Re: [FT] Morale Re: [SG2] weapons

--- Roger Burton West <roger@firedrake.org> wrote:

> I think that this is not something that has much
> practical application -
> obviously it came in after WW2 (mainly so that "I
> was ordered to do it"
> would not be a valid defence), but in practice an
> army that had
> the troops querying every order for legality would
> never get anywhere.

Ummm. . . the thing is that an order is assumed to be
lawful unless it can be demonstrated that it violates
the US Constitution, the UCMJ, Federal Law, or Army
Regulation.  But it is still taught and has been
taught for years.  Now, obviously an order to pick up
trash is lawful and a private that wanted to give
someone crap about it would find himself in deep shit.
 But an order to whack unarmed civillians would be
questioned by most people I know.  Yes, teaching your
soldier the laws of land warfare and to question
illegal orders is of great practical value.  It
minimizes the time your PAO has to spend explaining
the unjustifiable.

John

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