My dad, when he was going through police training a couple decades ago, was subjected to a spray of Mace in his eyes during a session on non-lethal force. It was an intentional exercise, and it was intended to give the cops a more informed perspective on how a perp could/would react to Mace if they ever chose to use it on someone.
It gave him a better respect for the stuff, and I am quite sure it gave him a different perspective on when/how to use it (which, as far as I know, he rarely did.)
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In relation to this thread, Cheney says he doesn't believe that water-boarding is torture. And the Bush Administration, as a whole, seems to have no problem using what most of us, I think, would find to be "torture." ... Torture, in most cases, is intended to be a non-lethal method of coercive force. ... It seems to me that if we are to use these methods, the people applying them -- and more importantly, the people authorizing them -- should have a more informed perspective on what is torture and what is not. ...
For the life of me, I can't understand how a human being could do that to another human being, and be OK with that. It doesn't make sense to me. It disturbs my sensibilities on a basic level.
I think even 10 seconds of simulated water-boarding, even in a highly controlled environment where there is no danger to him, would change Cheney's mind forever.