"Waterboard Thrill Ride" Hits Coney Island

Controversial Guantanamo-Themed Sideshow At Brooklyn Seashore Costs $1 To View

(AP)  Guantanamo waterboarding as a Coney Island sideshow - that's what one artist has created on the Brooklyn seashore.

The so-called "Waterboard Thrill Ride" uses the controversial interrogation technique as its theme. Steve Powers' storefront display, among other things, pictures SpongeBob SquarePants saying "It don't Gitmo better!" as Squidward pours water over him.

A stone's throw from the Cyclone roller coaster and Nathan's hot dog stand, the installation costs a dollar to view.

A window with bars offers a look at a Guantanamo-like interrogation, with a robotic figure wearing a hood leaning over a man in an orange jumpsuit, his face covered with a towel and his body tethered to a tilted plane.

Lights come on and water pours into the man's nose and mouth, producing convulsions for 15 seconds.

The political display sits in the midst of New York's decaying entertainment mecca, filled with beloved historic rides and the perennial object of development battles.

Powers says his aim is to provoke people into thinking about the interrogation technique.

"Robot waterboarding became a way of exploring the issue without doing any harm," he told The New York Times. "It's putting a unique experience on the table. And it doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to look in there and say: 'That's really what's going on? That's crazy."'

On Aug. 15, Powers says he and a few other men plan to subject themselves to the real thing: They'll have themselves waterboarded by a professional trained in interrogation techniques.

The sideshow will then be moved to Manhattan's Park Avenue Armory, to be displayed with other projects from Democracy in America, an exhibit series sponsored by the public art fund Creative Time.

[libsluv2spit]

if these islamic terrorists can vote..they would vote democrat..

[tootall10142]

FREE ENTERPRISE IN ACTION.FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS TECHNIQUE USED,DONT BE FOLLED IT WORKS AND DOES PRODUCE TWO TYPE OF RESULTS.ONE IS THE INFORMATION IS DIVULGED THE OTHER IS A DEAD PRISONER.THE MORE THEY TALK THE LESS WATER THEY WILL HAVE TO ENDURE.WHEN THE PRISONER LIES AND WE FIND OUT ABOUT THE LIE WE DROWN THE SOB.WE SAVE TONS SODIUM PENTATHOL.NOT FUNNY? YOU ARE RIGHT ITS NOT BUT VERY EFFECTIVE.

[TommyCraig]

This is great! We''ll put the abortion clinic simulation next to this. It can show abortions ranging from the 1st, 2nd, and of course the 3rd terms. The finally would be the (legal in nearly all states) partial-birth abortion.
Only the above would be shown in order to comply with local, state, and federal laws... and to top it off, we will have a lit bill board with the names of your representatives that support this..well, we''ll just call it the convenience maker..............

[cfin5]

Great, now all the CIA wannabe Beavis and Butthead tards will be getting ideas about "extracting information" from their IQ deficient peers,....like even if they got it, they wouldn''t know what to do with it except....Ahqqqqq,qqahqahhhhqqq, you like really thuck man.

[txgrouch2006]

Powers says he and a few other men plan to subject themselves to the real thing: They''ll have themselves waterboarded by a professional trained in interrogation techniques.
--------------
So, protest first - GET THE FACTS LATER.

This "thrill ride" sounds pretty dull. Why not let the audience EXPERIENCE WATERBOARDING for themselves?

I wouldn''t pay a nickel to watch a robot waterboard a mannequin, built by someone WHO HAS NO REAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT.

[deacon20081]

I am a believer that waterboarding is necessary on rare occasions but I think this is sick.
Posted by scottyusa
----------------------------------------------------
Having to see the *** is not the same huh? A Parody makes you uncomfortable? Well how would it feel to be an innocent person subjected to the "craft" just to see if perhaps you are someone who knows something?
In Korea the US Army had a policy of Killing anyone in white who came near them.....It is called Paranoia.
And it Will Destroy Ya

[deacon20081]

Be hilarious if he drowns!

[djmj0666]

So this guy is doing this sideshow as a political statement...maybe he ought to put in his sideshow summary executions, beheadings, umm, let''s see, dragging bodies through streets...I''m sure I''ve forgotten plenty....oh, yeah, blowing up buildings full of innocent human beings...

[scottyusa]

I am a believer that waterboarding is necessary on rare occasions but I think this is sick.

[txgrouch2006]

This is so lame. You pay to watch a ROBOT waterboard a MANNEQUIN.

He should have to pay the viewers to watch his politcal propaganda show.

[txgrouch2006]

Powers says he and a few other men plan to subject themselves to the real thing: They''ll have themselves waterboarded by a professional trained in interrogation techniques.
------------------------------

I would have thought that would be the FIRST thing he''d do before he started proclaiming how cruel it is.

What if he finds out IT''S NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL if you know it won''t really hurt you?

[spadeisspade]

You don''t get waterboarded, you morons-READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE. It''s a stupid display, hardly worth a dollar.

[whiskyrokkr]

Looks fun

[slim1h2o]

Yup,,and thats what they used to say about the pass out game that I used to play,,,no harm,,no foul.

I only did that once or twice, until I saw my best freind almost hang himself tying to play the "game" by himself. That too was a harmless game, they said.

Till somebody wakes up dead.


Just for clarifacation, the above happened back in the 70''s when I was a kid.

[slim1h2o]

All the college kids are doing it now. No harm, just a little soggy and no one is permanently damaged.
I throw a little water on my face every morning.

Yup,,and thats what they used to say about the pass out game that I used to play,,,no harm,,no foul.

I only did that once or twice, until I saw my best freind almost hang himself tying to play the "game" by himself. That too was a harmless game, they said.

Till somebody wakes up dead.

[mbcsmith]

All the college kids are doing it now. No harm, just a little soggy and no one is permanently damaged.
I throw a little water on my face every morning.

[observer2020]

Holy Cow! Just wait until some kids do this (just as they imitate televised wrestling) and someone dies.
slim1h2o: I agree. What constitutes "entertainment" is getting (or has gotten) totally sick.
Awww...GOP isn''t going to be first in line? Bummer!

[slim1h2o]

This concept of "Entertainment" is pretty sick, if you should ask me.

*** is wrong with people nowadays?

Hope they go broke with this.

[pugster]

You have to pay to see someone getting tortured?

[xmanborg]

I want a ticket.