A Tortured Report and Forgotten American Value

I think everybody in the universe now knows that Democrats in the United States Senate recently released a 6200 page report on what they call torture. Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs) were done on select jihadist extremists for a few months following 9-11 to try and save American lives.

It’s been a major story on the mainstream media for the past week. They call it “The Torture Report.” I call it  “A Tortured Democratic Report That Will Cost More Americans Lives.”

Why is the report tortured, and what forgotten American value does it blatantly overlook?

As you now know, Republicans on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee refused to participate in the 40 million dollar project, pushed by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), because they smelled a rat that reeked of selective memory, hypocrisy and lying for political ends.

President Obama also weighed in on the report on December 9 while speaking to Jose Diaz-Balart on the Spanish version of MSNBC (Telemundo). He said, “We took some steps [in torturing jihadist detainees] that were contrary to who we are, contrary to our values.”

Before we analyze that statement, let’s recount the history.

History

On September 11, 2001, the United States homeland was savagely attacked by Muslim jihadists who believed that they would each be rewarded with seventy virgins in heaven for murdering innocent people.

They wickedly and premeditatively killed nearly three thousand American citizens of many races on that fateful day–the greatest slaughter on American soil since Pearl Harbor. They would have murdered more people if it weren’t for some brave passengers aboard American Flight 93 who thwarted their plan to fly a plane into the Capitol Building.

Their goal, according to one official, was to “decapitate” the American nation–financially (Twin Towers), militarily (Pentagon), and politically (Capitol Building–the assumed target of Flight 93). 

This barbaric act by Al Qaida, and its leader, Usama bin Laden, fanned into flame the Global War on Terror that is still being fought in many parts of the world.

Lies and Hypocrisy

Erick Erickson of Redstate reveals the essence of the deception involved in the Democratic Report:

“Democrats, who spent a number of years being advised of what the CIA was doing to extract information from enemy terrorists, released a report claiming we were torturing bad guys. Further, they claimed that we were gaining no valuable information from that torture.”

“Individuals in the intelligence community have pointed out, mostly to deaf ears in the press, that (1) these same Democrats were well briefed for years; (2) there were no objections at the time; (3) we did, in fact, learn useful intelligence that kept us safe; and (4) none of the intelligence officers who were involved in the interrogations of the bad guys were interviewed by the Democrats.”

That’s what makes it a tortured report. Former Vice President Dick Cheney called it a “piece of crap.”

I agree.

And very expensive manure at that. Think how many poor children could be fed or educated with 40 million dollars.

The Democratic Party, now pumping their chests about American values and sniveling about us owning up to past mistakes, are, first of all, lying about the history. The former head of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program, Jose Rodriguez, has stated publicly they he and others from the CIA briefed all the principles involved at least forty times during the months following 9-11.

Rodriguez says that none of our national leaders at that time questioned their activities or asked them to stop what they were doing to extract information from terrorists that could save American lives. In fact, they asked him to “do more if necessary” to get the information that might prevent further attacks.

In all, twenty-six radical jihadists were interrogated using EITs. Only three, including the mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, were water-boarded.

Ten years later, leaders like Dianne Feinstein, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, appear to have selective amnesia about any of those meetings, their lack of concern about EITs, their support of the techniques, and the complete legality of the program.

Amazing how a desire to score political points damages brain cells.

On Monday, December 15, Megan Kelley interviewed a psychologist, James Mitchell, who helped design the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques Program and used it on Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other terrorists.

The interview with Dr. Mitchell was one of the most poignant and honest interviews I have ever seen. You can watch it here. The highlights:

• Dr. James Mitchell talked in great detail how the EITs were used, humanely, sincerely, and legally to get information from terrorists who killed our fellow citizens. I was struck by the great care they took to guard the dignity of evil men–something the terrorists never did in killing our countrymen.
• All of the terrorists walked away from the EITs with no permanent damage, thus, no torture. The people killed in the Twin Towers did not walk away. They jumped from hundreds of feet, burned to death, or died in crushing rubble and pain.
• Dr. Mitchell was visibly angry that the Democrats never called him to get his side of the story and that they had “cherry-picked” aspects of the information to showcase their political temper tantrum.
• He now has death threats because of the exposure the report gave. He knew that a “fatwa” would be issued because of the release of the report. He knew that other Americans would die because of the chicanery of the Senate Democrats and their staffers.
• Dr. Mitchell did not strike me as a political man. He is a normal guy who loves his country and only got involved when he realized it was the least he could do to avenge the loss of thousands who died. He reported abuses of the program (as did others) and felt the use of EITs were not only legal, but truly the “moral high ground” if we hate evil and want to save lives.

As both Dick Cheney and James Mitchell clearly stated, the enhanced interrogation techniques that were used after 9-11 were appropriate, self-correcting, humanitarian, legal, held to high standards, left no permanent damage and were necessary to break the back and plans of evil people.

The American people agree. A recent Pew poll found that 56% of Americans believe the EITs helped save lives, 51% think the CIA methods were justified, and that  “the public expresses the most doubt not about the CIA methods and program itself, but about the Senate committee’s decision to release its report”. 

The CIA tortured no one. They acted humanely and justly in the context of war.

The Democrats, by exposing CIA and civilian patriots and ridiculing the means they used to defend America, are the real traitors here.

What they did was dishonest hypocrisy.

American values

Our president, vice president, Dianne Feinstein, and numerous other Democrats stated that the reason for the release of the report was about values, taking the high moral ground, and having the integrity to own up as a nation when mistakes were made.

Mistakes and abuses are always made because we are human beings. When good people or nations make mistakes, they are nothing compared to the barbarity demonstrated by those who intentionally hurt others.

As Americans, with a 230 history of civil polity based on biblical principles, we always take the moral high ground compared to the Hitlers, Stalins, Mao Tse Tungs, or  Usama bin Ladens of the world. We value life, property, nations, and all human rights–and work hard to protect them.

There is no moral equivalence with the bad guys. We believe in human dignity which comes from God.

Evil people do not.

And we are at war. During human warfare, normal civil rules are suspended to combat evil. When our enemies commit murder, or are war criminals, they forfeit their normal human rights. We are morally mandated to do everything possible short of torture (causing permanent physical or pschological damage) to save the lives of the innocent.

God calls that “justice.”

By the way, in a God-fearing nation, wise leaders go after the bad guys and protect the good guys. In a godless nation, it’s reversed: Good guys are punished and bad guys treated leniently.

I guess that tells you who the Senate Democrats are. They blasted the good guys (American interrogators) and victimized the bad guys (murderous jihadists).

Remember that next time when you listen to bloviating politicians.

And when an American president implies that we shouldn’t use strong interrogation tactics on human beings that murdered 3000 of our fellow citizens, and lectures us that this is “against our values,” remember this:

A supreme value of a God-fearing nation and government is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

The Democrats seem to have forgotten that most basic of truths.