Letters to the Editor
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Lawful Orders
When I was in basic training the Army spent some time teaching us the difference between a lawful order and an unlawful order. It was our duty to obey all lawful orders, and to disregard all unlawful orders. Therefore, this principle of Law rather than Leaders is (or was) firmly established at least in our military.
Now, unlike the telecomms, we privates didn't have a platoon of lawyers to tell us whether any given order was unlawful, and you can imagine the courage it must take to disobey an order because you believe it to be unlawful. But the telecomms have no such excuse. They have legal departments and the backing of civil law. They well know their duties under the law. And regardless of what the Weekly Standard may say, the principle of Law applies. The precedents set at the Nuremberg Tribunals make it quite clear that "just following orders" is no defense for breaking the law. The telecomms should be held accountable to their customers and to the law. And people like Michael Goldfarb should be reminded that they are espousing views that are classic fascism, pure and simple.