Waterboarding and other torture methods are justified in the time of war

I will be attempting to prove that waterboarding is justified in saving American lives. Argument 1: 911- 911 was a brutal time in America. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. The victims included 246 on the four planes (from which there were no survivors), 2,606 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. 2,996 fathers and mothers were killed. 2,996 sons and daughters died. The value of just one life is too much. The value of 2,996 fathers,mothers,sons, and daughters is extrordinary. Utilitarianism-the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people. If there was a probability that these terrorists could do another 911, and kill another 2,996 fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters, than we would have to do everything possible to preserve those lives. If there was a probabily that there was a reality that you could be attacked by terrorists than you would use everything possible in trying preserve your own life an other people's lives. We had to achieve it by using the value of Utilitarianism. We had to achieve a greater benefit. Argument 2: Benefits-Republican Senator John McCain, in a Washington Post opinion piece,[69] disputed Mukasey's account, saying: I asked CIA Director Leon Panetta for the facts, and he told me the following: The trail to bin Laden did not begin with a disclosure from Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was waterboarded 183 times. The first mention of Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti — the nickname of the al-Qaeda courier who ultimately led us to bin Laden — as well as a description of him as an important member of al-Qaeda, came from a detainee held in another country, who we believe was not tortured. None of the three detainees who were waterboarded provided Abu Ahmed's real name, his whereabouts or an accurate description of his role in al-Qaeda. So basically the reason why Osama bin Laden was caught was because of waterboarding. We caught the leader Bin Laden and America won. Now, if he was not caught , there could have been another attack. It was probable. We caught him. Thanks to waterboarding we also caught an abunant amount og terrorists. Ohio-based trucker Iyman Faris pleaded guilty May 1, 2003 to providing material support to terrorists. He secured 2,000 sleeping bags for al-Qaeda and delivered cash, cell phones, and airline tickets to its men. He also conspired to derail a train near Washington, D.C. and use acetylene torches to sever the Brooklyn Bridge’s cables, plunging it into the East River. Jemaah Islamiya (JI) agent Rusman “Gun Gun” Gunawan was convicted of transferring money to bomb Jakarta’s Marriott Hotel, killing 12 and injuring 150. Hambali, Gunawan’s brother and ringleader of JI’s October 2002 Bali nightclub blasts, killed 202 and wounded 209. Suspected al-Qaeda agent Majid Khan, officials say, provided money to JI terrorists and plotted to assassinate Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, detonate U.S. gas stations, and poison American water reservoirs. Jose Padilla, who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, was convicted last August of providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to kidnap, maim, and murder people overseas. Padilla, suspected of but not charged with planning a radioactive “dirty bomb” attack, reportedly learned to incinerate residential high-rises by igniting apartments filled with natural gas. Malaysian Yazid Sufaat, an American-educated biochemist and JI member, reportedly provided hijackers Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi housing in Kuala Lumpur during a January 2000 9-11 planning summit. He also is suspected of employing “20th hijacker” Zacarias Moussaoui. Page 151 of The 9-11 Commission Report states: “Sufaat would spend several months attempting to cultivate anthrax for al Qaeda in a laboratory he helped set up near the Kandahar airport.” Innocent people would have died if we haden't used these tactics. Waterboarding has proven to save people's lives. We have to do things during the time of war. Some things that we might not be proud of, but we did it for the greater benefit.