“Torture” Prevented a 9/11 Repeat in L.A.

Ever since Obama released (leaked) the classified CIA documents outlining and chronicling “enhanced interrogation” techniques used on top terrorist suspects, the left has been reacting with shock and disapproval. They don’t mind the fact that America has been kept safe since the 9/11 attacks, but they don’t want to accept the fact that “enhanced interrogation” techniques are responsible for said safety. Ideally, the CIA would have just asked the terrorists nicely if they were planning any new attacks against the US. Ideally the terrorists would have been more than happy to have that conversation and explain their plans in full. Realistically, however, these terrorists are trained and radicalized to the point of accepting their own death before giving up such information.

Here’s one for the books. The CIA has recently confirmed that reports of a 9/11 style attack against a building in L.A. How did they come across this information? Through an “enhanced interrogation” technique commonly referred to as waterboarding. The room just went quiet, I know, but here’s what happened. 

A previously classified memo from May 20, 2005 confirms that an attacked dubbed “The Second Wave” was thwarted by the CIA after waterboarding top al Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammad. The report goes on to describe how Mohammad was not cooperative at first. CIA documentation on waterboarding taken from an August 2, 2004 memo states that “The ‘waterboard,’ which is the most intense of the CIA interrogation techniques, is subject to additional limits. It may be used on a High Value Detainee only if the CIA has ‘credible intelligence that a terrorist attack is imminent’; ‘substantial and credible indicators that the subject has actionable intelligence that can prevent, disrupt or deny this attack’; and ‘[o]ther interrogation methods have failed to elicit this information within the perceived time limit for preventing the attack.’”

The memo goes on to state that “In particular, the CIA believes that it would have been unable to obtain critical information from numerous detainees, including KSM and Abu Zubaydah, without these enhanced techniques. Both KSM and Zubaydah had ‘expressed their belief that the general US population was ‘weak,’ lacked resilience, and would be unable to ‘do what was necessary’ to prevent the terrorists from succeeding in their goals.’  Indeed, before the CIA used enhanced techniques in its interrogation of KSM, KSM resisted giving any answers to questions about future attacks, simply noting, ‘Soon you will know.’”

After being waterboarded, KSM gave up information that lead to the CIA prevention of the “Second Wave” 9/11 style attack in L.A. The memo includes another very interesting line. “Your office has informed us that the CIA believes that ‘the intelligence acquired from these interrogations has been a key reason why al Qa’ida has failed to launch a spectacular attack in the West since 11 September 2001.”

So, maybe instead of worrying about the well being of these murdering terrorists, we should be worrying about the well being of the innocent civilians that they are targeting. All too often people seem to easily forget the atrocities of 9/11. People will argue that the terrorists were doing what they believed to be right, and that we are all terrorists in one way or another. Way to be Patriotic. Since when is it an act of terrorism to torture a terrorist who plans to kill thousands of innocent people? By process of elimination, if you aren’t FOR torturing a terrorist in an effort to prevent the murder of thousands of innocent civilians, are you not in favor of allowing such 9/11 style attacks continue? Everybody can agree that we need to prevent such attacks. Not everybody can agree that stopping such attacks will require more than a casual conversation over coffee.

Source: CNSNews.com