Dear Friends:Napoleon once said that, "God is on the side of the heaviest artillery." In his brief, somewhat atheistic (or at least cynical) bit of philosophy, he made it quite clear that "might is right." Conventional wisdom abounds: "History is written by the winners," "No person is above the law unless he can invoke executive privilege," "You've won a judgment, but it cannot be enforced," "To make an omelet, you've got to break some eggs," "A few must suffer for the many," "Someone's got to take the fall for this,"... I will spare you the litany.
One of my favorites has to do with the Nuremberg Defense. The Nuremburg Trials of various Nazi war criminals were conducted as a concilliatory gesture to show the citizens of the world that the oft-denied Holocaust was a criminal act -- a terrible chapter in Human affairs where people were reduced to their lowest common denominator -- that of our inherent animal nature, of our capacity to de-humanize other people, of our herd mentality, or our sadistic propensities, and mostly, of our "expedient ethics" when we are under pressure.
The Holocaust was not an exception -- it was merely a demonstration. Its clones, its offspring, its legacy still thrives every single day in other parts of the world.
What invariably follows these "minicausts" are inquests, investigations, some trials and some punishments. The same questions are asked; the same excuses and explanations are proffered; and the same cycle continues. You cannot break the cycle without changing basic Human Behavior.
The Nuremberg Defense for torture and genocide was simple: "I was only following my orders."
An abdication of personal responsibility, combined with the contextual suspension of ethics, make war (and genocide) possible. The greatest human tragedies occur when they are merely viewed as "bad policies". It takes strength to be an individual, and to adhere to your ethics when those around you are weak, and in the thrall of the biggest bully on the block.
Following is an article from the ASSOCIATED PRESS:
UN expert criticizes US torture decision
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN,
Associated Press Writer Veronika Oleksyn,35 mins ago.
VIENNA – President Barack Obama's decision not to prosecute CIA operatives who used questionable interrogation practices violates international law, the U.N.'s top torture investigator said Saturday. But he said Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions.
On Thursday, Obama absolved CIA officers from prosecution for harsh, painful interrogation of terror suspects under the former Bush administration. The announcement was met with disappointment from human rights groups and former detainees who condemned such methods as torture.
In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, Manfred Nowak, an Austrian law professor who serves as a special rapporteur for the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, said the United States had committed itself under the U.N. Convention against Torture to make torture a crime and to prosecute those suspected of engaging in it.
"They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear," Nowak said when asked to confirm comments contained in an interview he gave Austria's Der Standard newspaper. "The fact that you carried out an order doesn't relieve you of your responsibility," he said, adding it could be a mitigating factor.
Nowak, who said he would soon travel to Washington for meetings with officials, also called for a comprehensive independent investigation into the matter and added it was important to compensate the victims.
"Now we need to know all the facts — not just bits and pieces," Nowak said. "First you need the truth and then you need justice."
The Obama administration on Thursday also released secret CIA memos detailing interrogation tactics sanctioned under Bush.
The memos authorized keeping detainees naked, in painful standing positions and in cold cells for long periods of time. Other techniques included depriving them of solid food and slapping them. Sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling and threats to a detainee's family also were used.
Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions, but "naming and shaming has its impact, and usually governments try not to be criticized," Nowak said.
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The question I have is this: When the government gives you a license to torture, to kill or to do something which violates your proclaimed code of ethics, does it also give you license to become a beast?
We are, each of us, responsible for our own choices and our own actions. We choose the masters we serve, and we choose whether or not to follow rules or orders given by any third party. People without personal principles, principles worth living or dying for, principles which are inviolate -- are just puppets.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
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