CIA: neither secure nor intelligent

Breaking news: the CIA lied to the public. While the Obama administration and popular media sources feign utter shock and disbelief, is anyone else actually surprised?

Last Monday, a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded the CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years, according to an article by The Washington Post.

In addition to censoring details about the brutality of the their methods, the CIA is also responsible for taking credit for obtaining critical pieces of intelligence when, in reality, it was revealed detainees had already surrendered information before they were subjected to harsh practices.

This recent revelation illustrates the corrupt nature of the CIA, and supports the idea it’s an independent agency that abides by its own set of laws in order to achieve its personal agenda.

Apparently, governing laws apply to every individual and establishment except for the CIA. In 2009, President Obama officially demolished secret detention facilities used by the CIA.

However, the 6,300-page report discloses the continued use of “black sites,” where many prisoners were continually tortured even after analysts determined the prisoners had no more valuable information to give, according to the same article by The Washington Post.

Remember the conflict that ensued after the release of the blockbuster movie, “Zero Dark Thirty?” The movie retells the story of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, and includes many gruesome torture scenes conducted by CIA officials on Al Qaeda prisoners and suspects.

After the movie’s release, President Obama reassured the public that Hollywood exaggerated the interrogation scenes in the movie, and they are not a true reflection of actual CIA techniques.

Ironically, the movie even includes a television scene in which Obama declares, “America doesn’t torture,” according to an article by The New York Times.

Considering the conclusions of the recent report, Obama was wrong while Hollywood got it right.

Although torture is unquestionably wrong, you might still be wondering how the CIA using waterboarding techniques on foreign detainees affects you. Consider the type of agency the United States is supporting.

Essentially, this report proves the CIA tortures individuals for fun. These are the people we trust with our nation’s security and our own safety.

A reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from this report is the CIA is a powerful, lawless agency that is rarely held accountable for its actions. If that doesn’t scare you, you should also know the CIA has objectives to achieve and will literally do anything to obtain its means. That includes everyone, not only Al Qaeda prisoners, but also the American public.

Operation Northwoods is the most damning example that proves the CIA serves its own agenda, not the American people. The vast majority of the public has never heard of Operation Northwoods, largely because the government does not want them to.

Here is one of the CIA’s dirtiest secrets: In 1962, the CIA drafted potential scenarios that could be used as a pretext for invading Cuba. The proposed scenarios included staging “false-flag” attacks that could serve as a pretext for invasion, such as blowing up a U.S. ship and blaming it on Cuba, according to an article by International Business Times.

Official documents prove the CIA proposed to kill innocent American citizens in order to create pretext to invade a country. Let that fact sink in. At this time, it might also be worth considering tragedies in recent U.S. history that have been used as justification to attack and occupy other countries.

Fortunately, the CIA’s proposal of Operation Northwoods was rejected by President John F. Kennedy. Unfortunately JFK was murdered soon afterwards.

If my insinuations of the evils the CIA is capable of are not clear enough, official reports undeniably prove the CIA is a corrupt agency that should never have been created in the first place.

Sadly, it is highly unlikely the CIA will be dismantled any time soon. Until then, do not underestimate the power of the CIA or their willingness to manipulate, torture and kill.

– Ashley Lynn Fisher is a junior English major from Gig Harbor. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.