Roy Exum
Any form of torture is sickening to me. I don’t care what the circumstances or conditions might be – for a person to purposely torture or intentionally maim another human being is perversely wrong. Two different times in the U.S. Constitution, on which our country was built, it is expressly prohibited. Torture is as old as the sun – the crucifixion of Jesus comes first to mind – so I am ashamed of the most-recent report castigating the CIA and information it contains.
The Fifth Amendment of “our rule book” clearly states no accused person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,” the word “compelled” capturing any use of physical or mental torture quite well. Further, to “plead the Fifth” protects any accused person from being forced (!) to confess an act they may or may not have committed.
The Eighth Amendment reads, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” My goodness, even the Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (I believe “all men” means exactly that … all humans regardless of creed, nationality, religion or whatever.)
So now that we have proven any form of torture is inhumane and has no place in any Americans’ heart, a look at “the playing field” shows America is quite alone in its view.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who was famously imprisoned as a Pussy Riot entertainer, claimed “all Russian prisons are torture chambers” and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has been roundly accused, by name, by the UN’s Human Rights Council. French general Paul Aussaresses was a torture “mastermind” who almost made 60 minutes’ Mike Wallace nauseous in a famed interview when he claimed torture “is the only way to make them talk.” Believe this, it is a common theme all over the world.
One commenter said the only difference in the United States and other world powers is “we let them keep their heads,” this after the barbaric beheadings by ISIS have shocked us to our core, and if you’ll pick any country with an army, it is quite easy to track atrocities. It’s a fact that goes back to the beginning of time and the Romans of Biblical times are still among our “world champions.”
So then there is the last “crime” that has come to light. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chair of the intelligence panel, just put thousands of American military personnel and countless others at peril when she, quite despicably, released a 6,400-page invitation for every country who has never played by the rules to pull out their target rifles. It’s totally ridiculous to allow a political agenda to override world safety.
The report, as damning as it may be, should have never been made public. It should be dealt with properly, and while we don’t literally behead our government overseers as delightful as it may sound, there are some high-ranking types who should pay the price of both career and reputation. Just because America’s adversaries don’t play be the rules of humanity, it is no reason we should lower our standards to match any barbarians.
Michael Gerson, a respected columnist, points out that for the United States to launch a drone strike anywhere in the world, it requires an authorization by the President, a briefing before Congress, a legalization by the Attorney General and the okay of the CIA Director. But Gerson says Feinstein’s insistence the torture report be made available to our world foes adds to “her legacy (of) a massive dump of intelligence details useful to the enemy in time of war.”
Any other nation would define such action as treason. John Kerry, the Secretary of State who is a known Feinstein ally, promises an escalation of world violence and the National Intelligence Council is warning the same thing. What is this woman possibly thinking that will make for a better America?
Ralph Peters, an analyst for Fox News, writes, “Can anyone cite one practical good accomplished by releasing this gratuitously destructive report at this time? Will revealing successful practices make us more secure? No.”
Peters, a former military officer, added, “I’m far more shocked by her self-serving release of this report than by anything the CIA did to protect us. One can only conclude that the senator and her acolytes are attempting not to reform our intelligence practices but to re-write their own role in what transpired. The senator and her colleagues (from both parties) were briefed in detail on every activity field agents took to protect us from further attacks. The senator and her colleagues (as well as the Department of Justice) approved every one of those practices.”
That’s my view exactly. My gracious, what Senator Feinstein just did to hurt Americans was much worse than what CIA operatives did to save lives. And the reason “why” makes us want to weep.
royexum@aol.com