The Great Guantanamo Debate

                                                                                                                                   


The world changed after 9/11, the safe-haven that was known as the U.S. didn't seem so safe anymore to its residents and the politicians in power had to make quick and urgent actions to keep faith going in the public. In 2001 U.S. citizens were asked an important question, "give up your privacy for maximum security or keep your privacy but take your chances of safety out in public. We all know how this story ends as the government now listens in on our phone calls, text messages, email exc. while most people have gotten used to this there are still a lot of people out their who still protest against this. but other than just simple wire tapping the government has also gotten a lot more serious on their methods of interrogation. Enter Guantanamo bay
   

The super jail in all its glory 

For those who don't know what Guantanamo bay is, it is a super military prison found on the outskirts of Guantanamo's naval base. (think Arkham asylum form batman) ever since its reveal to the american public the super jail has been under a lot of pressure from the public and media as rumors of harsh and cruel interrogation methods such as water boarding were being used on prisoners. when asked why such harsh methods were being used it was revealed that the suspected criminals being held there were people involved in terrorist attacks and espionage. they said that to prevent the loss of human lives that methods like this needed to be used to get the information they needed as soon as possible. but this begs the question, how do we know when our interrogation isn't ethical anymore? In an article published by The Register Guard article writer Jhona Sherman says that Guantanamo bay should stay open as she believes "The United States needs to put a plan in place that allows our federal government and military alone to determine the fate of the detainees. Putting such a big decision in the hands of another country would undermine and contradict our leadership in the fight against terrorism." which is a valid point but in my opinion I still do not believe this is a valid enough reason to keep the prison open. some of the people who are held in the prison are simply people who have been kept their based on suspicion alone and to incriminate someone and put them through rigorous interrogation is wrong, doubly so if they are actually innocent. and what if they were innocent? no matter how much compensation that person could receive it wouldn't be enough to erase memories and heal scars. 

                                                           

This actually reminds me of a book that I recently read called the crucible. the crucible takes place around the late 1800's  and in a secluded little village. the people who inhabit the town are all religious people or so they are supposed to be. But when rumors of witch craft start surrounding a group of girls the townsfolk start pressuring the girls and one they all start turning on each other. one of them in particular is Tituba the slave girl who is accused of witchcraft and beaten until she admits that she was doing witch craft when she had no involvement in it whatsoever. 

the brings me back to the Guantanamo torture interrogations. The people who could be held captive in the prison or any concentration camp could be innocent but because of the extremes their prosecutors put them through they might just give up and admit to a crime they didn't do. 
So the question is torture a moral option to be used in times of crisis?" that is up to you.