CIA Torture and Drone Assassinations
Recently we’ve been hearing about how horrible the CIA is because it tortured suspects for information about past or future terrorist attacks. President Obama has been very outspoken about this topic through the years, condemning the “enhanced interrogation techniques” that America has used while dealing with detainees.
This is hypocritical for several reasons. Were it not for manhandling a number of suspects following 9/11, there’s no way we would have learned the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and been able to conduct a raid that resulted in his death. Of course, Obama was quick to take credit for killing bin Laden, despite the fact that he condemned the very process that led to the raid.
And even if he had not taken credit for it, how does he justify the assassinations of Americans through drone attacks both in this country and abroad? In other words, what is worse? Waterboarding suspects until they give you the information you need to stop future terrorist attacks, or killing them with drone strikes?
We are dealing with people from countries that have vowed to destroy America and some of our allies, including Israel. They don’t even try to hide the fact that they will not rest until they have inflicted damage on our country and its citizens. And what does our government do? It tries to take power away from a U.S. agency that is using the methods it has determined are most effective to keep Americans safe.
And not only that. Our government publicly announces how horrible we have acted with these methods of interrogation in an obvious apology to our enemies. “Don’t worry, dear terrorists,” we tell them. “We will never do this again. So, go ahead and commit your acts of terrorism and if we arrest you, we’ll gently ask you not to do it again.” Every time our Obama-led government does something this stupid, I say to myself they
can’t possibly top this. But then they do.
Do you feel the CIA should be reprimanded for the tactics it has used to gain information from terrorists, or do you believe the agency should be able to do whatever it deems necessary?
Interesting to see that some comments are censored for reasons unbeknownst to the writer and without requesting any further clarification or modification from the writer. It’s a good thing to know.
Foreign countries have no worries what they do against our people. Think of the the hikers that didn’t know that they had accidentally stepped into another country by about 2 feet, snatched by government officials and thrown in jail. Jails not like the ones we have with all the comforts of home.They did good to have clothes,food, water ,shoes and communications with anyone. Pray that you don’t get sick because you may never see a doctor and if you did you have no idea what they are giving you and all this happens for years before you even get a trial. It may take months before your families even find out where you are and why. What do we do with people that enter our borders — nothing. Someone comes to US with the intent to bomb us after we have given them probably a paid for education, bombs and kills thousands of people. Government thinks that this is just an isolated cell and forgets about it. When there are more coming right after them. Our people captured by other countries are treated worse than they treat their animals, women captured be ready to be raped and used by whoever and be enslaved to do all labors that men don’t want to do. Become to old before someone can find you and get you back to US, you would be thrown aside like a worn out shoe and made to make your own way for food, clothing, etc., if you are lucky, you are just beheaded. THen our captured men after being tortured,won’t give them information they need Cut OFF THEir Heads on video for all to see. We capture some of their people what are we suppose to do, put them in jail with free room,board, clothes and food for punishment and expect them to give us information. RIGHT! They are being treated better than at home, why give any information. Use their own tactics on them then see how fast they will give information. Americans being killed by drones, that we taught them how to build and then they turn our own knowledge against us. They repay our kindness with hate. It’s about time that we return their hate with AMERICAN kind of HATE and let them see how it fills. Take our President off the golf course and put him on foreign soil with no protection except his own gun like our military and see how long he last under their hate for us. It is about time the Americans stop worrying about what race does what to another race, band together against our so-called foreign friends and show them the AMERICAN kind of HATE and then the government can turn around and start taking care of their own.
