Valtin from Docudharma just posted a must-read resignation letter to the APA. Why is it a must read? Because it strikes at the core of American Values and how far they have drifted under the Republican Administration.
Many of us wondered exactly what George Bush meant when he said "Seize the Day" to the richest Americans in the country. Now we know...wars for oil, inflated energy prices, gouged homeowners, a non-responsive FEMA program, and now...the coercion of professionals in order to justify torture.
Unlike some others who have left APA, my resignation is not based solely on the stance APA has taken regarding the participation of psychologists in national security interrogations. Rather, I view APA's shifting position on interrogations to spring from a decades-long commitment to serve uncritically the national security apparatus of the United States. Recent publications and both public and closed professional events sponsored by APA have made it clear that this organization is dedicated to serving the national security interests of the American government and military, to the extent of ignoring basic human rights practice and law. The influence of the Pentagon and the CIA in APA activities is overt and pervasive, if often hidden. The revelations over the constitution and behavior of the 2005 Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) panel are a case in point. While charged with investigating the dilemmas for psychologists involved in military interrogations in the light of the scandals surrounding Guanatamo's Camp Delta and Abu Ghraib prison, it was stacked with military and governmental personnel, and closely monitored and pressured by APA staff.
