21–30 of 40 posts
What a fucking whitewash. Anybody joining an interrogation squad knows what's ahead and those joining the group in Abu Ghraib, especially after the torture revelations really had no excuse. I feel about as much sympathy as I would towards a Nazi camp guard (sorry for the Godwin, but it seems applicable).
What a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing. I cried towards the end as I was learning about Casteel's death. I was hoping for a plot twist, because all along Casteel was described in the past tense, so I knew from the beginning that he might not be still alive but deep inside I was hoping that he is still alive. I was hoping for paragraph that says "and now Casteel is..." It sucks to lose someone with such integ…
> It sucks to lose someone with such integrity, values and good character. Sorry? Who with 'integrity, values and good character' joins an interrogation squad?
I think it is very hard to judge the motivations of people from the outside. The whole point of the article was to illustrate how torn you can be between your convictions, what you want to do, and what you actually do.
Most of us are very lucky insofar as we do not have to face such tough choices.
What a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing. I cried towards the end as I was learning about Casteel's death. I was hoping for a plot twist, because all along Casteel was described in the past tense, so I knew from the beginning that he might not be still alive but deep inside I was hoping that he is still alive. I was hoping for paragraph that says "and now Casteel is..." It sucks to lose someone with such integ…
> It sucks to lose someone with such integrity, values and good character. Sorry? Who with 'integrity, values and good character' joins an interrogation squad?
Holy Christian soldiers who have the support/aligned-groupthink of their entire nation? Morals are relative - to an American growing up in the cess-pit of ethics that is modern USA, its immoral to not support the troops, and if its Gods Will™ that we defeat Evil Satan by dropping depleted uranium on innocent children then so be it, because God, like America, is Great™.
I mean, Who with 'integrity, values and good character' ignores the daily innocent life lost at the hands of America's out of control military-industrial-pharmaceutical complex? Americans do, that's who.
The notion that its better to have "good" people doing bad things than "bad" people is such a trash take, but it shows up in nearly every conversation of moral consequence these days.
Yeah, bad is who does bad, not much more to it than that when it comes to torture and wars of convenience.
If it is not, then yes it's better to have good people do this job than bad ones, as with any job.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It sucks to lose someone with such integrity, values and good character. Sorry? Who with 'integrity, values and good character' joins an interrogation squad?
While I can understand your sentiment, it might also well be possible that such a person might be convinced of the righteousness of their cause. The article even gives some quotes along those lines. To paraphrase: "it's better if someone like me does the interrogation than someone who does not care about the Geneva convention". I think it is very hard to judge the motivations of people from the outside. The whole poi…
> Most of us are very lucky insofar as we do not have to face such tough choices.
That's why we talk about the ones who did. Since conscription in the US ended quite a while ago all of this is free choice.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, bad is who does bad, not much more to it than that when it comes to torture and wars of convenience.
This person was an interrogator. Should armies not interrogate prisoners and not have interrogators? Is trying to obtain intelligence information from the enemy an inherently evil activity? If it is not, then yes it's better to have good people do this job than bad ones, as with any job.
There is not such thing as "good" people raping, torturing, humiliating, terrorizing and doing evil things to other helpless and disarmed people.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, bad is who does bad, not much more to it than that when it comes to torture and wars of convenience.
This person was an interrogator. Should armies not interrogate prisoners and not have interrogators? Is trying to obtain intelligence information from the enemy an inherently evil activity? If it is not, then yes it's better to have good people do this job than bad ones, as with any job.
In a war of aggression it very much is.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, bad is who does bad, not much more to it than that when it comes to torture and wars of convenience.
This person was an interrogator. Should armies not interrogate prisoners and not have interrogators? Is trying to obtain intelligence information from the enemy an inherently evil activity? If it is not, then yes it's better to have good people do this job than bad ones, as with any job.
I mean, clearly his individual crimes aren't as bad as say those of soldiers raping a 14-year old. But he does willingly and knowingly take part in, and help perform, the the larger crime that is the poorly justified invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The notion that its better to have "good" people doing bad things than "bad" people is such a trash take, but it shows up in nearly every conversation of moral consequence these days.
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Our collective unconscious, our collective shadow: https://vimeo.co…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I can understand your sentiment, it might also well be possible that such a person might be convinced of the righteousness of their cause. The article even gives some quotes along those lines. To paraphrase: "it's better if someone like me does the interrogation than someone who does not care about the Geneva convention". I think it is very hard to judge the motivations of people from the outside. The whole poi…
I really don't care if they are convinced of the righteousness of their cause. History is rife with examples of people who were convinced of the righteousness, that does not excuse them even a little bit. > Most of us are very lucky insofar as we do not have to face such tough choices. That's why we talk about the ones who did. Since conscription in the US ended quite a while ago all of this is free choice.
One more thing, though: I am not sure it is always that much of a free choice (even given the fact that no conscription exists). There might be economic reasons for joining the military, for example. However, since I am not a U.S. citizen, I am not sure how much of an issue this actually is.