a Someone should care, maybe not you....: The Interrogator Moment .comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Someone should care, maybe not you....

My thoughts on many things including the army, war, politics, the military corrections system, chaos, life, books, movies, and why there is no blue food. Feel free to comment on what I say. Feedback is nice.

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40+ year old former teacher, linguist, interrogator, soldier, and lastly convict. We all do stupid things every once and awhile. I am an economic conservative and a firm believer in civil rights. Starting a new life now and frankly not sure what I am going to be doing.

05 June 2007

The Interrogator Moment

The interrogator moment is not a new thing but it is something that I notice a lot more now. This is that moment when someone realizes that you are (or were) an ACTUAL Interrogator. The other day I was giving a few Mormon missionaries a ride home from a neighboring town. They had heard that I had been in the army and asked about deployments and then asked what I did. My usual response at this point is to say I was in Military Intelligence (which often leads to that oh so original and funny joke about oxymorons). This usually has a moment of it’s own where people ponder that then ask what I did. Then I pop out the I word and people almost universally stop whatever they are doing or saying and glance out me out of the corner of their eye, or just stare. There are often some mumbles along the lines of “oh, that’s interesting” or “Uh, wow, that must have been….. hard…..” You can see them trying to picture me as an INTERROGATOR, a torturer, someone who callously inflicts pain to get information. I guess I should be upset that people tend to look at me for a moment and then nod and file me away like that. I guess I look mean enough to do it. The missionaries did. Then one of them asked if it had been hard to do. I have had a few people just come out and ask how you decided when to start torturing people. I always explain now that I don’t torture people. That professionals who actually have a clue what they are doing don’t torture people. That torture is, as a general rule, a not terribly effective means of gaining information. I usually let it drop there. I am not at all sure that people actually believe me though. Deep down inside I suspect they are nodding their heads and saying “yeah, sure” and filing me away as someone to keep an eye on.
The Interrogator moment is not a new thing. I experienced it before the war too. But then it was more of a pause then a joke and a nudge with the elbow. And I’ll be honest; we (interrogators) played with that. We would always reply with a rote statement that “the Army officially forbids any violation of the Geneva convention.” And when people would ask “yeah, but…” we would say it gain and everyone would laugh. I don’t do that any more. People don’t laugh very often about it.

And a lot of folks have me pegged in the back of their minds as someone who may be dangerous.

Meanwhile, "Scooter" Libby has been sentenced to 30 months in prison as a result of the whole Plame investigation. Of course Richard Armitage who actually revealed her identity was never even subpoenaed and isn't being punished at all. In congress William Jefferson, caught on video tape accepting bribes and found with $90K of the bribe money hidden in his freezer sits in congress and smiles while people talk about the Republican "Culture of Corruption".
Sigh......

10 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Back again ( left-wing nut and bleeding heart ? ) I can sympathize with the idea that it's important to share who you are realistically and without apologies. So I've linked you again because I do think you worth listening to - even if you feel it gets repetitive it's new to somebody.
Think of it this way - you probably get fewer 'nuisance calls' from motivated religious con artists with your tendency to 'tell it like it is' and 'damn the torpedoes'. Some people - myself included - admire that.

1:27 PM  
Blogger exMI said...

Glad to see you Opit.

8:42 AM  
Blogger United We Lay said...

are you dangerous?

5:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, no. The question is, "Is it safe?", and exmi has to ask it, since he's the interrogator.

How many lights do you see?

2:39 PM  
Blogger exMI said...

Am I dangerous? Some people would consider me very dangerous considering my political views and some of the stands I take on issues.

Danger, as with most things, is in the eye of the beholder.

When I was doing an interrogation I ALWAYS tried to be safe. My safety, the safety of my Terp (interpretor) and the safety of the the PUC.

12:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's a man who writes a blog of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger.
With every move he makes, another cake he bakes,
Odds are he won't live to post tomorrow.

It's ex-MI guy, it's ex-MI guy;
they've given you a handle and taken away your name.

Beware of pretty faces that you find
A pretty face can hide an evil mind
Be careful what you say
Or you'll give yourself away
Odds are you won't live to post tomorrow.

3:17 PM  
Blogger exMI said...

Ok now you are getting funny.
Speaking of which, my next post is another cooking one.

9:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought you were going to write about the skink.

11:56 AM  
Blogger Serena said...

It's strange what we value and what we fear...and how that changes depending on the news of the day...

10:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My usual response at this point is to say I was in Military Intelligence (which often leads to that oh so original and funny joke about oxymorons).

Funny, I was just having a conversation with my buddy and fellow blogger Badman and we were saying something along the lines of porn and war drive half the inventions in the world. We wouldn't have the microwave, contact lenses, or radar if it weren't for the military, inventions that are either very convenient or saved lots of lives. Those are just things that come to my head immediately. I'm sure there's tons more.

Next time I meet someone who's an interrogator, I'll ask them if they blog. that would be an original response for you.

You may be dangerous? Everyone is dangerous. That's what I always have to explain anti-gun folks especially, because they don't get it. The human is the best killing machine ever, and yes, better than big cats, wolves, bears, wolverines, etc.

That torture is, as a general rule, a not terribly effective means of gaining information.

If someone tortured me, I'll tell them what they want to hear, which won't necessarily be the truth. I'd just want the pain to stop. So, yes, not very accurate as you implied.

7:02 PM  

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