Olbermann Bets Hannity $1,000 Per Second Of Waterboarding

[BlueJessamine]

Run time: 02:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxrOr5unSTI   Posted on YouTube: April 24, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: April 24, 2009 By DU Member: BlueJessamine Views on DU: 2416

 
Keith Olbermann criticized Sean Hannity for joking about the waterboarding issue on his show, offering to be waterboarded "for charity" and "for the troops" when asked by guest Charles Grodin.

"I'll take you up on that, Sean. For every second you last, a thousand dollars... This is no game, this is serious stuff. Put your money where your mouth is... and your nose."

April 23, 2009.

[Windy]

1. Can we take up a collection at DU and give it to charity???? nt

[Political Heretic]

2. This is going to backfire I fear

I'm sorry but controlled waterboarding for a celebrity is nothing like actual waterboarding under real conditions when uncertainty about your very life.

Not to mention the fact that Hannity will lie not matter what his experience is like. I'll walk to the cameras and say "piece of cake."

So why are we encouraging this farce?

[jeff30997]

6. I believe you got a very good point.

But that guy Hannity would have to last as long as possible to get the bucks and also to not

disappoint his brainless followers so I doubt that he would have the guts to do it even under

controlled conditions and as keith said,it would have to be "Live or on tape provided that other

Networks cameras are there".Anyway I think that's a bad idea too.

[Political Heretic]

7. Not only this but ... I have concern about torturing under any conditions.

Even if someone agrees to it... I'm afraid it runs the risk of further normalizing the practice.

[jeff30997]

10. I agree.

Heck,look at what is now considered as "normal" on TV these days and as peoples get more and

more desensitized the networks keep pushing the envelope(Well,as long as there's no nudity of course).

I wonder when they'll begin to broadcast Gladiators,real ones,fighting to death ? :puke:

[bjobotts]

17. That's exactly what Hannity counts on.No one wants to torture him for real

[bjobotts]

19. There are reports that many prisoners died from it in spite of medical people there

[tomreedtoon]

23. No. Hold Hannity's feet to the fire...er, bottle.

They insist it is not torture. By allowing it to occur unseen, unwitnessed, they are condoning its use. And Hannity is probably about the only right wing host of any notoriety that would be healthy enough to withstand even a little bit of waterboarding.

I lay you odds that Hannity will backpedal like the lying coward he is. Or he will get one of his little unpaid interns to take his place, claiming lumbago or anal warts or some other excuse why he can't do it himself.

[Bette Noir]

26. What we have here is a p1ssing match between two of the biggest egos on television.

Hannity bluffed that he'd be able to withstand being waterboarded, piece of cake. Keithie called his bluff, and raised him $1000/second. Now it's Hannity's turn, to either stand up and do what he said he could, or demonstrate that he's a grandstanding piece of crap.

My money's on the later outcome.

And wasn't Lawrence O'Donnell magnificent? I might love him as much as Keithie.

[angstlessk]

18. sorry a journalist who WANTED to be waterboarded and thought he could last

14 seconds...could not stand more than 6 seconds of waterboarding...controled by friendlies...if it is actual waterboarding...hannity will last 3 seconds...

[Political Heretic]

22. It would be interesting if the deal was 30 seconds BEYOND any request to "stop"

Now THAT would make it realistic.

(Not that I actually know the timing for how long you can perform this procedure. And as I've said before, I really don't think its a good idea to torture even if someone "agrees" to it).

[MessiahRp]

21. It sure scared the shit out of Christopher Hitchens

I have a feeling Fattity will not be able to handle it and watching him breakdown on camera will diminish any tough guy lies he tries to tell. Like a kid who gets his ass whooped in front of the whole class and is bawling afterwards and then tries to act like it didn't hurt....

Rp

[Fedja]

27. It depends.

Check the youtube video of Hitchens testing it under controlled conditions. He lasted 2 seconds.

