Zero Dark Thirty 1-18-13

18, January 2013 Zero Dark Thirty

The movie, Zero Dark Thirty, may be a blockbuster but sadly carries a dangerous message that torture elicited useful information that led to the capture of Osama bin Laden and may therefore be justified. Torture did not lead to the capture of bin Laden. This was stated unequivocally by the Senate Intelligence Committee which spent four years investigating the CIA's torture programs. Water-boarding, sleep deprivation, stress positions, savage beatings and humiliation, the U.S. government once euphuistically dubbed “enhanced interrogation,” is an affront to our claim to be a civilized nation. Human rights have been enshrined in our laws. We often waggle our fingers at other nations on the need to close gulags and free their dissidents.  Leading senators stated, "The use of torture in the fight against terrorism did severe damage to America's values and standing that cannot be justified or expunged. It remains a stain on our national conscience." It is time for the Senate Intelligence Committee's findings — a 6,000-page factual report — be made public so that the practice of torture can be forever banished. We should also hold accountable all those government officials responsible for its barbaric practice.