One simple act can change the way you are viewed forever.

After the attacks on 911, Guantanamo Bay quickly became the most ostracized and gossiped about detention camp in the world. Located on the shores of Cuba, the United States of America used this vicinity as a prison for “enemy combatants.” Enemy combatants are also known in the United States as members of al Qaeda or the Taliban.

                Thanks to the brains behind the Bush administration, members of the camp were deprived from the protections of the Geneva Laws. In other words, Bush gave American troops running the camp the right to torture and humiliate the detainees. Throughout the War on Terror and War in Afghanistan, 700+ men have been brought to the camp. Of those 700, 420 have been let go with no charges and 245 still remain detained. As of January this year, only three people have been convicted of a crime. That means about every single man tortured and humiliated has been proven innocent, or is still yet to be tried. Unfortunately, we are not the only country who knows how these prisoners were treated. Word spread fast and the reputation of the United States was practically destroyed.

                Recently, disturbing pictures of the inhumane torture that went on in the camp have been dug up. Members of the American Civil Liberties Union claimed that due to our form of government, we the people have every right to see the photographs immediately. However, President Obama asked that the photos be held back due to the fact that the pictures could endanger American lives. Irritated members of the ACLU protested his decision. This debate is not one decided by which party you belong to but what you honestly think is the right verdict.

In my opinion, the decision Obama made was the right one. General David Quantock of the United States Army said “jihadists have used those pictures. And it has spurred some of the violence.” He also exclaimed in a very angry tone “we lost a lot of American lives because of those photos.” These quotes from General Quantock himself should be a good enough motive to suspend the photos release.

Releasing to the public pictures of American soldiers abusing detainees is honestly the worst idea we could have. Already in an unpopular war, letting the world know how we treated P.O.W.’s off U.S. soil will surely deepen the hate the world already has for us. On the contrary, although I don’t support it, I can see where the ACLU is coming from. “If you ignore history you are bound to repeat it.” ACLU members are afraid the photos will never be released, people will forget how awful the acts at Guantanamo Bay really were, and sometime in the future we will do it again. What they must not understand is that Obama still wants to show the pictures, he just believes now is not the right time. How can you argue that? I say wait until we get things figured out in the Middle East and then when our approval rating rises back to average, we release the atrocious photographs and admit we screwed up.

Thanks to President Obama, the unjust camp will be shutting down within the year. Along with current detainees being put through the system, U.S. soldiers who took part in the acts of torture have been put on trial as well. As great as it is that innocent civilians will no longer be wrongfully tortured, the world will never forget how the vile actions of a few changed the way 305 million are viewed.