Other Columns by Joe Mariani
Joe Mariani Bio

Printer-Friendly Version

The only value captured terrorists hold is in the information they can provide -- information which has prevented terrorist attacks and led to the capture of still more terrorists. (web site) Information gained from Abu Zubadayah, for instance, led to the capture of Ramzi bin al-Shib, which in turn led to the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as preventing an al-Qaeda attack in the United States. Yet due to a weakness of will, and a desire for the approval of Europe, we are on the verge of abandoning any useful means by which to extract such information. Most Americans probably don't feel so delicately about the treatment of captured terrorists. I'd bet that we could probably eliminate the National Debt by selling lottery tickets, with the prize being ten minutes alone with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a lead pipe. Should Osama bin Laden be captured tomorrow, interrogators would be prevented from even shouting "boo!" at him.

The Left has driven this debate by claiming that any method used by Americans to gain information from captured enemies that makes them feel uncomfortable is "torture," while ignoring the fact that American soldiers and civilians are routinely kidnapped, tortured and beheaded by terrorists. (web site) Liberals, Democrats and their mainstream media partners have repeatedly accused the United States of using torture during interrogations. In fact, there is no evidence that torture has been used on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay or anywhere else.

Real torture usually results in lost or damaged body parts. Real torture involves inflicting pain of such intensity and duration that the subject would do anything at all rather than face it again. But coercive interrogations, such as the CIA was permitted to use against Abu Zubadayah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are simply not torture. Loud music, threats, rooms that are too hot or too cold, lack of sleep and interrogators using good cop/bad cop routines are not torture. As much as one may dislike it, playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and other loud music barely rises above the level of "annoying." (web site) Otherwise, the parents of every teenager in America would be calling Human Rights Watch.

On the contrary, Gitmo detainees are guaranteed a full night's sleep, which cannot be broken for interrogations. They eat at least as well as the soldiers who guard them, hearty meals of "culturally acceptable" food. They also get plenty of outdoor recreation, and all the religious perks they could want. Guards are even forbidden to touch the personal Qur'ans each detainee is issued. They receive health care courtesy of the US taxpayer, and their biggest medical problem is that they're gaining weight. The detainees are allowed to send and receive letters, which cannot be opened and read, and pass each other messages by giving them to lawyers. The detainees often cooperate to stage attacks on the guards, sharing resources and strategies. (web site) Yet the Left continues to cry that the terrorists aren't being treated gently enough under the terms of the Geneva Conventions.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2 3