Melissa Hitt
When you say America, many might think of freedom and hard work. However, I think of deceit and murder. The CIA has recently released a report of the torture that they inflicted on prisoners presumed to be terrorists. Not only did they lie about this previously, but the horrors in the account are worse than one might have initially feared. The report included accounts of waterboarding, prisoners being forced to stay awake for days in uncomfortable positions and sometimes standing with lower body injuries, rectal feeding without medical need, and one prisoner dying from exposure. Not only that, but their use of torture yielded very few results.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” There were 26 innocent people held and tortured. However, torture should never be used even with people who are guilty. Joe Navarro, a former FBI special agent said that torture just doesn’t work. He also said, “When you put people under stress, they tend to forget information. I mean, just think about it… When you induce stress, when you cause anxiety, you're actually affecting the person's memory.” Torture is illegal internationally, and the U.S. has signed treaties against it.
Students in Colonie Central High School have different opinions on the subject. Hannah Fahy, a junior at the school, said, “I think it was justified. 9/11 was the first huge terrorist attack and they needed to do something quickly.” Aniebiet Essien, another junior, agreed with her. “It was not wrong. It needed to be done. It’s good to see people acting and getting information to track down terrorists. There were disagreements, however. Sam Starks, a junior, said, “Well, I don’t think it was justified. Torture is incredibly inhumane, and using torture as a means to gather information makes us as bad as the enemy. There are other ways to get information while staying moral. It’s a mistake people shouldn’t make. Even if there were guilty people, torture is torture.”
Anyone who authorized this or took part in it should be held accountable. No one should be above the law. All who were involved are criminals, and they need to pay. How far can America possibly be willing to go? If there is any hope for this country, people need to step up and take action, or nothing will change.