[lazyriver]

29. Strap him to the board, let him think he is going to be waterboarded

by trained military personnel. When he is helplessly immobilized, the military people step back and hand buckets of water to Michael Moore, Al Franken, KO, Janeane Garofalo, and three randomly selected liberal bloggers. As he steps forward with his bucket, Michael Moore says, "I'm not really sure how to do this. I sure hope I don't accidentally kill him before you guys all get your turn".

Hannity doesn't last a three count.

[opihimoimoi]

3. Sean will waddle back home and tell on you for picking on him.....

A spoiled kid he is.....

[Historic NY]

4. Hell I'd pay to see that too, but Sean is into "water sports".

[jeff30997]

8. He is ?

Interesting.:evilgrin:

[Historic NY]

12. Yup, first "tea bagging" now this, sure doesn't leave much left. ...

well maybe.

[Obi Juan]

5. K.O... my thoughts, exactly!

Hannity needs to be hammered with this proposal... relentlessly!

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. C'mon! If he is going to do it right Hannity needs to be...

waterboarded every hour on the hour. In between his waterboarding, he can have has fat head rammed into a wall repeatedly. At bedtime he can be locked in a coffin with bugs. See how long he lasts.

[RandomThoughts]

11. I read an article earlier,

and it made sense. It also said celebrity torture is wrong.

It says celebrity waterboarding does not hold the fear and possibility of repeated suffering under torture.

Hannity's comment not only has no value, but is a misunderstanding. And I agree with other posters here, it normalizes torture, nobody should be tortured, and is not the same in celebrity situations.

For it to have any meaning, Hannity would have to be flown to some evil enemy al-qeada terrorist cell in some mountains, where nobody knew where he was, no rescue.

Something I also don't advocate, since torture is wrong.

[mzmolly]

13. Go Keith!

:toast:

[Blue For You]

14. How about getting Glen Beck to set him on fire first...

and then put him out with waterboarding. :shrug:

[bjobotts]

15. It won't be the same knowing his torturers will make sure he's not hurt

[bjobotts]

16. Now if he agrees to be shipped off to a secret site where they don't know him...

[angstlessk]

20. the strange thing is ...even when you KNOW IT IS NOT TORTURE..IT IS TORTURE

a jouralist who tried to last 14 seconds..could only last 6 seconds..it IS TORTURE!

[Tutankhamun]

24. It's a bad idea to let him do it for charity.

We don't want another dime to go to NAMBLA.

On a serious note, Hanity's a coward; he'll never do it.

[Hekate]

25. It may only be a valid waterboarding if performed by some interrogator disgusted with the job...

... he was required to do. I would seriously not want Hannity to get off lightly due to a sympathetic person holding the water jug.

Hekate

[Tutankhamun]

30. I agree. Yet another reason it wouldn't be genuine.

And yet another reason to not do it (even if Hannity did have the courage).

[Hekate]

31. Simulating the real thing would include being grabbed from behind and hooded...

... before he gets where he's going on his own. The silent treatment while en route ("Hey, who are you guys? This is all part of the show, right? Hey, I'm talking to you!" And cue the crickets) would lend versilimitude. So far, no physical torture, am I right?

The trouble with Hannity and his ilk is that they lack both empathy for others and imagination on their own behalf.

Hekate

[quidam56]

28. What holier than thou patriotic America does Hannity live in ?

It sure ain't My America. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=138

[Karenina]

32. Sorry kids. There's something really sick in all this

chest-thumping, dick-waving, double-dare-you exchange. ON ALL SIDES.

[Seldona]

33. Render him to Abu Graib, entered as John Doe, American, for one day.

Strap him to the floor of a transport jet with the headphones, diaper, orange jumpsuit, head bag, etc. His day begins after the flight. Surely a little airplane ride won't hurt him? Even with maybe 15 hours of rock music blasting into his headphones. Why waste energy heating the plane either?

And don't tell him where or for how long. Keep a bag on his head so no one recognizes him, or the towel while being water-boarded, as well as throwing off his sleeping pattern. Stick him in the worst cell they have. Make it stink BAD.

Then see what he has to say.