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Artist Steve Powers Is Waterboarding at Coney Island

Nicole Pasulka — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:38:00 GMT

Step right up and catch a glimpse of Coney Island's "Waterboard Thrill Ride." Artist Steve Powers has created an installation at New York City's Coney Island beach and amusement park depicting the act of waterboarding on dummies in a freak show cage.

Says Powers:

"I wanted to make the perfect Coney Island experience. Something that captivates, that's an immediate visceral reaction and that lingers in the memory," he said, speaking in front of his booth, which features an image of SpongeBob SquarePants saying, "It don't Gitmo better!"

As part of the project Powers and several lawyers subjected themselves to actual waterboarding in a private Coney Island demonstration.

"It was a terrifying experience," said Karin Kunstler Goldman, 64, an assistant New York state attorney general. "The fact that it took place near roller coasters and cotton candy sends an important message: We here can engage in frivolity and fun at a time when in our name this is happening to people somewhere else."

As Coney Island enthusiasts we're sorry we missed this (it left the park last Friday and is on view at the Park Avenue Armory, although we did clue you in on it it awhile back) if just to judge for ourselves whether it was sensationalist and gross or effective political art.

What do you think? Is a waterboarding carnival cell "silly and political and educational all at the same time" or "messed up"?

The 2008 Mermaid Parade Rocked Our Partially-Nude World

Today in WTF: Waterboarding Ride At Coney Island

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:08:00 GMT

Would you take the "Waterboarding Thrill Ride" at Coney? What about if we gave you a dollar? What if we gave you two dollars?

Not to worry (unless of course your skin is "nonwhite" and you are, for any reason, in any foreign country), you will never actually have to be subjected to what we now refer to as the Christopher Hitchens treatment. This is one "ride" that humans will never have to take...

"Waterboard Thrill Ride" beckons a sign along with cartoon character "SpongeBob SquarePants" who appears tied down and exclaiming: "It don't Gitmo better!"

The public can peek through window bars and feed a dollar into the slot to bring the robotic dolls into action...

All right, not a terrible idea for a protest, but we'll stick to the Cyclone and "Harold and Kumar": Gitmo's just a little too scary to witness, even with machines in place of what could easily be any of us...

Marion Tracey, 57, from New Jersey, said she found the installation disturbing. It made her think of her father who had nightmares after returning from World War II. "In all wars, horrible things happen," she said. "I'd rather not see it."

Alex Soto, 23, said he thought it was a good thing for people to learn about waterboarding, but he added: "It is pretty twisted."

Thanks, Mr. Understatement. Via Reuters.

Today in Current Events WTF

Bryan Christian — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:14:00 GMT

There's a law in front of the Supreme Court designed to redefine what constitutes child pornography that may, in fact, broaden the term to include mainstream, totally non-criminal films. "Among the movies mentioned which could be affected by the new law are American Beauty, Lolita, Titanic and Traffic." Traffic? Yeah, maybe that law is too broad.

Genarlow Wilson was released from prison this week after serving three years for engaging in teen sex. Boy, good thing Dawson kept screwing up with Pacey!

Looks like the War on Terror really means "Al Gore and Arianna Huffington are into torture porn".