Q, it's been said before, and is worth repeating: you're here, competing for a position in one of the nation's premier undergraduate institutions which also happens to be one of the world's premier military training programs. You've proven yourself, you don't need to worry about ANY question you ask. NONE are "stupid".
As to your actual questions:
1) To the best of my knowledge, SERE training is still ongoing and it's planned to keep it that way. Perhaps you're reading about how some of the aspects of the SERE program were used as part of the interrogation techniques by the CIA recently. The so-called "torture" debate. In a typical knee-jerk reaction, there has been some misguided protests by some to shut down the school. Pretty short-sighted, IMO, as there IS valuable training getting done there. Perhaps a better lesson would be to keep the school for its intended purposes (prepare our own military members for what "might happen"), but not allow the stuff that goes on "in there" to be used for other purposes.
2) From my own experience, very valuable training. But something I would NEVER want to accomplish again, or look forward to. But it did help me learn my own personal limits, and gave me some comfort to know that I can hopefully handle what may come. On a personal note, I much preferred the training right before SERE: Land survival. Much more valuable to me to learn how to run and hide. I'll let Rambo worry about getting captured so he can personally take on the bad guys from the inside, I'd rather be hiding out in a hole until the Jolly Green full of Marines is hovering overhead!