In Defense of Torture Response

I completely agree with Mr. Harris, torturing a few people to save many seems a justifiable thing.  The technique of water boarding used in Guantanamo was extremely effective, with very little risk to life.  The information extraced from people in Guantanamo saved thousands.  There were bombings stopped in London, Madrid, and more plots uncovered.  All from tipping someone into water to make them feel as if they are drowning, or playing Brittany Spears and giving them caffine to cause sleep deprivation.  Effective mental torture with little physical affect.  If you make Guantanamo seem like the most horrible place on earth, just the threat of having to go might be enough to cause people to confess.  Torture seems like an effective way to save many, at the cost of one or two.

The only problem I have noted in here is you can't use paralytics and be able to communicate with them effectively.  Most paralytics are systemic, and you must then put the person on a ventilator for the time the drug takes effect until it wears off.  This would make it difficult, and the dose is also fairly exact, so the magic pill might be too difficult, or result in too many accidental deaths.