Pepper spray in the face, in the eyes, down the throat.. Torture or not?

[Fumesucker]

If you deliberately spray a peaceful person with pepper spray, does that constitute torture?

If you decide that it does not, would you be willing to undergo an experiment with pepper spray down the throat and in the face?

[LaydeeBug]

1. If you don't agree that a punch in the face is torture, would you mind if I....um....experimented?

This is a bit of a false argument, I'm afraid, even though I agree with your sentiment

[Fumesucker]

3. A punch in the face is torture..

I've had it happen to me, my nose never looked the same after..

:shrug:

ETA: Look at my sig picture, that woman was tortured.

[backscatter712]

19. Regimes since the beginning of time have used blunt trauma as torture.

Everything from simple punches to the face to rubber hose on the soles of the feet.

[JoeyT]

20. That might not be the best response.

Beatings are torture too.

[orpupilofnature57]

2. It's illegal herding ,Victimizing , an abuse of authority.

And No I wouldn't.

[kestrel91316]

4. I can't begin to say all the bad things it is.

[Kaleko]

5. Intimidation, brutalization = torture

[Capitalocracy]

6. It's corporal punishment against the innocent with no trial.

And yes, torture.

[Tesha]

7. No, not torture. But very likely Assault. And it could be as much as Assault with...

...a Deadly Weapon if used in the fashion that police
have been using it: Point-blank range directly in the
face/nose/mouth.

Tesha

[Fire Walk With Me]

8. There is law in California prohibiting the use of pepper spray upon the non-violent.

Hopefully it can and will be used as a precedent for a national law.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2342461

[undeterred]

9. You recover from pepper spray.

I am carrying pepper spray to protect myself from dogs and predators that might bother me in the neighborhood. It is not something that does permanent damage, or I would not feel comfortable using it on someone else's pet or another person. But it does allow me to protect me and my pet. I do not think it is torture- you can rinse it off.

If police are deliberately spraying a peaceful person, that is an abuse of their power and a misuse of the tool. But I don't think it is "torture" because I don't think anyone really fears that they are going to die from it.

[Fumesucker]

11. Are you saying that nothing you can recover from is torture?

:shrug:

[undeterred]

13. The ease of recovery is one measure.

You can rinse it off. It does not cause blindness, paralysis, scarring, or permanent damage.

[JoeyT]

23. No, you cannot "rinse it off".

You can get it off with enough detergent ( Submersion in a 5/1 water to Clorox mixture works best) to break down the oil, provided you're allowed access to it. If you aren't allowed access to it, it sits there and keeps doing damage. Water will not get it off. If you have a respiratory or heart condition, it can kill you.

Fact sheet on capsaicin from the NPIC. (PDF)
From the PDF: "Inhalation exposure in capsaicinoids in pepper spray damaged rat bronchial, tracheal, nasal, and alveolar cells, causing acute inflammation."

Also: Sleep deprivation is torture, and all that requires is going to sleep to fix. The definition of torture isn't based on ease of recovery. Electric current isn't torture either. You just stop the current and no more pain. Crushing? Not torture. Asphyxiation? Not torture. Practically nothing is torture by that definition.

[piratefish08]

15. you can recover from waterboarding

it's still fucking torture

[undeterred]

16. I would imagine the psychological effects of waterboarding

are more severe than those of pepper spray.

[piratefish08]

21. imagine what you want. you could kill or not kill a victim with either method.

terror in is the eyes of the victim.

[undeterred]

24. Kill someone with pepper spray?

Are you serious?

[backscatter712]

17. You recover from waterboarding too...

at least physically.

[Gold Metal Flake]

10. As one former mod used to say, "kill one, warn a thousand".

It's terrorism.

[Fumesucker]

12. False dichotomy, it can be both...

:hi:

[Gold Metal Flake]

14. I'm good with that.

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[undeterred]

25. You lost your argument with the first sentence.

[HopeHoops]

22. Torture.

K&R

[ladjf]

26. Torture, plain and simple. Illegal, plain and simple. Prosecute, no way. nt