By now you surely know all about the 100% Democrat CIA torture report, yet another in a long line of reports by Democrats designed to demean America and give our enemies comfort and talking points, and reasons to attack the U.S., her citizens, and her property. It will also cause lots of problems with our allies, as they will have zero confidence in sharing intelligence and working with the CIA and other U.S. federal intelligence groups. It’s a partisan hack job that failed to talk to actual CIA employees. This has made the Washington Post Editorial Board, a bunch of dilettantes kept safe by rough and ready people like those who work at the CIA, Very Mad
The horrors in America’s ‘dungeon’ should never have happened
SHORTLY AFTER the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the CIA began taking prisoners captured in U.S. anti-terrorism operations. Some were tortured. This is not news. But a long-classified Senate report released Tuesday depicts the disgusting extremes.
The release of the Democratic report’s findings and executive summary instantly came under heavy criticism — from current and former CIA officials, among others — and reignited a debate about whether the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation program†was justified. As before, the answer is no. President George W. Bush and Congress both condoned this barbarity but should not have. You don’t have to accept every assertion in the Senate report to see that.
There is no doubt that the CIA may have gone a bit too far in their methods. America and Americans are not perfect. In case the WPEB missed it, we were fighting, and are still fighting, against a brutal subsection of Islam, which has no problem torturing and killing. Oh, and cutting off the heads of captured civilians. Funny how we rarely hear or read the same level of apoplexy from Liberals over the conduct of Islamist jihadis….oh, wait, right, Liberals blame the United States for the actions of Islamic jihadis.
This is not how Americans should behave. Ever.
Well, perhaps Islamic jihadis shouldn’t fly jets into buildings. They shouldn’t kidnap U.S. citizens and saw their heads off. They shouldn’t blow up U.S. citizens and property. They shouldn’t rape and cut off limbs. They shouldn’t use chemical weapons. They shouldn’t declare war on the U.S. Americans shouldn’t have to behave in the manner the CIA (supposedly) did: how about if the WPEB tells Islamists to stop being evil?
Any reckoning of outcomes has to account for the severe blow dealt to America’s global reputation by the inevitable exposure of these techniques, harm which the country is still trying to repair. But to our mind, the argument over practical outcomes is mostly beside the point. Torture is wrong, whether or not it has ever “worked.†As an Obama administration official said Tuesday, “The reason we prohibited these techniques is because they are contrary to our values.â€
Again, there’s no doubt the CIA made mistakes. This, though, is the kind of report that used to be kept secret. Democrats have gleefully trotted it out in order to attempt to diminish, demean, and embarrass the U.S. on the world stage. Not that our reputation is doing that well after 6 yeas of Obama. The report will make our citizens less safe. Kudos, Democrats! The blood of every American killed in the near future by Islamic jihadis is on your hands. You’ve made it that much more difficult to gather intelligence around the world, and put our citizens in danger.
Personally, I’m more concerned about stopping something like this
from happening again.
these bleeding heart liberals want to fight a clean war. That is impossible to do and still win.
Look at it. here we are, still fighting in Afghanistan, and Iraq is going to hell even after what? 12 years? How long did it take us from entering WWII to it’s end? 4 years? A two front GLOBAL war but our people were allowed to fight it the only way it could be and win.
The libs have already neutered the military so let’s go ahead and shame and neuter the intelligence agencies. After all, to them, preventing the deaths of 1000’s of Americans on American soil is not worth hurting those poor, fragile, terrorists.
My father and 2 uncles fought in WWII and did do honorably
They did not torture
The cons started wars by lieing to our country about WMD
The GOP controlled both house of congress and the White House when that all started
Cons find it a lot easier to start wars than finish them
Teach chose not to go but it’s not yo late gor you nighthawk to head on over to Afghanistan and straighten that mess out
Send emails back
john,
How proud your father and uncles must be knowing how you hate the very things they fought for and risked their lives for. For the record, there were WMD’s in Iraq – WMDs that have been found and disposed of. Perhaps you missed that fact.
What is amazing about the report is that the Democrats knew about this and held onto it for political gains. Nothing more. Nothing less. The outrage from the left will miss that point. The Democrats deliberately put people in harms way to promote a political agenda – one that was rejected by the voters during the mid-terms.
Why are you supporting the lying Democrats john?
Of course John ignores that WMD’s were found in Iraq. He, and every other liberal, ignores the fact that the presence of WMD’s was waaay down on the list of reasons to invade but they throw it out there because it is the only point they can attack. Too bad that even that point has been proven wrong.
Oh, and by the way numb nuts, it is too late for me to go to Afghanistan as I am over the age to enlist. Besides, I have already served. 5 Years Navy part of which was aboard the USS Stark.
How about you go to Gitmo and coddle the terrorists there into giving up vital intel that will save as many lives as the CIA has.
Aren’t there laws or treaties or conventions or something that make torture illegal?
Or are there exceptions to these laws or treaties or conventions that allow torture?
Any laws or treaties that make flying airplanes into buildings illegal?
Torture of who? (And that is not a trick question.)
Generally speaking, treaties don’t have exceptions, but are you aware of a treaty on torture between the US and ISIS? The US and Al Queeda?
Yes Jeff there are, It’s called the Geneva Convention. It only applies to legal combatants which wear a uniform and fight according to the Convention.
Terrorist do not enjoy the benefits of the Convention since they do not wear a uniform or abide by the rules of the Convention.
If you are so worried about torture you should pay those terrorists a visit and inform them what they are doing is wrong. Inform them that torturing a confession out of an individual before beheading them is so wrong. Maybe they will use you as an example after you give them the third degree.
John, you do realize that the Allies engaged in unrestricted warfare, bombing and destroying the ever loving crap out of civilian areas. We ran tanks through civilian areas. We fired rockets , mortars, and shells into civilian areas. We dropped 2 atomic bombs. All to destroy the enemy and save US lives.
Jeff, the Geneva Convention, as it applies to terrorists, actually allows them to be summarily executed as spies, since they wear no uniform.
How about 18 U.S.C. § 2340 and 2340a? Do they apply?
Which is what happened, I believe, during WW2 when 8 German spies were found on the east coast of the U.S. They were then executed. And John, for about the tenth time, WMDs were found in Iraq.
In 1988 Mr. Reagan signed the UN Convention Against Torture and Congress ratified it a few years later.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=35858
Does this not apply?
from Senator John McCain:
http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2014/12/floor-statement-by-sen-mccain-on-senate-intelligence-committee-report-on-cia-interrogation-methods
18 U.S. Code § 2340A – Torture
(a) Offense.— Whoever outside the United States commits or attempts to commit torture shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results to any person from conduct prohibited by this subsection, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
(b) Jurisdiction.— There is jurisdiction over the activity prohibited in subsection (a) if—
(1) the alleged offender is a national of the United States; or
(2) the alleged offender is present in the United States, irrespective of the nationality of the victim or alleged offender.
(c) Conspiracy.— A person who conspires to commit an offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties (other than the penalty of death) as the penalties prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.
Can anyone explain why the Title 18 U.S. Code § 2340, 2340a and 2340b do not apply in this case?
Or why the UN Convention Against Torture (ratified by Congress) does not apply in this case?
What do you think of Senator McCain’s statement?
I agree with him. We oppose torture because we Americans are better and stronger people than our enemies.
John,
There was plenty of torture in WWII. The British were especially good at it. The worst thing that could happen to a high ranking German was to go to the Tower of London. They knew it was going to be bad. You really need an education.
Yes, J. The problem is in the defintion of torture. Many believe waterboarding is not torture, as many of our service men go through it during their training.