Friday, March 6, 2009

Coming Down the Pipe...and it won't be pretty!

Good Afternoon!

Not sure if any of you have been following this story of how the current Administration and certain members of Congress are attempting to bring to trial Intelligence Community Personnel for torturing enemy combatants and certain High Value Targets captured across the globe.

Mark my words - these trials are going to happen!

It appears that some people in the current administration are getting what they want - proof that torture actually happened - through the actions of certain CIA Officials who destroyed video footage of this alleged torture. The question - "did persons in the employ of the United States torture enemy combatants?" - seems like a fair question to ask however it does not take a Harvard Law Degree to figure out that it did!

The recent CIA admission that it actually destroyed 93 interrogation tapes is cause for concern BUT is not an admission of guilt. The issue of torture is sharply politicized as is the reason why torture actually occurred. In the end it will be a sad day for our country when CIA agents and "contractors" are prosecuted for following orders but this topic goes much deeper in its nature and has the potential to derail the very fiber that holds the global war on terror together. A recent quip by Secretary Clinton that our image in the Middle East was lessened based on torture of prisoners is very slanted. Perhaps Madam Secretary should have looked at the list of countries where the "Rendition Program" actually dropped suspected enemy personnel - most were in the Middle East and ARE staunch allies of the US in the global war on terror.

As America ramped up after the attacks of 9/11 I remember sitting in a hotel room in Uzbekistan when the first laser guided munitions were dropped into Afghanistan and the POTUS stating that "any and all means would be used to bring these terrorists to justice as well as prevent other attacks."

As I did then...and do now...and state so emphatically...I agree with him!

I will go on record as stating that folks such as Mr Holder and other senior members of the Obama Administration as well as members of Congress have not thought this line of questioning through.

The enemy that we face will do anything in its power to destroy our way of life and they will not play by the rules. If you decide that you are going to take on the challenge then you have to willing to adapt to their thought process...just not their way of life.

Now for all my liberal friends please understand me - I am not stating that we throw the rules out the door at all - just the opposite. We need to maintain the moral high ground at all times however in matters where National Security comes into play or the likelihood of another catastrophic event (9/11 scenario or worse) could take place a process must be executed that takes into account the criticality posed by High Value Targets and the utilization of whatever means is necessary to extract relevant information to ensure the safety of our citizens, our allies and our way of life.

You can call it torture; you can call it extracting valuable information from operational threats. Whatever you call it know this...it has saved lives!

Do I agree with Guantanamo....No!
Do I agree with torturing soldiers....No!
Do I think a sitting President has the responsibility to address those threats against his/her Nation in a manner that clearly utilizes all methods at his disposal...YES I DO!

Our country is facing very dark times and it would appear the current Administration is going to move forward with an inquiry into whether or not our Intelligence Community has tortured those in its custody. It is a shame that these same Administration Officials would jeopardize the lives of its citizenry in support of ideals and principles that our adversaries do not care about.

I can only hope these officials NEVER have to relive what happened that fateful day back in 2001 as our enemies are plotting to do just that...again!

Have a Great Weekend

Brian Hayes