In article , says...

Well, there is the issue of who knew, which (pending new information
that could pop up any moment) suggests that only a few low-level prison
guards did nasty things, vs. those who should set policy such that it is
abundantly clear that torture chambers and rape rooms are absolutely,
unequivocally, *NOT* acceptable. The latter goes to the very top. Not
just the Secretary of Defense, but to the President, and even the entire
American voting public.

The Geneva conventions, the FM on the Law of Land Warfare, and a number of
Army Regulations make it abundantly clear that those things are not
acceptable. There was a failure to properly educate the soldiers involved in
the correct and legal procedures.

I *know* that anyone who graduates from an American service academy has
been well-trained in what constitutes an illegal order, and how to
respond if you are given an illegal order by your superiors. I also
know that recruits and draftees *used to* get a lecture on the subject
as part of their classroom studies (at least they did 30 years ago). Is
there anyone out there reading this ng who has gone through basic
training recently and can tell us if they still train the grunts on what
an illegal order is and what you should do if you receive one?

BTW -- one of the things about illegal orders is that, should you decide
to obey an illegal order, you can not under *any* circumstances avoid
prosecution for your actions using the defense of "I was just following
orders." So, even if you are *ordered* to commit atrocities and/or
torture prisoners, if you obey those orders you are, indeed, responsible
for your actions and can be prosecuted for your violations of the U.S.
Military Code.

Doug