Hearing elected U.S. officials apologize for the CIA's use of torture and other enhanced interrogation techniques when dealing with America's sworn enemies is hard to justify when weighed against the pain and suffering endured by survivors and family members of 9/11 victims.

Horrible scenes of that infamous morning when nearly 3,000 innocent Americans died in a coordinated attack by terrorists on our homeland are still fresh in our mind.One horrifying image was seeing people who were trapped in the upper floors of the World Trade Center towers choosing to jump to their deaths in desperation.USA Today estimated that around 200 innocent people died in that way.Another poignant legacy of that day was the more than 100 women who were carrying the babies of husbands and boyfriends who died in the attacks.The first of those births came just days after the disaster, while some of the mothers-to-be didn't even know they were pregnant at the time.One woman even went into labor during her husband's memorial service. Now in their young teen years, the offspring of 9/11 victims must live the rest of their lives without knowing their fathers.Since civilians were the targets, the terrorist attacks remain a deeply intimate crime against all Americans.The prisoners which our intelligence community helped capture and sent to Guantanamo in the aftermath of 9/11 were savage killers who put no value in treaties or the rules of warfare.Chief among the thugs is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, reported mastermind behind 9/11, who, according to files, was also planning the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the collapse of a Chicago apartment block and destruction of a U.S. hotel or fuel station as follow-ups to 9/11.Contrary to the view of Sen. Dianne Feinstein and many other Democrats, CIA director John Brennan said enhanced interrogation techniques "did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists, and save lives," added that "the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-Qaida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day."The mission of the 9/11 hijackers was to kill as many Americans as possible regardless of gender or age. How can anyone defend the rights of prisoners who are our sworn enemies and whose crimes against humanity include public beheadings and flying planes into civilian targets?An al-Qaida training manual captured by British intelligence instructs those who are captured to "insist on proving that torture was inflicted on them by state security" and to "complain of mistreatment while in prison."In this latest attempt at "transparency" or political correctness regarding the release of CIA documents on treating enemy prisoners, our own mindless politicians are actually abetting that training directive put forth by al-Qaida leaders which is designed to castigate and humiliate America.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com