National Discussion
what’s your Freedom worth?
In the ‘conversation’ about the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, “torture”, the memos, etc, one question keeps reoccurring to me—and remains unanswered. For centuries—millennia—humans have been using various enhanced interrogation techniques to gather intelligence. Why, if it “doesn’t work,” would this have continued?
The only logical implication is, it’s been recreational. Which is horsehockey. But that seems to be the implication—the unstated charge— of the current administration when it refuses to acknowledge what the very memos it declassified to support its position indicate that position’s opposite.
WTF?
The Central Intelligence Agency told CNSNews.com today that it stands by the assertion made in a May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that the use of “enhanced techniques” of interrogation on al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM)—including the use of waterboarding—caused KSM to reveal information that allowed the U.S. government to thwart a planned attack on Los Angeles.
According to the previously classified May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that was released by President Barack Obama last week, the thwarted attack—which KSM called the “Second Wave”-- planned “ ‘to use East Asian operatives to crash a hijacked airliner into’ a building in Los Angeles.”
At least ya’d think Angelinos would be relieved, if not outright grateful. I know I am. [imagine the hordes of Angelino riff-raff that would have come pouring north were that attack to have happened. ‘hood rats, El Gango Bangos, actors... yikes.]
Most of the people who oppose these techniques want to be able to say, “I don’t want my nation doing this, which is a purely honorable position, and they didn’t work anyway.”
That back half of the sentence? Isn’t true.
...
The honorable position has to be, “Even though those techniques work, I don’t want you to do that.”
That takes courage—the other sentence doesn’t.
It’s simply a feature/bug of Human Nature: humans like the status quo. We like predictability. [it’s kinda disquieting having the ability to think about thinking about thinking, after all. we don’t like to do it. would prefer not to do it.] In fact we like predictability so much that we’ll often go on acting as if things have not changed when all indications are that they have changed drastically. [vis the Dow this week] It’s saved our species often—and gotten us in trouble more than a few times.
But, if circumstances get bad enough, humans will change. We will adapt. This has also saved our species often—and gotten us in trouble more than a few times.
And if circumstances get bad enough, even the most closely held Values are up for grabs. The most important Values of Honor, Loyalty, Duty will be reconsidered in light of bad enough circumstances. Enhanced interrogation techniques were created to be that set of bad enough circumstances. That is why soldiers are trained. Part of that training involves becoming acquainted with the fact that your Values comprise who you are. It’s preparation to face that choice between who you are and that you are.
No one really knows what choice he would make in those circumstances; but folks who believe a rumor that a cell phone call from a stranger can make their wiener fall off have far more vulnerability than those who have become consciously aware of how their Values make them human.
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