This week our assignment was to read about the series, "24". In reading the two articles about the series I began thinking about two things, torture and America's role with it; and also about violence on television. I really don't want to say too much because I will be addressing these issues in class on Saturday, but something that I seen that caught my attention was the interrogation techniques that "Normalizing Torture" talked about. One thing that I began thinking about was when this show was released. In doing research on "24" I found that the show first aired on November 6, 2001. I also learned that this series was about Jack Bauer, an agent for the Counter Terrorism Unit. I thought that this was very interesting because it came out just after the 9/11 attacks on our country.
In thinking about this I began thinking about the torture that happens in this show and in doing this began thinking about all the debate over the recent events with water boarding. I also thought about how this show never really came up to my attention until recently, so did all the debate about water boarding. One thing that I wondered was whether America is beginning to forget about what happened to this country eight years ago. And does what happened on 9/11 justify using enhanced interrogation on terrorist?
In my own personal opinion, I first believe that people have forgotten what happened on 9/11. I see this when our own people are trying to give terrorists an easy stay. I think that we have forgotten that these are the same cold-hearted cowards that took the lives of thousands of innocents Americans. I also feel that these enhanced interrogation techniques are nothing compared to what terrorists do to the people that they capture. I also feel that many more American lives have been saved by using these techniques, which I also feel are not really torture. These are just a few thoughts that I had while reading, and I think that it will be interesting to see how other people feel about it on Saturday.
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Nikki,
ReplyDeleteYou picked a good topic for your presentation – one that interests me as well. Justifying questionable tactics during our war on terror places us tenuously on a slippery slope. We’re not dealing with another government attempting to occupy U.S. soil or the soil of another country. It’s not that simple. We’re fighting radical idealism that uses noble religious pursuits (albeit scary interpretations) to justify horrific actions. Your concern that we’re slowly forgetting about 9/11 is interesting, and valid. Unfortunately, it’s part of the healing process. We can’t keep the emotional devastation so raw forever.
To answer your question, “Is Terror Ever OK”, it’s hard to answer in the context of a television show. In other words, do I think the fictional character, Jack Bauer, was justified in shooting the fictional terrorist in the knee to get information? I’d have to say that if Jack Bauer were real, he should be afforded a special torture permit. Do I think the very real kids serving our country that were stationed at Abu Ghraib should be given torture permits? – Absolutely not. Unfortunately, the actions of a few led to reports of violent acts against prisoners. If a television show served as the perpetrators’ inspiration, it’s truly sad.
Obviously, the plot scenarios appearing weekly on the television show don’t play out as often in real life, but everyone tunes in to see Bauer keep us safe. After all, who wants to see Jack Bauer take some much needed rest & relaxation because the terror threat level is down to mauve, or is it taupe? Side note: Can we just make the terror levels low, medium, & high? Even tall, grande, & venti would be ok with me. We do, however, hear about an occasionally thwarted terrorist plot domestically and abroad. If a method like water boarding was used to save lives, it’s hard to say it was a mistake. But does it stop at water boarding? Who sets the parameters, and who is qualified to make those determinations?
So where (other than frustrated) does that leave us? I saw an excellent piece on 60 minutes (you can see it on cbs.com) a week ago. The man now in charge of the war in Afghanistan is General Stanley McChrystal. Our current President campaigned, among many other things, on the premise that we were putting our efforts against the war on terrorism in the wrong place. Obama pointed to Afghanistan as the real incubator of terror. General McChrystal, after analyzing where we stood announced that “The war will be lost without more troops.” He also stated: “The geographical spread of violence is a little worse than I expected.” That’s all we needed to hear. We’re losing the war, and the Taliban is gaining ground. His solution is refreshing. He demands that we “change the way we think, act, and operate”. He feels that “protecting the Afghan people is more important than killing terrorists.” In doing so, “we’ll earn their trust.” Unfortunately, the citizens cannot rely on a corrupt central government to protect them. General McChrystal thinks that this is now one of the primary objectives of our military.
One of my favorite parts of the interview was when the General explained that he was frustrated with our governmental bureaucracy. In the spirit of 24, he explained that if we are to win the war, time was of the essence. (I could just here the clock ticking like on 24) He complained that it takes months to get much needed additional officers into place. He stated that too often, we use a calendar to set our timetables, when we should be using a watch. I know it’s hard to get a complete feeling for someone based on a highly edited, 15 minute television segment, but I have a real good feeling about the direction McChrystal is taking us in Afghanistan.
Matt
Well first of all, great job on your presentation! I’m nervous for mine and I won’t even be alone like you were...
ReplyDeleteI also think you picked an interesting topic, and brought up a lot of good points. Listening to it all laid out like that gave me some more perspective on where I stand on the subject, and really got me thinking. To answer the question in your title, “is torture ever ok?” I’ve decided that personally, I think that in some cases it is necessary to some extent, only when every other option has been tried and many lives are in danger. You’re right many people have forgotten how horrible 9/11 was, and that compared to some of the things they do/have done to Americans and other people, the methods of interrogation we use are completely acceptable. And water boarding... well I would say that’s ok too if absolutely necessary since it doesn’t actually physically hurt a person. That was also an interesting topic to put in your presentation, I actually didn’t even know what water boarding was until Saturday. Such a horrible subject to talk about… but just like the with the show (as I heard people say) it’s hard not to get into it. And lastly, about violence on TV, I personally think that it does make a difference. Not in all cases, but whether people realize it or not they are being influenced by what they see and here, mostly children and people who already have violent tendencies and enjoy watching such things. That doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with violence on television, like we talked about in class it is to some extent necessary, I just think people should be careful (parents in particular). So where do you stand on that then? Being a teacher and all... I didn’t really hear you say much about what you thought.
Hey, what’s up Nikki, just have to say that I am definitely in agreement with you as far as remembering what happen nine years ago in New York. Avoiding major events like this again is an obligation that must be addressed any way necessary. But these we chose to use the extreme interrogation techniques one should not be released aver again. I read an article that stated that when detainees that were sentenced to do time at Guantanamo Bay for exercising terrorist in activity America, they would report back to their home country and become involved in activities that had any thing to do with bringing harm to the American people. If they people are found guilty as charge and we have legitimate evidence that these people were responsible for committing acts of terrorism, then the American people need to may sure that these people are never let lose. In some cases I would have to say that the use of torture is necessary, but we have to make sure to use it on those who we plan to keep detain on American soil for good.
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