Arizona Republic
by Richard Ruelas

11/21/05

For some, the ban on torture that Arizona Sen. John McCain has introduced before Congress is not a theoretical concept. For whose who have experienced torture, talking about it brings back stinging memories of torn-off fingernails, dislocated shoulders and broken cheekbones. Being the recipient of torture teaches some lessons. For instance, torture can make someone talk. The rule about soldiers only giving their name, rank and serial number eventually goes away. 'Everybody that I know broke,' said Larry Chesley, who was held a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for four years. But torture does not lead to truth. The pain will make someone say nearly anything to get it to stop. 'You really don't know if you've got anything or not,' Chesley said. Someone who gets tortured doesn't feel right having his country take up such behavior. 'I think physical torture is unacceptable,' said Chesley, a former state legislator and current Republican Party district chair...

http://tinyurl.com/avb5c


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp