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Writer's Block: Guarding the Terrorists
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From what I hear, Gitmo is a nice place to live for a military base, so I will address only the problems with working at an ultramax facility.
The rules for interacting with prisoners and even other guards are heavily scripted. Common sense may suggest multiple courses of action, but the facility regulations demand perfect adherence for the safety of prisoners and guards alike. Above all else, an ultramax facility is a place where the rules must be followed, because the maintenance of this principle is more important than any individual or even repeated injustice. Some of the rules are very stupid: specifying how many ballpoint pens a prisoner may have at one time based on their privilege level. Others are actively dangerous -- especially in the handling of prisoner resistance.
The challenge for me would be to follow those rules to the letter, understanding as I do the reasons why it has to work that way, while accepting that by doing so I would frequently be required to violate my personal ethics, and at times my professional ethics.
As far as the latter is concerned, I do not believe it is morally right to hold persons for years without a trial; to engage in unending psychological torture, which an ultramax facility is when no release date is set; or to place persons in custody into inescapable "Catch 22" situations where no conduct on their part can escape sanctions.
As far as personal ethics are concerned, I cannot see myself voluntarily working to support a gross violation of the Constitution of the United States. Also, the operation of Gitmo has done great harm to America's reputation around the world, helped terrorists recruit and gain sympathizers, and is utterly repugnant to our national values and beliefs.
Men were hanged at Nuremberg for following orders they believed to be lawful.
I would have to be compelled under military discipline to accept such work. Being so compelled, I would pursue any lawful means available to me, including resignation and hammering my chain of command with complaints, to get out of such work. I would not however engage in civil disobedience, nor would I commit military crimes. I would however, within the limits of the orders given to me in writing, document my observations and report what I believed to be criminal acts accordingly. I would also write a book about my experiences afterwards.
From what I hear, Gitmo is a nice place to live for a military base, so I will address only the problems with working at an ultramax facility.
The rules for interacting with prisoners and even other guards are heavily scripted. Common sense may suggest multiple courses of action, but the facility regulations demand perfect adherence for the safety of prisoners and guards alike. Above all else, an ultramax facility is a place where the rules must be followed, because the maintenance of this principle is more important than any individual or even repeated injustice. Some of the rules are very stupid: specifying how many ballpoint pens a prisoner may have at one time based on their privilege level. Others are actively dangerous -- especially in the handling of prisoner resistance.
The challenge for me would be to follow those rules to the letter, understanding as I do the reasons why it has to work that way, while accepting that by doing so I would frequently be required to violate my personal ethics, and at times my professional ethics.
As far as the latter is concerned, I do not believe it is morally right to hold persons for years without a trial; to engage in unending psychological torture, which an ultramax facility is when no release date is set; or to place persons in custody into inescapable "Catch 22" situations where no conduct on their part can escape sanctions.
As far as personal ethics are concerned, I cannot see myself voluntarily working to support a gross violation of the Constitution of the United States. Also, the operation of Gitmo has done great harm to America's reputation around the world, helped terrorists recruit and gain sympathizers, and is utterly repugnant to our national values and beliefs.
Men were hanged at Nuremberg for following orders they believed to be lawful.
I would have to be compelled under military discipline to accept such work. Being so compelled, I would pursue any lawful means available to me, including resignation and hammering my chain of command with complaints, to get out of such work. I would not however engage in civil disobedience, nor would I commit military crimes. I would however, within the limits of the orders given to me in writing, document my observations and report what I believed to be criminal acts accordingly. I would also write a book about my experiences afterwards.
no subject
no subject
From what I see in your LJ and your own post, I see that you cannot imagine what working Gitmo would be like. Go read this (https://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/Gitmo-sop-2004), or if you prefer Mainstream Media, this (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301976.html?hpid=sec-nation).
One of my co-workers while in the Army worked in a EPW camp guarding over 10,000 angry Iraqi men. She took no shit off anyone, including her superiors. A much, much easier job for a variety of reasons.
>> Well getting feces thrown at me and piss thrown at me
Been there done that. Not fun. Also not the norm. If this is likely to occur, the guards are issued protective equipment. They also are permitted to react to such an act as an assault, i.e. with force, including cell extraction.
no subject
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Guantanamo_operating_manual_posted_on_Internet
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/A_Cat_May_Look_Upon_a_King%2C_but_Not_at_Gitmo
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Camp_Delta_Standard_Operating_Procedure_(2004)
http://wikileaks.org/leak/gitmo-sop-2004.pdf [FOUO, long]
no subject
I will refrain from commenting on the previous poster, and limit my response to pleasant things, but only because I suspect you would prefer that.