Malcolm Kendall-Smith took a stand and refused to go back to Iraq. I think he is a TRUE HERO of this war, because he stood up for what was right and what was just. He is paying a price for that stand, but I hope he knows that there are many people who admire him and recognize that he is the one who is doing what is morally right.
A Letter from the Guardian (more at the link):
RAF Doctor's Duty and Conscience
When sentencing Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith to eight months in prison (RAF doctor sent to jail for refusing to serve in Iraq, April 14), judge advocate Jack Bayliss explained that the crime of aggression under international law "can only be committed by those responsible for the policy of a nation, at the top of government or the armed forces, and that responsibility for it does not trickle down to those at lower levels of the chain of command". The judge had also said: "Obedience of orders is at the heart of any disciplined force."
This judgment means that in any conflict - if instructed to murder, torture or maim - those of the lower orders cannot be held responsible for their leaders' commands. Those involved in conflicts from the second world war onwards, including Iraq, could claim that they were only carrying out orders. The hypocrisy of this stares you in the face. Flt Lt Kendall-Smith didn't have a chance of winning. I add my support to his stand. JR Faulkes London
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