With profound regret, we must admit that "I was only following orders" works just as well in America as it did in Nazi Germany. http://www.wssob.com/000ttwsb.html (Insignia section). [7] Reddit I was just following orders for gods sake! Imagine numerous scenarios in which law enforcement personnel are ordered to enforce laws that both they and you know are unconstitutional and morally wrong. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a0f4feab99dd5316634ea1c890247292" );document.getElementById("d4c257114e").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Program Schedule WJRB 95.1 FM Saturday 8:00AM & 9:30AM Sunday 2:30PM & 7:00PM, Cycles of History Ignored I was only following orders. Forward march. Healing items are your best immediate way to heal, camping also heals you but it passes time and only heals you for 10%, same with resting at the gym. All Rights Reserved. Unfortunately (for them), that defense doesn't fly. To the rear march. Roman Catholic Church doctrine says that to the extent that one's free will is limited, one's responsibility for those actions is just as limited. ET for the sentencing for Alex Murdaugh. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! All it takes to become a victim is compliance. They are also bound by separate Queen's Regulations (QRs), with some articles being joint (applicable to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force equally). Shortage of health care workers, import more. The first recorded case of a United States Military officer using the "I was only following orders" defense dates back to 1799. But these men with guns and authority tell you to do so, and if you oppose orders of an officer, you risk death even yourself! Spread person-to-person. Adolf Eichmann was one of the most prominent Nazis to use this defense at his trial (held in Israel in 1961). So now, many of these people see nothing wrong with Australia's army-enforced lockdown. Back in DecemberThe Poor Side of Lifemade the following observation: I was stopped by a homeless chap who wanted to congratulate us on our hard work. The process worked. The order was not manifestly unlawful. It is very easy to cast those such as Heinrich Himmler and Josef Mengele as war criminals that deserve to be hung, but can you say the same for those that truly were just following orders and those who had no say in the matter? In this test, the agent is not under the watchful gaze of an authority figure. we only know of them because tribunals, orders, and courts mention them. So help me God". I was just following orders for gods sake. So be warned of this possible future of Britain because of a greedy government who want to cut benefits that they have already decided on, the future does not look good for our country, all it takes is for 1 of these immigrants coming into our country with a serious disease as none of them who enter Britain have been checked at all and they could be carrying anything. 'I don't want to quit': This student is the only cheerleader at her high school 'I don't want to quit': This junior is the only cheerleader at her high school Home Masks not useful. In his book The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis writes about universal moral principles he calls Tao or Natural Law. jeff3. In a 1962 letter, as a last-ditch effort for clemency, Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann wrote that he and other low-level officers were "forced to serve as mere instruments," shifting the. Nashua Office:20 Trafalgar SquareSuite 505Nashua, NH 03063, Portsmouth Office:155 Fleet StreetPortsmouth, NH 03801, 2023 Hamblett & Kerrigan, P.A. Article 33 of the Rome Statute,[2] which established the International Criminal Court, allows the Nuremberg defense to relieve an individual of criminal responsibility provided: This principle, one of many drawn up in the run up to the Nuremberg trials, states: Nuremberg Principle IV was disputed in Canada when Jeremy Hinzman attempted to claim refugee status there after deserting the US army. Reblogged this on Brightonredhots Weblog and commented: 2007-2023 This model of limited responsibility with limited will can apply to any situation with military orders and even beyond the scope of the military. I would say that the person who signed the order should be the one punished. The Court of Military Appeals held that "the justification for acts done pursuant to orders does not exist if the order was of such a nature that a man of ordinary sense and understanding would know it to be illegal." Joshua Barajas All content copyright original author unless stated otherwise. Large gatherings no problem. So, to obey, or not to obey? Action t4 by the summer of forty one yet thry surpassed this figure but they at parliament new this while they had their roburst talks in those side rooms the great cull carries on Is there a basic moral law that defines and governs human interaction? A December 5th, 2019, Cheems meme posted by Redditor[7] baconater419 received over 14,700 upvotes in /r/dogelore (shown below, right). If someone goes above and beyond the orders instilling excessive cruelty in that case I would agree that they should be charged. The oligarchs must then impose authoritarian and increasingly brutal measures to maintain control. The owners of the ship sued the Navy captain in U.S. Maritime Court for trespass. Argument: I was only following orders" an acceptable defense? (Interestingly, the soldier who gave Keenan the order, Corporal Luczko, was acquitted by reason of insanity). I've used the example of