After the atrocities committed against Jewish "prisoners" during World War II, German guards tried to use the "we were just following orders" explanation to excuse their actions. But the civilized people of the world held the guards accountable for what they did, rightfully insisting that common human decency required them to defy their superiors, even at the risk of their own lives.
Today, people in the United States are trying to exonerate the abusers in Iraq with the same excuse. But once again, the excuse is unacceptable.
The truth here is that human beings at many levels made their own atrocious choices, and those choices have created far-reaching consequences for all other human beings on the face of this Earth, as has already been seen in the beheading of American Nick Berg. All who were involved need to be held accountable for their choices.
Beverly Burdett
Orem