They want to destroy us. they have no second thoughts about killing anyone that does not agree with them. they rape our women ,look at what they did to the female soldier in the first gulf war. Enough said fight fire with fire. just make it a larger fire wipe them out
Personally, I do not think the CIA or the group in charge of interrogating people that are in jail because we caught them and put them in jail do not go far enough. They were out to kill us so if they do not give information be whatever tactic, then they should not live to fight another day. Obama traded 5 Taliban leaders for one US deserter upon the Taliban leaders they would not fight against the United States. Well, guess what, they are back fighting the US again and if caught they should die on the spot. The terrorist, jihadist, do take prisoners, so why should we. This is a new and different type of war and our tactics need to change. It is either kill or be killed. If they will not give up information by waterboarding or any other type of interrogation, then why should we feed, clothe, medicate them. They are like snakes, the only good snake is a dead snake.
I fail to see what the big deal is with drones killing American citizens…look at the law: a citizen loses his citizenship when he aids and abets the enemy of the United States.
Really? What about the Hostages of ISIS? They were Killed along with their captures. So, are you saying a Hostage is aiding enemys of the United States. Oh, yea thats right. The USA paid out Millions so the Families would not sue for wrongful death. OK, so using your LOGIC. If your wife or kid is held captive we should kill them along with their captures. Brilliant!
The terrorists are in Washington DC leading our country to destruction. CIA methods should be used against them.
Harassment is used on American citizens to brain wash them. The same methods used initially in the Third Reich and vigorously used in Russia.
The CIA works for terrorists now in Washington DC.
America’s worst enemy ; is occupying our president’s chair ‘.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
The United States of America was founded upon the premise that its people will do the right thing at all times. When it comes to taking the high road, being on the side of right America will ALWAYS strive to do so.
So I ask you, when did we change our minds? When was it right to do the wrong thing telling ourselves that it is good for the benefit of all concern? As for me, I want to opt out with that kind of thinking. I don’t need to resort to torture to gather my information. It may take longer and it may be harder to come by; but I think I can use my intelligence to get and extract the information needed to make a sound decision. Its done every day. But if torture is involved in extracting any information, it is not for the information sake, but for hatred sake, sever act of prejudiced, and disrespect of a fellow human being. If someone has such disregard for another do you think they have any respect for you and yours? I don’t think so. I rather have my friends, family and government wear the white hat than to wear a black or worst yet a gray hat. This way, I can plant my feet firmly on solid rock, the side of being right, rather than find myself planting my feet in shifting sands.
YOU DON’T GET IT!! THESES JIHADIST WILL DIE BEFORE THEY CONFESS. WATERBOARDING? GREAT IDEA AND IT WORKS. THAT’S HOW WE GO BIN LADEN. DON’T BE A PANSY. I WAS A RANGER IN VIETNAM AND WE DID TORCHER THE ENEMY IF THEY HAD OUR MEN AS POW’S. NO RULES IN LOVE AND WAR!
AMEN “
Your answer is based on a wrong premise. You have accepted the false propaganda that waterboarding is “torture”. To make it simple and short, it isn’t. To understand why it isn’t you have to know this:
1. islamic terrorists are fanatics. They have been brainwashed into accepting a set of beliefs that justifies killing and torturing their “enemies” (that’s us) based on the allegation that we are “heathens”.
2. As fanatics, islamic terrorists are not rational. They have been brainwashed into thinking that they have to die if that’s what it takes to kill their “enemies”.
3. Since they have been brainwashed into giving up their lives as they kill as many of us as possible, the only way to “get through” to them is to put them in a position to apparently “face death” to see if they confront their own mortality. Waterboarding does that WITHOUT CAUSING THEM ANY TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT HARM. It is actually a very HUMANE way to get them to THINK that they are facing their own mortality… so that they can then decide whether killing innocent people is REALLY worth their life.
4. Waterboarding is almost actually a favor to them. They get the chance to evaluate their belief system WITHOUT the influence of propaganda and brainwashing. They evaluate it at its most fundamental level: is killing innocent people REALLY worth your life? And it allows them to do this WITHOUT suffering any temporary or permanent physical harm. It’s just an IMPRESSION that is created: an impression of impending doom. But we are playing with their minds. There is actually no physical harm.
