He wants to torture his victims until there is no resistance or cries of pain. This might take many months. But once his victims becomes silent and do not scream in agony the Sadist loses interest. The prisoners becomes useless and the monster looks for healthy replacements. Those that were water boarded over one hundred times until silenced were the healthiest of the victims. It took many months to obtain their silence. They were broken, rehabilitated, and could go free.
School yard bullies graduate into the big time when they gain a position of power in the workplace. A sadistic boss can make the lives of his employees miserable by constantly threatening to fire them. But unfortunately some bullies get absolute power when given the job of torturing prisoners of war. Their first job is to make sure their victims are well fed and kept healthy. This gives them the opportunity to interrogate them endlessly. Confessions of guilt do not end the torture. The sadist stays with his victim until there is no resistance. A broken prisoner is of no use to the grown up school yard bully