Twenty-One Military Leaders Speak Out Against Torture
It took a Supreme Court decision for the Bush Administration & its Department of Defense to grudgingly send a memo to the professional military to remind them that aspects of the Geneva Conventions apply to our treatment of prisoners.
Ironically, it is most likely we would not have known about the Bush torture policy if it wasn't for a few prison guards taking nasty pictures that turned up on the internet. This was really degrading and perverted stuff. As usual, those in power have found a way to pin the crimes they encouraged on the little people who did the dirty work. The upper level loyalists all got promoted. That is what they call accountability in the executive branch.
Now Bush has nominated William J. Haynes, II to the second highest court in the land. Haynes is the General Counsel for the Department of Defense and is on record as arguing for the legality of inhumane treatment of prisoners. The policies he helped craft lead directly to Abu Gharab, abuses at Quantanimo, secret renditions, etc. Yet, instead of being censored for this abuse of power, he gets promoted. And so it goes.
This unaccountability and radical departure from the rules of war have prompted 21 retired senior military officers to speak up. One Generals, two Lieutenant Generals, two Vice Admirals, four Major Generals, two Rear Admirals, seven Brigadier Generals, one Colonlel, and one Ambassador/former Vietnam POW sent a letter on July 7, 2006 addressed to Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy in which they argue against Haynes appointment on operational and moral grounds.
"Today, it is clear that these policies, which rejected long-standing military law grounded in decades of operational expertise, have fostered animosity toward the United States, undermined rather than enhanced our intelligence gathering efforts, and added significantly to the risk facing our troops serving around the world."
Will this letter and the apparent widespread unease with this nominee in the Senate signal that the Bush Administration has finally reached the outer limits of its power grab? Will America and its congress heed the advise of professional military men and women? Can we fight a "war on terror" by terrorizing other people?
QuestionItNow - Still In Iraq
Ironically, it is most likely we would not have known about the Bush torture policy if it wasn't for a few prison guards taking nasty pictures that turned up on the internet. This was really degrading and perverted stuff. As usual, those in power have found a way to pin the crimes they encouraged on the little people who did the dirty work. The upper level loyalists all got promoted. That is what they call accountability in the executive branch.
Now Bush has nominated William J. Haynes, II to the second highest court in the land. Haynes is the General Counsel for the Department of Defense and is on record as arguing for the legality of inhumane treatment of prisoners. The policies he helped craft lead directly to Abu Gharab, abuses at Quantanimo, secret renditions, etc. Yet, instead of being censored for this abuse of power, he gets promoted. And so it goes.
This unaccountability and radical departure from the rules of war have prompted 21 retired senior military officers to speak up. One Generals, two Lieutenant Generals, two Vice Admirals, four Major Generals, two Rear Admirals, seven Brigadier Generals, one Colonlel, and one Ambassador/former Vietnam POW sent a letter on July 7, 2006 addressed to Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy in which they argue against Haynes appointment on operational and moral grounds.
"Today, it is clear that these policies, which rejected long-standing military law grounded in decades of operational expertise, have fostered animosity toward the United States, undermined rather than enhanced our intelligence gathering efforts, and added significantly to the risk facing our troops serving around the world."
Will this letter and the apparent widespread unease with this nominee in the Senate signal that the Bush Administration has finally reached the outer limits of its power grab? Will America and its congress heed the advise of professional military men and women? Can we fight a "war on terror" by terrorizing other people?
QuestionItNow - Still In Iraq
posted by REB 84 at 7/12/2006 11:59:00 PM
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