Used to be, waterboarding was a war crime. We prosecuted, and even executed, individuals for doing it, as explained in this editorial by a former JAG (Judge Advocate General)in the Nevada National Guard.
Even Reagan's DOJ prosecuted for this in
1983.
So could someone please explain to me WHY, if it was a war crime for the Japanese to do this to our soldiers, and it was worth a 10-year prison sentence for a Texas Sheriff, it is NOT worth investigating and/or prosecuting?
This is something Obama's AG has simply GOT to push on - if the people who allowed this nation to torture in our name are not held accountable, what message does that send to (a) the civilized world, and (b) our kids? If we're not going to respect the rule of law, what earthly right do we have to complain if they don't?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
ONE decision...(Part 5 - the Thrilling Conclusion)
An interesting side benefit of Chamberlain's pivotal decision, one largely overlooked by scholars and historians, is the presence of a hedge of thorns. First mentioned in the Bible (perhaps my Minister Cousin Randy can supply chapter & verse), a "hedge of thorns" is the Divine protection placed upon someone destined to make a difference. Until you have accomplished what you were sent here to do, you will not - you CANNOT - be harmed. Joshua Chamberlain, on Little Round Top that July day, his choice not yet made, was wrapped in that hedge of thorns.
I can hear you scoff.
So I shall enter into evidence a letter addressed to "The Honorable Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain", which arrived at the Maine Statehouse some years after the war.
The letter reads:
You too, right here, right now, are under this same hedge-of-thorns protection. You may feel fear, but it is illusion. Until you have done what you were put on this earth to do, you will. not. be. harmed.
It all boils down to this: your story, circumstances, and timing may not be as dramatic as Chamberlain's, but the stakes are the same. There is a time in every person's life where a decision is required. That decision, should you make it, will have a far-reaching effect on generations yet unborn. There is a thin thread that extends from you to tens - no, hundreds of thousands of lives. The example you set, the actions you take, and yes, even ONE DECISION you make will literally change the world.
A decision - to charge.
So do it. Change your life. Change your family's future. Change the world.
Charge.
I can hear you scoff.
So I shall enter into evidence a letter addressed to "The Honorable Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain", which arrived at the Maine Statehouse some years after the war.
The letter reads:
Dear Sir:
I want to tell you of a little passage in the Battle of Round Top, Gettysburg, concerning you and me, which I am now glad of. Twice in that fight I had your life in my hands. I got a safe place between two rocks, and drew bead fair and square on you. You were standing in the open behind the center of your line, full exposed. I knew your rank by your uniform and actions, and I thought it a mighty good thing to put you out of the way. I rested my gun on the rock and took steady aim. I started to pull the trigger, but then some queer notion stopped me. Then I got ashamed of my weakness and went through the same motions again. I had you, perfectly certain. But that same queer something shut right down on me. I couldn't pull the trigger, and, gave it up - that is, your life. I am glad of it now, and hope you are.
Yours Truly,
A Member of the Fifteenth Alabama
You too, right here, right now, are under this same hedge-of-thorns protection. You may feel fear, but it is illusion. Until you have done what you were put on this earth to do, you will. not. be. harmed.
It all boils down to this: your story, circumstances, and timing may not be as dramatic as Chamberlain's, but the stakes are the same. There is a time in every person's life where a decision is required. That decision, should you make it, will have a far-reaching effect on generations yet unborn. There is a thin thread that extends from you to tens - no, hundreds of thousands of lives. The example you set, the actions you take, and yes, even ONE DECISION you make will literally change the world.
A decision - to charge.
So do it. Change your life. Change your family's future. Change the world.
Charge.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
ONE decision...(Part 4)
Aha! You thought I was done, didn't you? Silly you...
Chamberlain's improbable charge was not without personal benefits as well. In addition to his CMH, he led successful campaigns until the end of the war, being decorated 4 separate times for bravery, eventually being promoted to Major General.
Among all Union officers, it was Joshua Chamberlain whom Lincoln selected to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. There Chamberlain stunned the world and began the healing of his nation with a display of forgiveness and respect - ordering his men to attention and SALUTING Robert E. Lee and the defeated South.
Returning home to Maine, Chamberlain was elected Governor by what remains to this day the largest margin in state history. He served four terms as Governor of Maine, and then stepped down, returning to Bowdoin College - this time as its President.
Now we get to the interesting part of this story.
As the late Paul Harvey was known to say, "...in a moment, you'll hear...the REST of the story."
(TBC, yet again...)
Chamberlain's improbable charge was not without personal benefits as well. In addition to his CMH, he led successful campaigns until the end of the war, being decorated 4 separate times for bravery, eventually being promoted to Major General.