the defense used at the Nuremberg war tribunal after World War II because this defense is mostly known through those trials and their defendants. Nevertheless, humanity has habitually and often flagrantly ignored the obvious realities of past misdeeds regardless of how costly or disastrous. Your conscience tells you that the Nazi party's discrimination of various groups is wrong, but you are going to be in the Werhmacht, far away from the atrocities of the death camps. Public interest issues, policy, equality, human rights, social science, analysis, the view from the dark side: politics, media, cities & culture, Blogging about music from early 80s indie to Britpop and beyond, The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. Plato, FATHER + SAILOR + TECHNOLOGIST + MUSICIAN + CYCLIST. Most nations signatory to the United Nations Charter also enshrine the Nuremburg Principle in their respective national law. But, following her lawyer's advice, she did not give details. The problem, really, is who are you ultimately accountable to. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. In particular, acting under orders caused participants to perceive a distance from outcomes that they themselves caused, said study co-author Patrick Haggard, a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London, in an email. Probably the most famous case of the "I was only following orders" defense was the court-martial of First Lieutenant William Calley for his part in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968. For example, a September 3rd, 2019, repost[4] of the meme by Redditor ElJeanMermoude received over 18,000 upvotes in /r/fakehistoryporn subreddit. An order to commit a crime is unlawful. We were practicing how to follow meaningless orders without thinking or complaint. booster. Haggard said his teams findings do not legitimate the Nuremberg defense and that anyone who claims they were just following orders ought to be viewed with skepticism. The Queen's Commission specifically requires officers to "Observe and follow such Orders and Instructions as from time to time you shall receive from Us, or any superior Officer, according to the Rules and Discipline of War" This is a clear indication that Officers are not to follow, ergo not to give, orders that contravene the "Rules and Discipline of War," i.e. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. We were also following orders but we were duped . (LogOut/ Parade rest. Masks not useful. Once the order's shipping information is generated, we send another email with tracking information. The just following orders defense, made famous in the post-WWII Nuremberg trials, featured heavily in Eichmanns court hearings. The closest we have gotten to a authoritative government was the last guy. While multiple documented uses of "superior orders" defence have existed prior, the plea is most commonly associated with the 1945-1946 Nuremberg trials, the military tribunals that followed World War II. Medications no help. For example, on October 19th, 2019, Redditor[6] k00ji posted a Rapper Mario meme which received over 11,000 upvotes in /r/okbuddyretard (shown below, left). As you consider your response, remember the lessons of history. I went through four years of ROTC in high school and college. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. ", Using your tongue to tie a knot in a cherry stem, I fell asleep to the lullaby of rat-a-tat-tat, Notes on ruining the beauty of barren places by being there, Vaclav Havel's address to the US Congress, 21 February 1990. As a result, if an employees manager or the business owner requests an employee to commit a criminal act, the employee should not do so and thereafter should speak privately with employment counsel to determine the best strategy as to that situation. In fact, referring to what Col North should have obeyed: UCMJ is yet again being invoked now by some opponents of the recent conflict in Iraq, who claim that the conflict contravened the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions and International Law. In some cases, a third person an experimenter sat in the room and gave orders on whether to inflict harm. The public policy exception to the employee-at-will doctrine prohibits from an employer in bad terminating an employee because she refused to do something public policy would discourage or did something public policy would encourage. While it is possible that a prosecutor in discussing a possible plea bargain may consider whether or not she was following orders and not personally benefiting from the criminal act that she committed, if she commits a crime on behalf of her employer, both she and that employer may be found guilty for the criminal offenses. Right shoulder arms. So spreading a big lie like Nazi Germany should be avoided, and the lying sycophants of the disgraced, twice impeached insurrection at should be removed from any positions of authority to avoid going down a path of killing people of a different ethnic background. I led my squad in manual of arms and close-order drill, which taught us three things: 1. Military members failing to obey lawful orders issued by their superiors risk serious consequences. Law enforcement personnel become the face of cruelty and tyranny as they are required to enforce edicts both they and the people know are illegal and immoral. Although he was denied refugee status, one Justice presiding over the case stated, in reference to personal responsibility during wartime: This has, however, long been the established rule