Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens enlisted in the Navy...
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Currently seated Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens enlisted in the Navy several hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a cryptographer, assigned to breaking Japanese codes. The team, of which he was a member, was responsible for decoding the orders that informed American officials the flight plan of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Japanese Navy and the architect of the Pearl Harbor aerial assault. Based on this information, Navy pilots, on the orders of President Roosevelt, shot down Yamamoto's plane in April 1943. Stevens was troubled by this military action. Yamamoto, a highly intelligent officer who had lived in the United States and became friends with many American officers, was shot down with so little deliberation and humanitarian consideration. Amongst the frenzied leaders of "The Land of the Rising Sun," could he not have been the voice of reason? Into the waters of the Pacific did we not possibly lose the cornerstone of peace negotiations?
Stevens, decades hence, still reflects upon this incident, causing him to alter his position on the death penalty in his court deliberations. The justice related, "I was sitting on the desk, on watch, when I got word that they had shot down Yamamoto in the Solomon Islands, and I remember thinking: This is a particular individual they went out to intercept. There is a very different notion when you're thinking about killing an individual, as opposed to killing a soldier in the line of fire." Partly as a result of his World War II experience, Stevens expressed, that regarding the death penalty, the court must narrow the category of those who are eligible for capital punishment, adding that it is imposed fairly, accurately, and with earnest deliberation.
One may agree or take issue with Stevens' interpretation of the orders to assassinate Yamamoto, but the question for us is how often do we reflect on past assumptions, allowing the knowledge gained to alter our present course of action? When Herod met the wise men, he was unable to ask the correct questions and made the wrong assumptions.
Stevens, decades hence, still reflects upon this incident, causing him to alter his position on the death penalty in his court deliberations. The justice related, "I was sitting on the desk, on watch, when I got word that they had shot down Yamamoto in the Solomon Islands, and I remember thinking: This is a particular individual they went out to intercept. There is a very different notion when you're thinking about killing an individual, as opposed to killing a soldier in the line of fire." Partly as a result of his World War II experience, Stevens expressed, that regarding the death penalty, the court must narrow the category of those who are eligible for capital punishment, adding that it is imposed fairly, accurately, and with earnest deliberation.
One may agree or take issue with Stevens' interpretation of the orders to assassinate Yamamoto, but the question for us is how often do we reflect on past assumptions, allowing the knowledge gained to alter our present course of action? When Herod met the wise men, he was unable to ask the correct questions and made the wrong assumptions.