Among all Union officers, it was Joshua Chamberlain whom Lincoln selected to receive the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. There Chamberlain stunned the world and began the healing of his nation with a display of forgiveness and respect - ordering his men to attention and SALUTING Robert E. Lee and the defeated South.
Returning home to Maine, Chamberlain was elected Governor by what remains to this day the largest margin in state history. He served four terms as Governor of Maine, and then stepped down, returning to Bowdoin College - this time as its President.
Now we get to the interesting part of this story.
As the late Paul Harvey was known to say, "...in a moment, you'll hear...the REST of the story."
(TBC, yet again...)
Friday, April 10, 2009
ONE decision...(Part 3)
...You're thinking, "great story, but you're telling me I can change the world? Gimme a break!" You're about to say (if you haven't already) "c'mon! Even Joshua Chamberlain only changed one small part of one battle!"
Oh, really?
Chew on this: it's well known that, up until Gettysburg, the Union was pretty well getting handed its head. They'd lost Fort Sumter, gotten their asses kicked TWICE at Manassas (or Bull Run, if you prefer), lost decisively in the Battles of the Seven Days near Richmond, were defeated soundly at Chancellorsville, and CRUSHED at Fredricksburg.
Had the South won Gettysburg, Historians are almost unanimous that the war would have been over by September 1st. The CSA (Confederate States of America) was ONE VICTORY away from winning the Civil War - but they didn't win.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action at Little Round Top. His commanding officers held that the actions of this one man saved the entire 80,000-man Union Army from certain destruction - this one man turned the tide of the entire battle.
By turning the tide of the Battle of Gettysburg, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain turned the tide of the ENTIRE CIVIL WAR.
Do you realize what that means?
If the South wins, there is no USA as we know it. There are two - perhaps three nations in its place. There is no country big enough and strong enough to help feed the world; there is no superpower to defend weaker societies against those who would restrict their freedom. All this DIDN'T happen because one. Ordinary. Individual. Made a decision to move forward.
When Hitler laid Europe under a boot of iron, when Japan systematically conquered the Pacific islands, when Eastern Europe lay behind the Iron Curtain, when Saddam Hussein rolled his troops into Kuwait, there was a UNITED States of America to stand in the way - because of one man with his back to the wall. A man who was in fear for his life. A man whose only option seemed to be retreat.
The world as it exists today is, in large part, is the result of that decision to charge - one decision made by a schoolteacher on a hot, humid July day almost a century and a half ago! Don't you DARE think you can't change things!
ONE decision, made by YOU, can change the world! With this power at our command, WHAT do we have to fear?
(to be Continued...)
Oh, really?
Chew on this: it's well known that, up until Gettysburg, the Union was pretty well getting handed its head. They'd lost Fort Sumter, gotten their asses kicked TWICE at Manassas (or Bull Run, if you prefer), lost decisively in the Battles of the Seven Days near Richmond, were defeated soundly at Chancellorsville, and CRUSHED at Fredricksburg.
Had the South won Gettysburg, Historians are almost unanimous that the war would have been over by September 1st. The CSA (Confederate States of America) was ONE VICTORY away from winning the Civil War - but they didn't win.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action at Little Round Top. His commanding officers held that the actions of this one man saved the entire 80,000-man Union Army from certain destruction - this one man turned the tide of the entire battle.
By turning the tide of the Battle of Gettysburg, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain turned the tide of the ENTIRE CIVIL WAR.
Do you realize what that means?
If the South wins, there is no USA as we know it. There are two - perhaps three nations in its place. There is no country big enough and strong enough to help feed the world; there is no superpower to defend weaker societies against those who would restrict their freedom. All this DIDN'T happen because one. Ordinary. Individual. Made a decision to move forward.
When Hitler laid Europe under a boot of iron, when Japan systematically conquered the Pacific islands, when Eastern Europe lay behind the Iron Curtain, when Saddam Hussein rolled his troops into Kuwait, there was a UNITED States of America to stand in the way - because of one man with his back to the wall. A man who was in fear for his life. A man whose only option seemed to be retreat.
The world as it exists today is, in large part, is the result of that decision to charge - one decision made by a schoolteacher on a hot, humid July day almost a century and a half ago! Don't you DARE think you can't change things!
ONE decision, made by YOU, can change the world! With this power at our command, WHAT do we have to fear?
(to be Continued...)
ONE decision...(Part 2)
Chamberlain's officers pleaded with him to retreat, to save what was left of the regiment from certain destruction. After a few moments' consideration, with the Rebel Yell ringing in their ears, Chamberlain gave the order:
"Fix bayonets."