for questions of the legality of war. The duty and obligation to obey lawful orders creates no grey area for discussion. According to Milgrams experiments, 65 percent of his volunteers, described as teachers, were willing (sometimes reluctantly) to press a button that delivered shocks up to 450 volts to an unseen person, a learner in another room. The right to own private property that cannot be arbitrarily regulated or confiscated by the government is the moral and constitutional basis for individual freedom, The Federal Government Wants Your Land (Beyond 30 x 30), Cycles of History Ignored Kristallnacht in Amerika, Cycles of History Ignored Selective Ignorance, Due Process: Protective Wall for Judicial Rights of the Individual, Georg Hegel, Due Process, and Your Future, http://onlinedocketssc.flcourts.org/DocketResults/CaseDocket?Searchtype=Case+Number&CaseYear=2018&CaseNumber=1540, The Constitution, Individual Rights, and COVID-19 Restrictions, You shall not covet your neighbors property, You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, The Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, Natural Law individual rights in the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. Rod Powers was a retired Air Force First Sergeant with 22 years of active duty service. While Hitler himself and some of his inner circle committed suicide in Berlin, some of the Nazi leaders involved in the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity stood trial in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. Evil grown so pervasive, so ordinary, no one notices it anymore. During the trials, the "superior orders" defense gained such significant notoriety that it started being used interchangeably with "Nuremberg defense" and associated with the German phrase "Befehl ist Befehl" ("an order is an order" or "only following orders"). Large gatherings forbidden. Doctors are independent professionals. All is lost until some large organization like the Institute for Justice, brings themselves to attack the basic root of the problem and millions of Americans file Petitions similar to mine at: http://onlinedocketssc.flcourts.org/DocketResults/CaseDocket?Searchtype=Case+Number&CaseYear=2018&CaseNumber=1540. Can you suggest a solution to the troubling increase in the use of presidential executive orders? Cool.. Its amazing how you can try and try to get something, not even come close, and then all of a sudden it clicks and all goes well.. Until one day you are given a notice, you were conscripted into the Waffen-SS, along with another 200,000 Wehrmacht guys, to be sent as guards to a concentration camp. These men issued orders and carried out their own inhumane actions without prompting from a higher echelon. For Lewis, these primeval moral platitudes constitute a kind of moral inheritance of fundamental truths that are a basic part of human nature. (LogOut/ But that same year Stanley Milgram, a Yale University psychologist, conducted a series of famous experiments that tested whether ordinary folks would inflict harm on another person after following orders from an authoritative figure. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The phrase can refer to any attempt to deflect personal responsibility for a crime onto institutions like an army or the state. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. However, the claim, "I was only following . Therefore, do not automatically issue a mental guilty conviction to a person whose defense is "I was only following orders". You are required to join the Wehrmacht as every male of your age group is. They said that when an individual follows an order that is illegal under international law, he is responsible for that choice, except under certain circumstances. In a 1962 letter, as a last-ditch effort for clemency, Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann wrote that he and other low-level officers were forced to serve as mere instruments, shifting the responsibility for the deaths of millions of Jews to his superiors. The U.S. Supreme Court held that Navy commanders "act at their own peril" when obeying presidential orders when such orders are illegal. The truth is about to finally hit the fan and this corrupt nazi Tory government will never be able to come back from their sickening disgusting acts that they are performing on the most invulnerable British people who are being deliberately targeted and treated like criminals and like we are pond life when we should be treated with care and compassion, a disabled person who is ruled as to be to sick to work needs help and care and compassion, we do not deserve to be victimized and treated like criminals, its not our choice to be disabled, its not something that we planned on for a career, sick and disabled people should never be treated the way that we are now, it is clear to me that this government and especially IDS mass murderer of the disabled thinks it is ok to continue his sick work of culling off and persecuting the sick and disabled in Britain, it is high time that IDS, the corrupt DWP and this government were all charged and prosecuted for the sick and twisted crimes that have been deliberately targeted at the sick and the disabled. Doctors are independent professionals. Spread person-to-person. He had severe mental health and addiction problems. (LogOut/ "We were only following orders" will not be accepted as an excuse. I rose to the rank of corporal but was a squad leader. 