Former CIA Head Explains Why Armed Forces Can't Legally Obey Trump "If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act."This had a frightening Seven Days in May sound to it... till I read General Hayden's explanation:
Michael Hayden, the former head of the NSA and CIA, thinks some of presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign promises are so unlawful that the U.S. Armed Forces could not follow them as orders. These include Trump's claim that people deserve to be waterboarded even if it doesn't work and that he would target the families of terrorists. The internationally recognized Geneva Conventions bars such action. "If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act," Hayden said Friday during an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher." "You are required not to follow an unlawful order that would be in violation of all the international laws of armed conflict."I was in Army Basic Training some seven (7) years post-My Lai. Two full days of classroom instruction were devoted to the distinction between "lawful" and "unlawful" orders, and our duty to obey the first and REFUSE to obey the second. 'Twas a lot for young recruits to wrap our heads around. Yep - waterboarding is TORTURE under international law... heck, we prosecuted Japanese officers as war-criminals for this act in WWII. Yep - deliberately targeting non-combatants - even if the families of bad guys - is ILLEGAL under international law!
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