His officers & sergeants couldn't believe their ears. Chamberlain repeated the order, and as the remnants of the 20th Maine Regiment frantically attached their bayonets, Chamberlain leaped on top of the wall, drew his sword, pointed it at the onrushing Confederates, and shouted the order; "CHARGE!"
And the 20th Maine followed their schoolteacher leader into history.
When the Confederate troops saw the leader of the opposition mount the wall, they immediately stopped, unsure of what was happening. And when Chamberlain pointed his sword at them and ordered his men to charge, they LITERALLY turned and ran. Many of them threw down their loaded weapons, certain these could not be the same men they'd been facing - there must have been massive reinforcements. In their minds, it was not even in the realm of possibility that a chewed-up regiment would charge.
In under 10 minutes, the ragged remnants of the 20th Maine, TOTALLY out of ammunition by this point, captured the entire regiments of the 15th Alabama and the 47th Alabama - over 400 men. It all happened because one man made the decision to charge.
And one decision that YOU make can change the world.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking...
(to be continued...)
"Fix bayonets."
His officers & sergeants couldn't believe their ears. Chamberlain repeated the order, and as the remnants of the 20th Maine Regiment frantically attached their bayonets, Chamberlain leaped on top of the wall, drew his sword, pointed it at the onrushing Confederates, and shouted the order; "CHARGE!"
And the 20th Maine followed their schoolteacher leader into history.
When the Confederate troops saw the leader of the opposition mount the wall, they immediately stopped, unsure of what was happening. And when Chamberlain pointed his sword at them and ordered his men to charge, they LITERALLY turned and ran. Many of them threw down their loaded weapons, certain these could not be the same men they'd been facing - there must have been massive reinforcements. In their minds, it was not even in the realm of possibility that a chewed-up regiment would charge.
In under 10 minutes, the ragged remnants of the 20th Maine, TOTALLY out of ammunition by this point, captured the entire regiments of the 15th Alabama and the 47th Alabama - over 400 men. It all happened because one man made the decision to charge.
And one decision that YOU make can change the world.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking...
(to be continued...)
ONE decision...(Part 1)
made by an ordinary person, can change the world.
Don't think so?
Then it's time to fire up the WayBack machine...
To July 2nd, 1863, where a schoolteacher in mortal peril did just that.
...
His name was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a professor of Rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine. But on this day, he was a Colonel in the Union Army, in command of the
20th Maine Regiment. 20th Maine was that day defending a hill called Little Round Top just outside of a small Pennsylvania town named Gettysburg.
Yes. That Gettysburg.
Little Round Top and the 20th Maine were on the left end of the Union line, and were in a critical position; if the Confederates could get around, or through, them, they would be able to wreak havoc behind the Union line, cutting off any possibility of retreat. Basically, if the 20th Maine were overrun, the battle was lost.
Already this day, the 20th Maine had aquitted itself nobly; it had held off four full Confederate attacks, the last actually reaching the wall the 20th was using as a fortification. Chamberlain's men had literally been punching Confederates in the face - combat had gotten THAT close. But not without cost. Col. Chamberlain had lost over half his men, and almost a third of those remaining were wounded. His line was thin indeed.
As the Confederates gathered for another charge, Chamberlain quickly surveyed his situation. He found that they were so low on ammuntion as to have only 2 rounds per man left. The 20th Maine was, for all intents and purposes, OUT of ammunition, outnumbered five-to-one, and the Confederates were beginning their charge.
(to be Continued...)
Don't think so?
Then it's time to fire up the WayBack machine...
To July 2nd, 1863, where a schoolteacher in mortal peril did just that.
...
His name was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a professor of Rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine. But on this day, he was a Colonel in the Union Army, in command of the
20th Maine Regiment. 20th Maine was that day defending a hill called Little Round Top just outside of a small Pennsylvania town named Gettysburg.
Yes. That Gettysburg.
Little Round Top and the 20th Maine were on the left end of the Union line, and were in a critical position; if the Confederates could get around, or through, them, they would be able to wreak havoc behind the Union line, cutting off any possibility of retreat. Basically, if the 20th Maine were overrun, the battle was lost.
Already this day, the 20th Maine had aquitted itself nobly; it had held off four full Confederate attacks, the last actually reaching the wall the 20th was using as a fortification. Chamberlain's men had literally been punching Confederates in the face - combat had gotten THAT close. But not without cost. Col. Chamberlain had lost over half his men, and almost a third of those remaining were wounded. His line was thin indeed.
As the Confederates gathered for another charge, Chamberlain quickly surveyed his situation. He found that they were so low on ammuntion as to have only 2 rounds per man left. The 20th Maine was, for all intents and purposes, OUT of ammunition, outnumbered five-to-one, and the Confederates were beginning their charge.
(to be Continued...)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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