"Distressing Results"
Key story in the Post on ethical views among the rank-and-file in Iraq, and the added mental health problems associated with extended deployments.
More than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq surveyed by the Army said they believe torture should be allowed if it helps gather important information about insurgents, the Pentagon disclosed yesterday. Four in 10 said they approve of such illegal abuse if it would save the life of a fellow soldier. In addition, about two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. "Less than half of Soldiers and Marines believed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect," the Army report stated.ACLU react in the piece:
But human rights activists said the report lends support to their view that the abuse of Iraqi civilians by U.S. military personnel was not isolated to some bad apples at Abu Ghraib and a few other detention facilities but instead is more widespread. "These are distressing results," said Steven R. Shapiro, national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "They highlight a failure to adequately train and supervise our soldiers."
May 5th, 2007 at 5:00pm
I don't think I am going to be allowed to comment anymore. None of my comments are posting since Friday.
May 6th, 2007 at 11:08am
My comments were posted this morning.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:04pm
As a former Marine Officer, I understand some of where the troops are coming from. While I abhor the idea of torturing someone, if my friend was about to die if I didn't do it, I'll admit I might be inclined to do it in the heat of the moment (and have nightmares about it later).
HOWEVER... I'd be doing it with the full knowledge that it was wrong and I'd likely be made to answer for it later. I could still hope for a Presidential Pardon if I felt my reasons were defensible. This is as it should be.
The President already has the right to pardon anyone he sees fit, but giving the government a blanket authority to torture at will is making it far too easy and it allows the President to give a "free pass" to everyone without ever having to explain his reasons for doing so.
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