'Wir haben nur Befehle ausgefhrt' wird nicht als Entschuldigung akzeptiert werden. To develop a sense of group cohesion. Under New Hampshire law, if an employee does not have a contract she is an employee-at-will which means generally she can be fired or quit, with or without cause and/or notice unless that firing results in a state or federal statutory violation. For more information, please see our Management and the owners should further realize that if an employee is willing to assist in doing a bad act against someone else that employee could later turn on management or the owners with a similar nefarious act. UCMJ was invoked again during the inquiry into the Iran-Contra Affair, in 1987. Milgrams studies rested on a deception: Participants were instructed to administer severe shocks to an actor, who in fact merely feigned being shocked, Haggard said. Column left march. Since 2010 the Tories have killed over 250,000 claimants & starved and made homeless millions more! [2] YouTube Thomas was only following orders. The military court rejected Calley's argument of obeying the order of his superiors. Holocaust survivors and their families in Israel today will readily affirm their solemn pledge, Never again!. Attorney Marr can be reached at [emailprotected]. The first major UCMJ-related incident following Nuremburg was during inquiries and subsequent courts-martial following the My Lai Massacre of 16 March, 1968. That is, when people act under orders, they seem to experience less agency over their actions and outcomes than when they choose for themselves, Haggard said. Similar arguments with respect to UK Service Law and Queen's Regulations are also being made. If they use force to compel your compliance, what will you do? The post inspired similar edits featuring other popular characters, particularly in ironic meme communities. In other words, US military personnel are not required to follow orders that contravene the Laws and Constitution of the United States. Masks essential wear two. As our government continues down this slippery slope, it is very likely that law enforcement personnel and American citizens will find themselves caught on opposing sides of a constitutional and moral dilemma. Squad attention. The phrase can refer to any attempt to deflect personal responsibility for a crime onto institutions like an army or the state. You are under strict orders by the kommandant to shoot any prisoner who tries to escape, and conversely the kommandant is under strict orders to the same effect by Heinrich Himmler. "The Nuremberg Defense", failed and failed again at My Lai, and once more at Abu Ghraib, yet more and more I hear from young police officers that they did_____ because their "boss" (Cpl, Sgt, Lt, etc) told them too. Image courtesy of Caspar et al., Current Biology (2016). At ease. Calley's court-martial found him guilty of premeditated murder, and sentenced him to life imprisonment (President Nixon, for unclear reasons, immediately commuted his sentence to three years of house arrest). Delivery & Pickup Options - 3 reviews of Korea Taqueria "Been following one of the owners since his food truck days and I always loved the Korean fusion from Paper Mill Foods spurrito truck so it's great to see a brick and mortar with another fun fusion! Millions have been slaughtered to satisfy the greed and lust for power of the few, and too often there is neither punishment for the guilty nor justice for the dead. During the War with France, Congress passed a law making it permissible to seize ships bound for any French Port. I've heard that the "I was only following orders" excuse is a bad excuse the nazis on trial used, so I'm curious what did happen to people who didn't follow the orders in the nazi regime? My sister ordered the day before just to be sure they didn't sell out . The decisions during these cases reaffirmed that following manifestly illegal orders is not a viable defense from criminal prosecution. Generally, employees are liable for their own wrongful acts irrespective of whether or not they were doing so at the bequest of their boss. Haggards team found that brain activity in response to this tone is indeed dampened when being coerced. How can a judge fairly say that because you didn't want to die or be punished and did your job we will now punish/kill you? officer." Milgrams research tackled whether a person could be coerced into behaving heinously, but new research released Thursday offers one explanation as to why. He was sanctioned, and without warm clothes and very little food he fell asleep on the streets and never woke up. 3. That defense was first used in a 1799 naval blockade case and subsequently has been used in military cases related to the Vietnam War more often than in any other conflict. This page was last edited on 21 November 2021, at 01:42. Possibly the most famous ever study in social psychology was published 50 years ago by Stanley Milgram (1933 - 1984) in which he claimed to demonstrate that ordinary people would perform extraordinary acts of torture in blind obedience to . During the Nuremberg trials, German field marshal Wilhelm Keitel, German Generaloberst Alfred Jodl and other defendants unsuccessfully used the defense. involved in the inquiry, writes in his autobiography that many of the officers and even senior NCOs - the "backbone of the armed forces" - were in many cases just filling dead men's shoes, given their rank purely because there was a requirement for someone to fill the position. Thus the argument, "I was only following orders" became difficult to prove - no-one was really sure who was competent enough to give orders, nor of the mental state (considering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) of those who followed them. 