Fear Is No Excuse

To the Editor:

In response to the letter submitted last week by Linda Watson entitled “Spiteful and Backward Thinking,” I am offering the following:

Fear is a powerful emotion. I’m sure Linda Watson was afraid. But fear does not relieve us of our responsibilities as humans, our moral and ethical responsibilities.

The words “We were afraid,” along with “We didn’t know,” are the most shameful and despicable excuses for moral cowardice often used in the aftermath of crimes against humanity. There are wholly insufficient as a justification for torture. The Bush administration was adept at using propaganda to instill fear in the hopes of obtaining cooperation for its extra-constitutional activities.

It was not unique in its exercise of these tactics in its pursuit of power. The Nazis used the same techniques quite successfully to see to it that the populations of Poland and Germany among others feared the Jews and blamed them for their woes in order facilitate genocide.

It is equally abhorrent for a “mother of two children” to use her fear as a justification for torture.

The issue is not about what you may believe is torture or not, or what you perceive as sufficiently unpleasant. The issue is about the law. Torture is against the law. It may be of interest to note that Japanese soldiers were tried and convicted of torture by the US as a war crime against American troops after World War II, one was sentenced to 15 years, and one was executed. The torture at issue was waterboarding.

The President and other officials take an oath, the oath obligates them to uphold and defend The Constitution of The United States. They must uphold the law. That is their primary responsibility.

We do not know all the things the Bush Administration ordered to be done to other humans during the time they were in power. We know that at minimum probable cause exists that they violated The Geneva Conventions and federal law. I do know that when there is so much overwhelming evidence that the government has committed crimes in my name and the names of my fellow citizens then democracy and justice demand an investigation and as our Constitution requires: due process.

The systematic violations of law which the evidence indicates characterized the Bush administration requires investigation in order that it does not occur again and to reinstate confidence in the democratic concept that indeed no individual is above the law.

There are those who oppose the search for the truth in this matter. I am unable to understand how any person of integrity can take that position.

Sincerely,

Robert Karnoff

66 Great Ring Road, Sandy Hook                                      May 5, 2009