Navy JAG Andrew Williams Resigns Over Torture
Navy JAG Resigns Over Torture Issue
Despite cover-up attempts, secrets explain U.S. torture (scroll down)
The final straw for me was listening to General Hartmann, the highest-ranking military lawyer in charge of the military commissions, testify that he refused to say that waterboarding captured U.S. soldiers by Iranian operatives would be torture. His testimony had just sold all the soldiers and sailors at risk of capture and subsequent torture down the river. Indeed, he would not rule out waterboarding as torture when done by the United States and indeed felt evidence obtained by such methods could be used in future trials. Thank you, General Hartmann, for finally admitting the United States is now part of a long tradition of torturers going back to the Inquisition.
During my short time as an Army Reserve officer, I was taught, and made every effort, to conduct myself with honor and integrity. Honestly, it’s not as if that’s a particularly difficult thing to do. Doing the right thing in the right way is not something that requires any conscious effort from someone with a solid moral and ethical foundation. It saddens me to have to come to grips with the reality that today’s officer corps is much more willing to compromise their standards based on the example being set by Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © , who couldn’t define “honor” or “integrity” if you gave him a dictionary and highlighted each entry for him.
America’s officer corps has always strived to represent the best qualities of this nation: honor, sacrifice, integrity, and the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice so that those they have sworn to protect and defend will enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This has historically meant doing the right thing at the right time, and doing it in the right way. Taking shortcuts and compromising one’s principles were not held to be hallmarks of effective leadership. Yes, officers are first and foremost human beings, with all the accompanying attendant moral failings. It’s not a perfect world, especially when your job involves facing down mortal threats to Our Way of Life. Nonetheless, part of the historical effectiveness of our armed forces can be laid at the feet of those who have led our sons and daughters into battle. Effective, principled, and highly skilled leaders make for effective, principled, and highly skilled soldiers. Leadership starts at the top. When the Commander-in-Chief is a Dominionist Theocrat willing to cut corners and employ propaganda to smooth his path, you can bet it won’t be long before that begins to trickle down. Gen. Hartmann’s refusal to characterize waterboarding as torture is a perfect example of the degradation of honor and integrity in today’s highly politicized officer corps.
I admire Lt. Cmdr. Williams for having the cojones to do the right thing, which in the current political climate couldn’t have been easy. Williams is certainly not the only senior officer troubled but what he sees happening all around him, but he’s one of the few who’s been unwilling to place his career progression above all else. Would that more officers could see their way clear to express their displeasure in a similar manner. Perhaps if this sort of thing were to happen in large numbers, someone in a position of authority at the Department of Defense would sit up and take notice.
If I ever meet Lt. Cmdr. Williams, I’d like to buy him a beer. It’s the least I can do for an officer willing to demand that his superiors hold themselves to a higher standard. It’s only too bad that more officers don’t have the wherewithal to follow Williams’ example.
