Talkin' Shit About A Pretty Sunset

I'm one of the rare people who was a fan of Christopher Hitchens before he abandoned his leftist roots and have stuck with him since (though I disagree with his support for the Iraq War).

I remember going to one of his book readings in 1999 (the anti-Clinton book) and during the Q & A session, he casually pulled a pint of Jim Beam out of his pocket and took a swig before answering someone's annoying question. He's an old style journalist and I respect him regardless of his whims.

And now he's the first journalist to actually have himself waterboarded to find out what all the hub-bub is about. Here's his description of the experience:

You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it “simulates” the feeling of drowning. This is not the case. You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning—or, rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure. The “board” is the instrument, not the method. You are not being boarded. You are being watered. This was very rapidly brought home to me when, on top of the hood, which still admitted a few flashes of random and worrying strobe light to my vision, three layers of enveloping towel were added. In this pregnant darkness, head downward, I waited for a while until I abruptly felt a slow cascade of water going up my nose. Determined to resist if only for the honor of my navy ancestors who had so often been in peril on the sea, I held my breath for a while and then had to exhale and—as you might expect—inhale in turn. The inhalation brought the damp cloths tight against my nostrils, as if a huge, wet paw had been suddenly and annihilatingly clamped over my face. Unable to determine whether I was breathing in or out, and flooded more with sheer panic than with mere water, I triggered the pre-arranged signal and felt the unbelievable relief of being pulled upright and having the soaking and stifling layers pulled off me. I find I don’t want to tell you how little time I lasted.

Here's the youtube video and here's the article. Thank god for journalists like Christopher Hitchens. I think I'm gonna try it myself. Anyone wanna tie me down and pour water over my towel-covered face?