It’s good to see that you have finally described what you think torture is. Oddly enough, none of those techniques would be considered torture under the Military Commissions Act. The “twisting tour arms behind your back” part of it occurs normally in what is called the “Palestinian Hanging.” This was a routine portion of the Khmer Rouge regime upon which our methods are based. If you look at the pictures from Abu Ghraib, you will see that we used that technique. As for pulling out finger nails, that’s not a very effective technique. Nor does it have any long-term physical effects (fingernails grow back). The Khmer Rouge gave up on it (unlike the South Vietnamese) because people actually got used to it. It’s more shocking than painful. But when it comes to torture techniques, the Khmer Rouge found waterboarding to be the most effective. I should say that “effective” means “telling us what we want to hear, the truth be damned.” The reason is that torture is really based on fear rather than pain. People can get used to pain, but they never get used to fear. And waterboarding will certainly put the fear of death in you. In, like, 20 seconds. At that point you will say anything to make it stop, no matter how fanciful. It was the Khmer Rouge’s favorite method. As for breaking bones, that’s even less effective than pulling out finger nails (less bleeding, which is emotionally difficult for most people). If you ever want to really learn about this, I’d recommend a trip to Cambodia. Tuol Sleng is nice in the hot season. And I’m sure you will praise their sophistication in interrogation. But if you want to take pictures, you’ll get better light during the rainy season (tropical light can be harsh).