Do We Torture? Should We?

"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully." — Proverbs 28:4-5

In May 2011, President Barack Obama proudly announced that the United States of America had found and killed Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader responsible for the attacks on 9/11. Though bin Laden had been a threat prior to that, the United States began to hunt him in earnest following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Nearly a decade later, the mission was finally accomplished.

Though the hunt for bin Laden fell of the day-to-day radar of most Americans, but the intelligence gathers tasked with finding him remained doggedly committed to the hunt. The team spent 10 years gathering every bit of information possible, using a variety of means and methods to do it. The film "Zero Dark Thirty" seeks to chronicle that hunt — particularly the efforts of one analyst who wouldn't give up until the mission was accomplished.

The film has been a major contender at awards this year, but after some shocking snubs when the Academy Award nominations were announced last Thursday, some wondered if it was falling out of favor. And if it is, could that be due to the fact the film pulls no punches in chronicling the methods used to gather this information — including the torture of enemy combatants? I think it is.

The first 45 minutes of this film are tough to watch. A great deal of the narrative takes place in dingy rooms at CIA black sites. These sites were used — allegedly — as place to compel those caught to give up information on upcoming attacks and the location of bin Laden and his network. But the methods used were far from friendly.

The film shows graphic depictions of torture of prisoners. Some involves physical assault. Some involves denial of basic human rights. Still other parts show psychological torture meant to break the prisoners spirit. And, in some respects, it seems to work in terms of providing valuable intelligence.

Some have argued that the film is pro-torture. Others have argued it's inaccurate — including several Senators who've claimed it's a gross overstatement of the methods used and the efficacy of those methods. We may never know the truth for a certainty, but I am inclined to believe the film's depiction of methods used — particularly early in the process — is accurate. I'm also inclined to believe that the film isn't pro-torture or anti-torture. I don't think it's trying to make a statement, I think it's merely trying to chronicle the process and force the audience to consider what they believe. Therein lies the problem for many viewing the film.

The death of bin Laden is viewed as a huge success for the United States. In fact, one could argue it was the single biggest accomplishment of Barack Obama's first term — though he had little to do with it personally. We celebrated that moment — as ghoulish as it is to admit that. So the idea that it was only possible because of the dirty work done by our intelligence gathering agencies is tough for many to take. That's because we like the end result — and even if we don't really feel bad about the torture part — we don't like to praise those kind of means. And there's the rub.

To really think about this, you have to come to grips with the fact there are two Americas. The first is the America we would like to be, the one in books, the one that is the world police, and the one that is a paragon of morality for the world. We rise above the fray, or at least that's what we tell ourselves and anyone listening. This is the America depicted by the far right evangelical movement in things like "The Truth Project," which would have you believe all the framers of our Constitution and early political leaders had a Bible by their bedside and used its wisdom to guide all their thoughts and deeds. Of course we know that is preposterous, especially when reading things written by those early framers, but we like to pretend otherwise.

The second America is our actions, not our words. We are a nation that worships the anti hero. Don't believe me, just look at the news, our celebrity culture, and our entertainment. We live our lives in the darker parts of the moral grey area, and we are happy to stay there. The real America believes the ends are all that matters, and that justifies whatever means are necessary. We don't like to think of ourselves that way, but years of evidence shows the contrary.

So that brings us back to Osama bin Laden, the hunt to find him, and "Zero Dark Thirty." Why does the film bother so many? Because it forces people to reconcile the two Americas — it forces people to consider the hypocrisy between our words and deeds as a nation. And it forces that examination when talking about two touch points for our society — the horrors of 9/11 and the fact that was used as a justification to commit horrors along the path to killing bin Laden. The film ties the two events together because, in reality, they are inextricably linked. And that's part of the hypocrisy. You can't decry the evil done there while committing evil in other places on other people.

I felt conflicted watching the film. On the one hand, 9/11 was a tragic and traumatizing event. It felt good to know bin Laden had been dealt with and is no longer a threat. But I had a hard time watching the torture sequences. I had a hard time thinking that was the decision our country made in terms of means. After all, what differentiates the United States from other countries if we will use torture as a means of intelligence gathering? Nothing does. What makes us a morally superior nation if we employ the same techniques? We can't claim to be.

And I think that's the point of the film. It doesn't attempt to make a value judgement on anything about the process, but it opens the door for the audience to make a value judgement. And doubtless different people will make different judgements.

I don't believe the ends justify the means, so to me the process of tracking bin Laden is as important as the end result. It grieves me to think our nation would act thusly. There are others — including other Christians — that don't feel the same. And that's OK. We live in a nation of free speech, free expression, and free thinking. These are the kind of debates and questions afforded by our freedom.

But what this movie does is shine a light on these issues and force people to confront their beliefs. That's something most people would rather not do. It's a shame, really, because these are the same freedoms those CIA operatives and Navy Seals sought to protect during a 10-year campaign to find and stop Osama bin Laden.