Government now torturing U.S.

The Bush administration has been called out — again.

“The U.S. government, over the past seven years, adopted an unprecedented program in American history of coolly calculated, dehumanizing abuse and physical torment to extract information. This was a mistake. Perhaps a disastrous one,” said Philip Zelikow to the U.S. Senate.

Zelikow, counselor to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said he sent out a memo advising against the use of “enhanced interrogation” methods. Allow me to be clear as to what I mean by “enhanced” — it’s torture, plain and simple. His objections to the torture approved by the Office of Legal Counsel were ignored.

Ignored!

Along with Zelikow, former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan said he spoke out against the approved torture. He said he left when Washington sent the OK to waterboard, sleep and food deprive detainees. Furthermore, he said the methods used, “are ineffective, slow and unreliable and as a result harmful to our efforts to defeat al Qaeda.”

Soufan should know because he has been successful in interrogating without using violence. In fact, he said the moment the “enhanced” methods were in play detainees stopped talking.

What’s that Dick Cheney? Torture works and gives us valuable information?

It’s clear to me former Vice President Cheney is trying to twist reality by calling for the release of memos that he thinks will justify the use of torture. It’s likely the valuable information Cheney brags about was collected before waterboarding.

According Soufan, who was present during waterboarding, vital information was obtained when non-threatening interrogation methods were practiced in regards to al-Qaida operative Abu Zubaydah.

Here are two cases in which the U.S. government was told there were concerns about the actions taken against detainees — and they refused to listen. They didn’t want to bother with it and continued on their merry way. This is not the message the American people want sent out to the world; at least not this American.

Someone needs to be held accountable. After all, didn’t President Obama say that it’s time for accountability in our government? He did, and this is why many of his supporters are mad and confused by his recent refusal to release photos similar to those from Abu Gahrib. The president’s administration had already agreed to release the photos on May 28, complying with a court order.

Image and military safety are reasons to hold back releasing the photos. We don’t want to anger the Muslim community and in turn put our solders in more danger. However, by not releasing them, Obama is going back on his promise of transparency. The effect could also anger Muslims because the truth continues to be hidden.

The photos will be released and Obama knows this, and perhaps that’s why he is stalling. Maybe his move is correct, but I just can’t help feeling a bit confused. The process of restoring our country’s respectable image starts with holding our leaders accountable.

To do this, we must be honest with the world and ourselves. We are not only part of a global economy but are also a global society. Most, but not all, of the people of this country are great. We are supposed to find the “bad apples” and do something about it — and that doesn’t necessarily include re-election.

It’s time to cut the bullshit and get back to basics.

Serafina Costanza is a senior journalism major and an assistant opinions editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.