[Peace-discuss] Torture memo

[C. G. Estabrook]

[I once wrote a piece arguing that the Christian Right as we know it in
this country is heretical in traditional Christian terms.  The following
piece, by the excellent blogger billmon, gives some specificity to that
argument, on the basis of the test suggested in Mt. 7:15-20.  --CGE]


Praise the Lord and Pass the Thumbscrews

...the team of lawyers who wrote the Pentagon's treatise on presidential
torture powers was led by this woman:

    "U.S. Air Force's General Counsel, Mary L. Walker, discusses what it
takes to leave a legacy of significance..."

Ms. Walker, it turns out, is a long-time Republican political appointee
first brought to Washington during the Reagan administration to help
oversee the looting of America's natural resources, um, that is, I mean,
to serve as principal deputy in the environmental division at Ed Meese's
Justice Department.

It also appears that Ms. Walker is a devout Christian -- much like her
fellow Reagan alum and environmental despoiler, Interior Secretary James
"I don't know how many generations we've got until the Lord returns" Watt.
And she's the co-founder of a San Diego group called Professional Women's
Fellowship, an offshoot of the Campus Crusade for Christ "dedicated to
helping professionals find balance, focus and direction in life."

God knows, we all need balance, focus and direction in our lives -- and
I'd be the last person to criticize Ms. Walker for looking for it in
Jesus. As a devoted follower of John Lennon (bigger than Christ, but we
won't dwell on that) I'm a firm believer in whatever gets you through the
night. It's all right. It's all right.

But knowing what we now know about the subject matter of the Pentagon
report, and the legal theories expounded therein, I do have to wonder how
seriously Ms. Walker takes her Golden Rule.

At the very least, the report lends a curious overtone to some of the
comments in this interview with Walker, which was published on the PWF web
site:

    Walker: "I wanted to be involved in policy development at the highest
level, and lawyers in our society are often involved in shaping policy."

    The report: After defining torture and other prohibited acts, the memo
presents "legal doctrines ... that could render specific conduct,
otherwise criminal, not unlawful."

    Walker: "I can't divorce faith from success because God is the
foundation for my life."

    The report: "Good faith may be a complete defense" to a torture
charge.

    Walker: "My relationship with God and with others in the community of
faith has been central in my life."

    The report: "The infliction of pain or suffering per se, whether it is
physical or mental, is insufficient to amount to torture." It "must be of
such a high level of intensity that the pain is difficult for the subject
to endure."

    Walker: "It helped to find someone who could mentor me and help me see
my faith as relevant to the challenges of life and work."

    The report: For involuntarily administered drugs or other
psychological methods [to be considered torture], the "acts must penetrate
to the core of an individual's ability to perceive the world around him."

    Walker: "When God is the center of your life and everything you do
revolves around His plans for you and the world, then that is when life
really gets exciting."

    The report: The executive branch [has] "sweeping" powers to act as it
sees fit because "national security decisions require the unity in purpose
and energy in action that characterize the presidency rather than
Congress."

    Walker: "It's a travesty to be in a place of strategic importance to
the world as a business or political leader and not allow God to
accomplish the truly significant through you."

    The report: To protect subordinates should they be charged with
torture, the memo advised that Mr. Bush issue a "presidential directive or
other writing" that could serve as evidence, since authority to set aside
the laws is "inherent in the president."

And of course, I saved the best for last:

    Walker: "Making moral decisions in the workplace where it is easy to
go along and get along takes courage. It takes moral strength and courage
to say, 'I'm not going to do this because I don't think it's the right
thing to do.'"

    The report: Officials could escape torture convictions by arguing that
they were following superior orders, since such orders "may be inferred to
be lawful" and are "disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate."

And so there you have it: Mary L. Walker -- Christian, Republican,
Patriot, Torture Attorney...

	--<http://billmon.org/archives/001518.html>