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In his letter, James P. Ward (NCR, Oct. 20) tells us that coercive interrogation is only physical discomfort and not torture. This is only his personal opinion. Under the Geneva Conventions, those “physical discomforts” are considered torture. Coercive interrogation might be “legitimate if lives are at stake,” but how do you know you have a terrorist? There is the high probability -- most likely the reality -- that many detainees have done nothing, may be entirely innocent and may simply have been sold to U.S. forces for the standard $5,000 by the Northern Alliance, who would turn in their mothers for that kind of money, or were caught in too wide a net, or just looked too angry at a checkpoint. It has been proven that coerced statements are highly unreliable because the victim will say anything to escape torture -- oops, coercive interrogation. What’s more, some are children.
Amnesty International is outraged by such detentions. It is aware of numerous human rights violations against Iraqi juveniles, including torture and ill-treatment, and killings. Amnesty has interviewed former detainees who say they’ve seen boys as young as 10 in Abu Ghraib. Further, high-placed officials in the Pentagon and Centcom told Scotland’s Sunday Herald that children as young as 14 were being held by U.S. forces. The torture of children is intolerable and such assaults are against international laws. They are also unacceptable from a moral point of view.
FRANK P. BELCASTRO
Des Moines, Iowa
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James P. Ward accuses NCR’s editors of being anti-American because they had the common sense to challenge Mr. Bush’s assumption that torture, which Mr. Ward euphemistically calls “coercive interrogation,” has a place at the table of a modern, civilized and democratic society. This country was founded on the notion that the leader derives the privilege to govern from the consent of the governed, which gives the governed, that’s to say, the citizen, the right to criticize the government. I respectfully submit, therefore, that those who don’t believe it’s the constitutional duty in a free society to hold the leaders’ feet to the fire are the real anti-Americans.
ANTHONY MARQUEZ
Bear, Del.
The aircraft carrier Eisenhower, accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio, guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage, USS Mason and the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News, all have made their way to the Straits of Hormuz off Iran. The ships are in place to strike Iran. It may be a bluff, or simply a show of American power. But it’s quite possible these are preparations for an actual attack on Iran in the next few weeks or months. An attack on Iran will have devastating impacts on the Middle East and the entire world. We would not only lose Iranian oil but also the Iranians would likely use their Silkworm missiles to destroy oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. This could force the price of oil up to well over $100 a barrel. The effect on domestic and world economies will be shattering. The Shiites in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey will turn in rage on us. This is something no rational, let alone humane, American will want. It’s always good to keep in mind Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler’s statement: “War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious one.”
ANDREW C. MILLS
Lower Gwynedd, Pa.
The contrasting views of the church in the two meetings described by Joe Feuerherd (NCR, Oct. 6) were indeed distinctive. Mr. Feuerherd ably noted the focus of the Celibacy Is The Issue Ministries’ forum on clericalism in the hierarchy, and the focus of the Catholic University Life Cycle Institute conference on the disparate views of today’s laity. In both meetings the current critical priest shortage received attention. A further focus on the plight of sex abuse victims also occupied much of the discussion at the Celibacy Is The Issue forum. Two significant points made there were not noted, and are worth emphasizing. First, priestly ministry is supported by Canon Law. Canon 290, for example, specifies that a valid ordination never becomes invalid. For this reason, although bishops almost always describe the ministry of married priests as illicit, they also admit that the ministry is valid.
A second point, one that lays bare the hypocrisy of the church in refusing to utilize the ministry of validly ordained priests who marry, is the current practice of ordaining to the priesthood married men, but only those who are ministers of other Christian denominations and who have converted. Dozens, if not hundreds, of such married priests now preside in Catholic parishes -- occasionally in parishes whose former pastor was denied faculties because of an impending marriage. Clearly the priest shortage arises only from current “policy” considerations.
JAMES F. SCHOOLEY
Middletown, Md.
James F. Schooley is former chairman of the board of Celibacy Is The Issue Ministries.
In the face of Israel’s callous disregard for proportionality in its recent war in Lebanon, Fr. Raymond Schroth’s “May we criticize Israel?” (NCR, Oct. 20) is to be commended. The lament of the Israeli government’s uncritical supporters, whose only regret is that Israel did not succeed in eliminating Hezbollah and who believe that force is the only solution that “Arabs understand,” sets the stage for a future conflict. The futility of this approach has been demonstrated by Israel’s previous invasions in 1978 and 1982 and its numerous retaliatory raids on Lebanon and its infrastructure in the 1990s. In July 1993, “Operation Accountability” was carried out against the Shiah towns in southern Lebanon, with the aim of turning the population against Hezbollah. That operation created 300,000 refugees and killed 128, but did not turn the population against Hezbollah. In April 1996 “Operation Grapes of Wrath” again targeted southern Lebanon. The city of Tyre, Lebanon’s third largest city with a population of 117,000, was emptied, as were the surrounding villages; 400,000 refugees fled north to Beirut. Electrical transformer stations were bombed. Hezbollah carried on. In August 1998 fighting again erupted between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. In June 1999, “Operation Banks of Targets” targeted electrical plant substations and bridges. Hezbollah prevailed.
Each of these operations strengthened Hezbollah, weakened further the Lebanese government, reinforced Syria’s position in Lebanon and did not add to Israel’s security. If the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result, then a different strategy is needed. Perhaps prophetic voices such as Fr. Schroth’s will help us to return to some semblance of sanity.
KAIL C. ELLIS
Villanova, Pa.
Many thanks for your exquisite summary, “Looking for company beyond the skies” (NCR, Oct. 20), of the research being done concerning the possibility of life in places other than our own blue planet. While important in its own right, we do well to place this particular scientific project right next to the grand overall attempt to discover the immensity of our universe. What provocative and compelling truths of its nature have already been given to those of us who care to know. Trying to imagine the almost incredible vastness of it, we can easily drop to our knees in wonder and delight. Sure, it would be one of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time should we detect distinct signs of intelligence from distant star systems. But appreciating the fact that there are in God’s universe billions upon billions of stars is surely enough to celebrate. Ahead lies almost certainly an increase of knowledge about all that is around us. But rather than attending to what we might learn, we do well to stop and reflect upon what we already know about the universe. For many years as a professional theologian, I sought knowledge of God in the traditional sources of scripture, tradition and the work of my sister and brother theologians. In recent years, I have added the work of cosmologists as a reservoir of sacred truth. As the night sky grows ever darker as we approach the great darkness just before Christmas, step out and ponder the heavens. And wonder how it came to be simply because of one huge, loving divine thought!
DAVID M. THOMAS
Whitefish, Mont.
Letters to the editor should be limited to 250 words and preferably typed. If a letter refers to a previous issue of NCR, please give us that issue’s date. We reserve the right to edit all letters. Letters, National Catholic Reporter, PO Box 411009, Kansas City, MO 64141-1009. Fax: (816) 968-2280. E-mail: letters@natcath.org (When sending a letter via e-mail, please indicate "NCR Letters" in the subject line. We've installed a new spam filter on our letters e-mail account. If it's not clear to us that yours is a letter, we might delete it.) Please be sure to include your street address, city, state, zip and daytime telephone number
National Catholic Reporter, November 10, 2006