Our Nation has a Great Deal to Learn from Phillip Butler about Morality, Law, and Torture

During his captivity as a POW, Dr.
Butler and his fellow POW's, he said, "were regularly subject to
torture, harassment, malnutrition, isolation, lack of medical care,
and other degradations during our captivity. I was tortured dozens of
times during my captivity. I often thought of our Constitution and
the higher purpose we served - a purpose that helped me resist
beyond what I thought I'd ever be capable of. Ironically, we POWs
received great moral and psychological strength during our
incarceration, telling each other, 'Our country is civilized and
would never knowingly treat people like this. Our country would never
stoop to torture and the low level of treatment we were experiencing
at the hands of our captors.'"

Speaking with pride, Dr. Butler said,
"we felt we had the moral high ground and took great pride in being
American, above such barbarity. Besides, we all knew from experience
that torture is useless, because under torture we told our tormentors
whatever we thought they wanted to hear. Whenever possible, we
slipped in ridiculous statements like one I used in a
torture-extracted 'confession,' that "only officers are allowed
to use the swimming pool on the USS Midway.' Another friend wrote in
a 'confession' that 'my commanding officer, Dick Tracy, ordered me to
bomb schools and hospitals.' These are just two examples of the kind
of culturally embedded nonsense people can expect to extract through
torture."

Given Dr. Butler's experiences, as well
as the current political debate over "enhanced interrogation
techniques," and "stress positions" as not
constituting torture, he says "if you don't think so, try going
out on your driveway or sidewalk, without any clothes on, on a
frigidly cold night. Kneel down on the concrete, holding your body
erect with your arms extended above your head. In a very few minutes
you will begin to feel real pain. Imagine several menacing tormentors
hovering above you to ensure that you remain in that position. That's
torture."

Addressing another popular argument
being advance by those supporting the use of such techniques by the
United States, Dr. Butler said that "argument attempts to qualify
captives as POWs, or 'detainees' or, as the Bush administration
referred to the detainees, 'enemy combatants.' Please - they are
human beings. We are holding people in indeterminate isolation from
families, Red Cross visits and requirements under international law
and the Geneva Convention. From experience, I say this constitutes
torture of the heart and soul."

Dr. Butler addressed what he views as
another nonsensical argument used by some to justify torture –
"what if we have someone who has planted an atomic weapon in a
major city and we want to find out where in time to stop it? ... Do
we enact a special law that violates our Constitution, treaties and
statutes for this preposterous eventuality? Do we seriously think we
could extract 'where and when' from this individual anyway?"

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Lawrence J. Gist II is a dedicated pro bono attorney and counselor at law, adjunct professor of legal studies at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles, CA, a member of the board of directors of the Institute of Indigenous Knowledges, and a veteran (more...)
 

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