Movies are great places to escape into other times, places, lives, and events. And Zero Dark Thirty was exactly that—an alternate reality where torture produces valid, reliable information. Though the thriller was gripping, it should not be mistaken for a completely factual retelling of the information that led to bin Laden’s capture.
 
As Actress Susan Sarandon notes here, the movie’s controversy centers around the idea that the CIA’s torture of prisoners “worked” by providing information that led to bin Laden. But as members of the Senate Intelligence Committee will tell you, that’s simply not the case.
 
According to this article in the Huffington post, former CIA Director Leon Panetta wrote to John McCain in 2011 saying “…no detainee in CIA custody revealed the facilitator/courier’s full true name or specific whereabouts. This information was discovered through other intelligence means.”
 
Torture didn’t get us bin Laden, just national shame.  If any modicum of justice is left here, it will only come through knowing all of the facts about the CIA’s torture program. I encourage you to sign this petition urging the Senate to release the CIA torture report.