'I Was Only Following Orders.' By Daniel Margrain " I was only following orders of my superiors" was a not an adequate defense for Nazi war criminals". He didnt stand a chance. Stalin died in 1953 at his dacha of a stroke at age 74, and Mao died in 1976 at the age of 80 from Parkinsons Disease. Please check your inbox to confirm. I was only following orders of my superiors was a not an adequate defense for Nazi war criminals. A handwritten request for clemency by Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Nazi Holocaust, who said he shouldn't be held responsible for his actions because he and other low-level officers were following orders from their superiors. You figure you are probably bound for battlefields of France or Russia or perhaps the Battle of Britain. We were invaders. The "I Was Only Following Orders" Defense. Unlike Milgrams classic research, Haggards team introduced a shocking element that was missing in the original 1960s experiments: actual shocks. As the balance of power shifts away from the people, discord and anger lead to resistance. A new study released Thursday offers one reason why people can be easily coerced into carrying out heinous orders. Right face. For those like Adolf Eichmann or Josef Mengele, that response is hardly viable. The Nuremburg Trials proved beyond any doubt that if the excuse of "I was only obeying orders" could have a consequence as horrifying as the Holocaust it was imperative that International Law must prevent such an excuse being used and accepted ever again. Nothing to worry about. The various other courts-martial considered the troops' defence - that they were "only following orders" - in the light of UCMJ. In other words, people actually feel disconnected from their actions when they comply with orders, even though theyre the ones committing the act. Military discipline and effectiveness are built on a foundation of obedience to orders. In the first experiment, he said participants an agent and a victim took turns delivering mild shocks or inflicting a financial penalty on each other. Evil never sleeps. They are takeout only and they just opened so wait times may be long! i held it for a few thousand feet and didnt spin too much. As a consequence, both the United States and the United Kingdom enshrined in Service Law the "Nuremburg Principle" which states that although Service personnel have an obligation to obey lawful orders from their superiors, they have both a right and a duty to disobey illegal orders. When government rules with the consent of the governed and is bound by the universal moral code, the rights of each individual, even a minority of one, are secured and protected. There were generals who did their best to counteract orders from above that were against principles of humanity; General der Flieger Alexander Andrae comes to mind. Recruits are taught to obey orders from their superiors immediately and without question, right from day one of boot camp. They envy China's forcible vaccinations. Vaccine protection durable. According to the first argument, any action by an individual soldier can be defended by the famous statement "I was only following orders". Column right march. Change). Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like At the beginning of the school year, several workers in the office steal office supplies such as highlighters and staplers from the supply closet for their children. There is a strong argument against the officers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS at the post-World War II Nuremburg Trials in which those who issued orders that led to the killing of about 12 million civilians. The Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World war II determined that this is no defense, and that some orders are illegal and must not be followed. Both the phrase "I was just following orders" and the Nuremberg trials saw usage in memes prior to September 2019. Right shoulder arms. A soldier is responsible for just conduct in war, and policy-makers are responsible for the just cause for war. Article 92 conveys what constitutes the crime of disobedience of any lawful order (the disobedience does not have to be "willful" under this article). That punishment could mean reassignment to a penal unit in Dachau and perhaps a death sentence, even. If these new benefit cuts come in, there is only 1 thing that will happen and that is the end of the world, simple reason is people will be made homeless because they cant afford to live in their homes so then they will be homeless, they reckon this figure will be as much as 500,000 British people and families, crime will then sky rocket and if 500,000 plus are made homeless where are they supposed to live, this will then cause major health problems and with the NHS as it is it wont be able to handle this, imagine now if just 1 person living on the streets from benefit cuts was to get seriously ill then it would spread like wildfire, imagine if this was an incurable disease then the Nhs could not then cope with this medical epidemic this would then turn into a pandemic and if this could not be cured this would either go world wide or Britain would then have to be destroyed and nuked from the earth in order to stop this from spreading. The United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 809.ART.90 (20) Military courts have long held that military members are accountable for their actions even while following orders.