The release of a report documenting and exposing the torture and abuse committed by the CIA since the beginning of the War on Terror has sparked a national debate on what kind of country America is. Some say that we are no better than the very people we are trying to defeat. Well, I say we are better than our enemies.... for now, at least....
The magnificent words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution lay out, in no uncertain terms, our guiding national principles. This report shames us as a nation because we know we are better than what it describes. We know our principles are not empty words, but living and breathing realities. We know what is and is not inconsistent with them. That is why this report even exists in the first place.
We should never accept the talking points that "only a few were tortured," that we shouldn't care because "they're only terrorists," or that this represents "the exception, not the norm." The founding principles of this nation allow for nor tolerate these ideas. Accepting them is not only fundamentally anti-American, but dangerous; it would only be a matter of time before the exception becomes the norm, and not just for a few select "terrorists," but for everyone.
There are those who say that this report proves that we are no better than our enemies. I wholeheartedly disagree. We do have a sense of shame and morality. Our enemies, however, have neither. They engage in abuses that eclipse anything described in the report, and do so without any hesitation or remorse. To say we are no better than them is an egregious falsehood. We are better than them, so long as we continue to uphold and abide by our principles.
The report reminds us what is at stake: our national soul. I strongly believe in the goodness of America. I strongly believe that we can and will defeat any enemy. But if we continue to engage in activities that we know are contrary to our principles, then we truly no better than our enemies. We will have achieved victory, but lost our soul.