5. If you analyze this OBJECTIVELY, you will find that this is MUCH MORE HUMANE than some of the things that the (C)bama administration has done: like killing American citizens without the benefit of due process, as guaranteed by the Constitution. Now THAT is a dangerous precedent that could be applied to you or anyone at any point in the future.
While I don’t believe any government or private agency or organization should be able to “do whatever it deems necessary” to achieve it’s aims, I do think the CIA is doing what it has been given permission to do. If we strip it of it’s ability to use unpleasant methods to get information and to stop terrorism, we are in even more grave danger than we already find outselves.
Obama is a puppet and what he says is irrelevant. What he does, however, is relevant because it affects each and every one of us. So the real villains here are the puppeteers who are manipulating Obama. If the CIA could find out who they are and neutralize them, I would be all for it. But we all know that won’t happen!
Terrorists should be treated the way they treat us. Without respect, without regard, and without mercy. But we are walking a fine line when we pretend that we know who the real terrorists are, or that it is acceptable to take action against someone without incontravertible proof that they are a terrorist. It contravenes our own constitution when we violate or deny citizens’ rights in the name of “war on terror”. If no “proof” exists of terrorist activities, we should not be subjected to CIA-like methods or tactics. Getting that “proof” needs to be done with ethical methods. But terrorists are not ethical, so it is difficult to discover and walk the line between ethical methods and necessary-evil methods to obtain information we need to protect our own. No small issue. No easy answers.
When it comes to terrorists who are committing brazen acts against our country, I think we do not go far enough to extract information. THEY ARE VERMIN, and should be subjected to the most agonizing and prolonged treatment possible even to death as an example to their other compatriots, that whatever they can do to a person, we can do far worst!
Keep going cia good job to bad the president doest have balls. The lier…..I always thought he would be the last person to tell lies!!!!!!
I will not condom such behavior, our system is under attack from both sides inner and outer. When we lower ourselves to the enemy’s level we lose. The art of persuasion is lost to brute force. When you find the enemy you destroy them all, but first you find the real culprits not what is convenient.
Thank you Sir
Did you mean condone? I think condoms would be counter-productive here….
If you are so naive as to believe we don’t already use the same tactics and methods, you are living in a fairy tale. Art of persuasion is used for “normal” everyday interactions, not interrogation. How do you find the “real” enemies if you don’t use extra-ordinary methods to get that information? How do you recognize them as “real”? They’re not just going to hand it over because you are so persuasively talking to them! That’s akin to using diplomacy to end wars. And we all know how well that works, eh?
So you find it more acceptable to “destroy” the enemy than to extract information from them? Why?
Yes, water boarding has produced amazing results in very brief periods of non-lethal time & it is NOT ‘torture’ (there are no bodily damages that result from it)!! Our CIA & military have even practiced it on our own volunteers – without damage!!
I first learned of water boarding from a case in San Jacinto County Texas in the 1980’s. there is a book “Terror on Hwy 59″ that covers the story in detail but a summary from an article is attached.
” In the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, another U.S. 59 area, San Jacinto County, became the focus of an investigation of the arrests of motorists. According to news reports and to later court testimony, San Jacinto County sheriff’s officers were making arrests of “long-haired” men and the occupants of their vehicles. The officers looked for “longhairs” driving cars with bumper stickers for Houston radio station K-101. The arrests were made on various pretenses, usually some traffic violation, but the vehicles were searched and if any amount of drugs or drug paraphernalia were found, then officers confiscated cash and other valuables and more often than not released the arrested parties.
San Jacinto Count y Sheriff James C. “Humpy” Parker and four of his officers were arrested and tried in 1983 for offenses related to those “traffic stops.” The sheriff and his men were convicted of, among other charges, using a torture similar to waterboarding to get confessions. They would put a damp wash cloth or towel over a “suspect’s” face and pour water onto it. ”
Once you begin using “unusual” methods to extract information, it is human nature to find additional reasons to use the technique.