Comments on: Air Force Doctor Gets Medal for Serving on Rendition Torture Flights http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/ Firedoglake weblog Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:35:26 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Jeff Kaye http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979792 Jeff Kaye Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:07:49 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979792 <p>Just following orders is no excuse for violating the ethics of your profession. For one thing, it is most likely that the doctor was not simply tending to patients here, but rendering them unconscious so they could be transported for their flights to hell.</p> <p>Being ordered to take someone to be tortured is an illegal order. One can refuse an illegal order. One should refuse an illegal order, and a doctor, in particular, has a special responsibility to do so in these circumstances.</p> Just following orders is no excuse for violating the ethics of your profession. For one thing, it is most likely that the doctor was not simply tending to patients here, but rendering them unconscious so they could be transported for their flights to hell.

Being ordered to take someone to be tortured is an illegal order. One can refuse an illegal order. One should refuse an illegal order, and a doctor, in particular, has a special responsibility to do so in these circumstances.

]]> By: marynorma123 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979778 marynorma123 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:11:27 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979778 <p>Just doing your job is no excuse for participating in a rendition program that allows detainees (in some cases completely innocent of any crime) to another country to be tortured. Getting detainees in good shape to be tortured is absurd.</p> Just doing your job is no excuse for participating in a rendition program that allows detainees (in some cases completely innocent of any crime) to another country to be tortured. Getting detainees in good shape to be tortured is absurd.

]]> By: Romberry http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979712 Romberry Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:57:25 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979712 <p>I’m sorry, but the outrage here is misplaced. Dr. Walter was assigned (read “ordered”) to this duty, and he followed orders. He didn’t torture anyone. He was there to provide medical care. Would you have rather that these flights (which were going to happen — and which continue to happen under Obama) been conducted without a physician on board?</p> <p>This entire diary and most of the comments are way, way, way off base.</p> I’m sorry, but the outrage here is misplaced. Dr. Walter was assigned (read “ordered”) to this duty, and he followed orders. He didn’t torture anyone. He was there to provide medical care. Would you have rather that these flights (which were going to happen — and which continue to happen under Obama) been conducted without a physician on board?

This entire diary and most of the comments are way, way, way off base.

]]> By: Jo Fish http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979647 Jo Fish Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:04:32 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979647 <p>It doesn’t surprise me one bit that the Air Force would award an Air Medal to an MD who was on a plane doing what was basically his job. Years ago I met a female AF one-star general who had the Bronze Star of which she was very proud. Apparently the AF gave it to her for serving as a REMF in Saigon or somesuch, and it was a routine “non-combat” award for them.</p> <p>The fucking Bronze Star. The Air Force will go to any length to ensure that their officers are “decorated” … I used to believe it was some sort of institutional inferiority complex, now I know it is. </p> <p>Every person who has ever gotten an Air Medal for actual combat operations, especially enlisted aircrew should send their medals back to the Air Force as an objection for making what they earned be a “neat award” for a doctor.</p> It doesn’t surprise me one bit that the Air Force would award an Air Medal to an MD who was on a plane doing what was basically his job. Years ago I met a female AF one-star general who had the Bronze Star of which she was very proud. Apparently the AF gave it to her for serving as a REMF in Saigon or somesuch, and it was a routine “non-combat” award for them.

The fucking Bronze Star. The Air Force will go to any length to ensure that their officers are “decorated” … I used to believe it was some sort of institutional inferiority complex, now I know it is.

Every person who has ever gotten an Air Medal for actual combat operations, especially enlisted aircrew should send their medals back to the Air Force as an objection for making what they earned be a “neat award” for a doctor.

]]> By: solerso http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979598 solerso Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:25:10 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979598 <p>How come we didnt get Pres. Obama doing the medal ceremony on TV? He loves medal ceremonies.</p> How come we didnt get Pres. Obama doing the medal ceremony on TV? He loves medal ceremonies.

]]> By: Gitcheegumee http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979347 Gitcheegumee Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:17:02 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979347 <p>Normalizing the Abnormal:</p> <p>Psychological Control: States of Mental DisempowermentOct 25, 2008 … Psychological Control: States of Mental Disempowerment. Part II: Deconstructing the Power of the Global Elite. by Dr. Judith H. Young …<br /><a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10687" rel="nofollow">www.globalresearch.ca/index.ph.....;aid=10687</a> - Cached - Similar</p> Normalizing the Abnormal:

Psychological Control: States of Mental DisempowermentOct 25, 2008 … Psychological Control: States of Mental Disempowerment. Part II: Deconstructing the Power of the Global Elite. by Dr. Judith H. Young …
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.ph…..;aid=10687 – Cached – Similar

]]> By: rafflaw http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979318 rafflaw Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:02:15 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979318 <p>The whole rendition system is disgusting and a joke. That this doctor can get a medal for participating in flying detainees to be tortured is ridiculous.</p> The whole rendition system is disgusting and a joke. That this doctor can get a medal for participating in flying detainees to be tortured is ridiculous.

]]> By: Jeff Kaye http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979317 Jeff Kaye Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:00:24 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979317 <p>“Fascism parading as democracy” — In the past I would have resisted such a conclusion, but recent years have demonstrated that this might just describe much of what we as a society are experiencing.</p> <p>Interestingly, no one has commented on the aspect of renditions run by the Pentagon. I’ve been waiting to write about this subject, and Walter’s medal for facilitating rendition to torture (with everything that implies about the failure of medical ethics, too) seemed like a ripe moment to take up the subject.</p> <p>It’s another example of how too often the Pentagon gets a free ride in the press. Not to alibi the barabarity of the CIA’s rendition program, but hey, if the Pentagon is doing the same thing but getting 1% the same press on it, isn’t something very wrong here?</p> “Fascism parading as democracy” — In the past I would have resisted such a conclusion, but recent years have demonstrated that this might just describe much of what we as a society are experiencing.

Interestingly, no one has commented on the aspect of renditions run by the Pentagon. I’ve been waiting to write about this subject, and Walter’s medal for facilitating rendition to torture (with everything that implies about the failure of medical ethics, too) seemed like a ripe moment to take up the subject.

It’s another example of how too often the Pentagon gets a free ride in the press. Not to alibi the barabarity of the CIA’s rendition program, but hey, if the Pentagon is doing the same thing but getting 1% the same press on it, isn’t something very wrong here?

]]> By: Jeff Kaye http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979315 Jeff Kaye Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:55:09 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979315 <p>Thanks, though I would have never known. We have such discering eyes here. Thanks, Raven.</p> Thanks, though I would have never known. We have such discering eyes here. Thanks, Raven.

]]> By: Gitcheegumee http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979278 Gitcheegumee Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:08:45 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/17/air-force-doctor-gets-medal-for-serving-on-rendition-torture-flights/#comment-1979278 <p>Excuse me,but is it really keeping doubts to yourself when you come on here and cast aspersions on their kin?</p> Excuse me,but is it really keeping doubts to yourself when you come on here and cast aspersions on their kin?

]]>