Hat tip to Anon who shared a link to this story. A blogger and concern parent wrote a letter to Assistant Dean for Student Services, Victoria Ortiz at University of Berkeley in response to Mr. Yoo's memos on torture:
Dear Ms. Ortiz:
Please pardon this communication from a stranger, but after reading the text of John Yoo’s memos, which gave the Bush Administration broad (and most likely illegal) authority to torture detainees at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq, I was so shocked and dismayed by what I read, I felt it was proper to get in touch with Mr. Yoo’s colleagues at Boalt Hall.
As I am sure you have read, Mr. Yoo, acting as a government official, argues that the Bush Administration has the power to torture children. His memos, recently unearthed by the Washington Post, led directly to war crimes at home and abroad, staining our national reputation. Although many of his memos were ultimately rescinded, the underlying theory has led to violations of many US laws, including those surrounding the treatment of prisoners, wiretapping and surveillance, habeas corpus rights, and numerous Congressional oversight requirements.
I have already suggested to my son, who is approaching college age and is interested in law, that he consider any other institution than Berkeley until John Yoo is gone from your faculty. I will be suggesting the same to my friends and family with college-age children. However, I was wondering what you think of these revelations personally: are you comfortable being associated with a war criminal like John Yoo, who advocates for the torture of children and the violation of international law? Does John Yoo bring honor to your field and to your institution? Is John Yoo the kind of person you would want instructing your children? Does John Yoo live up to your stated principles of “honesty and integrity”, “affirm[ing] the dignity of all individuals and striv[ing] to uphold a just community”, “freedom of expression and dialogue”, and “civility and respect”?
As a concerned parent, I would be interested in hearing your views on Berkeley’s seemingly lawless law professor, John Yoo.
Sincerely,
Brendan Skwire
http://brendancalling.com/2008/04/02/shaming-and-shunning/
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