Only Following Orders
Copyright Rabbi Eli Hecht
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With the recent events unfolding in Iraq I am reminded of the saying attributed to Henry David Thoreau “Things do not change; we change.”
Dr. Hans Marx, Dr. Otto Stahmer, and Dr. Fritz Sauter gave counsel at the famous post WWII trials at Nuremberg. They argued that their clients, Julius Streicher, Hermann Goring and Rudolf Hess, masterminds of Nazi crimes were “only following orders” or perhaps they did not know what was really happening. They were not to blame. Fortunately the judges saw things differently and they were all convicted.
History repeats itself. In Vietnam there was the My Lai massacre in 1968, then the Cambodia killing fields. The answers to all these atrocities are summed up as we were “only following orders.” Just blame those in command, the higher-ups. But one wonders who they are.
Now, with the Abu Gharib abuses what do we hear? Something familiar, we were only following orders. Echoes of a terrible past seemed to be heard. We have not learned from the lessons of past atrocities instead they are being repeated. The new excuse is the old excuse. Blame the higher-ups. The key chain of command is threefold, direct supervision, tactical control, and advisory. Whether it’s from Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, Stephen Cambone, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Major General Geoffrey Miller, current Chief of Interrogations and Prisons in Iraq, Lieutenant Lewis Raeder, Platoon Leader, 372nd Military Police Company, and lots more. Somehow, no one is really being blamed for the abuses.
Allen Abney, a Whitehouse Spokesman said the following, “We are a nation of laws. Our most important responsibility is to protect the American people, and we act in an appropriate manner to protect that responsibility. It is the policy of the U.S. to comply with all of our laws and treaty obligation.” Rumsfeld said it clearly, “It doesn’t represent American values.” Secretary of State, Colin Powell, had the gall to praise Rumsfeld, “Don Rumsfeld is doing a terrific job under the most difficult of circumstances.” Court marshals are now being handed out and as always the man on the bottom of the totem pole ends up being the fall guy.
The Iraqi answer to the abuses was dealt to us by some Iraqi psychos by the beheading of an innocent American citizen, Nicholas Berg, a freelance construction worker at best. This unprecedented act of cruelty topped the number one atrocity of the area. The Iraqi mentality of beheading an American citizen to stop prison abuse is beyond any rational thinking.
In all there were four Geneva Conventions. They forbid physical or moral coercion and ban acts of brutality upon personal dignity and humiliating or degrading treatment. The United States was included in the 150 signatories, defining the rights of P.O.W.s.
After the tragedy of 9-11 the United States claimed the American enemies were unlawful combatants without rights. Our President declared that this was a new war and the international enemy, which had to be dealt with, was not worthy of the Geneva Convention’s guidelines. And so it has been until this scandal.
In the Jewish tradition there is a book called Ethics of our Fathers. In chapter 3:14 it speaks about man being created in the image of God. Rabbi Akiva, year 100 C.E., who was tortured to death by the Romans, had a saying “Beloved is man, for he was created in the image of God. It is even a greater love that it was made known to him that he was created in the image of God, as it is stated in the Old Testament, Genesis 9:6: For in the image of God he made man.
Moses Maimonidies, Egyptian Jewish philosopher, physician and leader of the Jewish community, year 1170 C.E., comments in his Book of Commandments, “The duty of imitating God is expressed in the following ways, just as the Holy One, blessed be He, clothes the naked, so should man; He visits the sick, so should man; He comforts mourners, so should man; He buries the dead, so should man”. All of these behaviors enhance man’s image to reflect Godly ones.
The reason we treat our enemy captives with certain rules is to ensure that we retain our Godly image. In contrast, by identifying with the enemy we become cruel and sadistic. We adopt cruelty; the antithesis of mercy and that is contrary to the Godly image.
It would be wise for our government, especially our military leaders, to include in the military directives a simple but very important formula. Do not do anything to cause you to lose your Godly image in the name of establishing peace. That would guarantee no atrocities, humiliation, or abuse.
“Only following orders” would be a good thing as the orders would come from the true Commander In Chief, who is none other than the Almighty God, the Supreme Commander of the world.
On Wednesday and Thursday, May 26th and 27th, Jewish people the world over will celebrate a holiday marking the receiving of the Ten Commandments. According to Jewish tradition over 3,300 years ago God revealed himself to the Jews presenting the Ten Commandments.
Remember, the Ten Commandments are available to everybody and there is no monopoly. It has been translated to almost every language and it is the best directive given by the Supreme Commander In Chief. With God on our side the world would be a safer place to live.