The Circle

Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Opinion

I believe it very important to appreciate what is implied by the decision of this court. Consider that one of two things must be true: either the war in Iraq is illegal and immoral or it is not. I will not disclose my opinion one way or the other, I don't see that it makes a difference, what is of gravest concern is the determination of this issue as off limits. We are plainly not allowed to question anything if doing so threatens the unqualified power of this administration and the image that all decisions they make are purely justified and moral. This is a horrifying precedent. The presumption of those in power (and what they expect us all to accept at face-value) is that the war in Iraq is legal, absolutely and unconditionally, and that that presumption is inscrutable. We may very well wonder ourselves whether this assessment of the war is credible or not, but skepticism, however valid it may be, becomes intolerable when it threatens the stability of the authority from which these issues originated.

This unprecedented scrambling of priorities, the radical transformation from those prescribed by international law to these pushed by the American government, can be expressed in just a handful of plain-English words: the value of obedience supersedes the value of truth. In fact, the disparity of their value is so great, that they cannot even share an arena of debate or compete in the same courtroom.

I would argue that this prioritization is nothing new in global history. It is a recurring theme, in fact, in fascist and totalitarian regimes. Though placeless in an authentic democracy, it must always have been the trump card in any genocidal dictator's deck. Are these interpretations of any value? We don't know; the military court -possibly acting under some higher authority- is shielding us from the answer. What is being hidden from us?

Though this ordeal may yield little inasmuch as answers to the questions I've thus far raised, it is painfully enlightening in another. Perhaps the most disheartening revelation that Watada's trial has forced upon this nation's self-concept is the insignificance of the American public's will. Also, it may be inferred that the apathy of the majority enables unchecked criminal behavior in our country's government. On the whole, Americans don't care, and present conditions of the global community reflect this unfortunate truth. A democracy ridden with apathy in its people is tantamount to an engine ridden with sand in its block; if they are not cared for properly, then they will not function properly. But I stand by what I've said; this is merely skepticism, placeless in the Watada fiasco. We will have no answers, for it has been determined that in order for us to fulfill our function, the unquestioned obedience to authority, does not require an understanding of its legitimacy.

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