Fordham finally did the right thing and revoked the degree. I am overwhelmed that we held them to their own moral standards regarding human rights and torture. We have proven that the university must answer for who it chooses to honor.
May 18, 2015
Revoke the honorary degree granted to CIA director John Brennan in 2012 by Fordham University
Final supporters
In May 2012, despite the objections of both faculty and students, Fordham University awarded an honorary degree to John Brennan, then Deputy National Security Advisor, now Director of the CIA. This award was problematic at the time. In light of the recently released Senate Intelligence Committee Report on CIA Torture, it is now indefensible. Mr. Brennan is complicit with the war crimes and human rights abuses documented by the Senate.
For this reason, we the undersigned call upon Fordham University to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Mr. Brennan.
According to Reuters, as a senior CIA official under President Bush, Mr. Brennan “had detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’”—a bureaucratic euphemism for acts of torture such as waterboarding, hooding, sleep deprivation, forced stress positions, and other forms of dehumanizing treatment.
As Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Mr. Brennan enthusiastically supported the practice of “extraordinary rendition,” the extrajudicial abduction and transfer of people to foreign locations for the purposes of interrogation and torture.
In a 2007 interview, Mr. Brennan advocated the use of torture on the grounds that it yielded information vital to national security, a claim deemed false by the Senate Intelligence Committee. In a 6,700-page report based on the analysis of over 6 million pages of internal CIA documents, the committee concluded that the torture program had produced no intelligence of any value to national security.
As Director of the CIA, Mr. Brennan continues to defend the use of torture. In a formal response to the Senate report, he praised CIA officers for acting “in accordance with the legal and policy guidance they were provided.” Mr. Brennan is referring to the “torture memos,” a series of discredited legal briefs produced under the Bush administration that wrongly permitted such atrocities as rectal feeding, isolation, physical beatings, exposure to extreme temperatures, and sexual humiliation. Moreover, despite the Senate report’s unequivocal condemnation, Mr. Brennan remains willing to torture others in the future. Asked whether he would endorse further uses of torture, Mr. Brennan replied, “I defer to policymakers in future times.”
Torture is a war crime, an outrage to human dignity punishable under both federal and international law, as well as a morally repugnant act condemned by every major world religion. Mr. Brennan knew that his agency was guilty of torture. Nevertheless, he publicly supported it, lied about its efficacy, praised its perpetrators, and stated his willingness to employ it in the future. These actions make Mr. Brennan unworthy of an honorary degree from our university.
As members of the Fordham community, we value our connection to a Jesuit tradition “that assists in the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of justice, the protection of human rights, and respect for the environment.”
For this reason, we call upon the university to exercise its moral leadership and reaffirm its guiding principles by (1) revoking the honorary degree awarded to Mr. Brennan; (2) promoting reflection within the Fordham community on how our university can better live up to the values espoused in its mission statement; and (3) initiating a public dialogue on how, in the wake of the human rights violations committed by our government, we can advance the cause of restorative justice.
* * *
Please sign this petition only if you are directly affiliated with Fordham University, and please indicate that affiliation below (e.g. "Professor of Biology" or "student, FCLC"). These affiliations will be listed for identification purposes only.
* * *
For a set of links to sources supporting the statements made in this petition, to find out more about its organizers and whom to contact to volunteer to help, to learn how we came to circulate this petition, and to see a list of who has signed so far, copy and paste this url into your browser: http://fordhamnotorture.tumblr.com
Please note: One limitation of this petition site is that we have no way of knowing who has clicked the box asking that their name not be shared publicly. And we are including the names and affiliations of signatories on our Tumbler site. If you would prefer that your name not be shared there, please write to ghendler at fordham dot edu and we will make sure your name does not appear there.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
April 2, 2015
March 31, 2015
Seeing this level of support for accountability reminds me why I started this fight in the first place. It is deeply validating to know so many of you refuse to let Fordham ignore the dark reality of what their honorary degree represents.
March 31, 2015
We are approaching five hundred signatures and Fordham needs to see this momentum building right now. Please send this link to a few people who believe our university should not associate itself with the architects of torture.
Reached 100 supporters
February 6, 2015
11 Comments
Thanks to everyone for your continued support of this effort. In the weeks and months to come, our (very ad hoc) group of seven will provide updates. In the meantime, though, we invite you to undertake or continue conversations about how we -- as individuals and as members of various academic units and schools -- might promote reflection on how we/Fordham can better live up to the values in our mission statement, and otherwise deepen our commitment to the promotion of justice and the protection of human rights. (As an aside, do not under-estimate the power of small events or integrating conversations into existing efforts or programming.)
Please note: One limitation of this petition site is that we have no way of knowing who has clicked the box asking that their name not be shared publicly. And we are including the names and affiliations of signatories in a shared Google doc at bit.ly/1z3TQjI. If you would prefer that your name not be shared there, please write to ghendler at fordham dot edu and we will make sure your name does not appear there.
embarrassing that this even needs to be said. thanks for starting this group. hope the administration actually listens this time and does the right thing.
I'm moved by the show of support for this petition, including and especially from Fordham students, past and present. (Moved, proud, encouraged . . . but not surprised.)
Finally this is being addressed. Fordham should be reflecting Jesuit values not honoring someone linked to torture. It really is that simple.
Thank you for your support! If you are directly affiliated with Fordham University, please indicate that affiliation below (e.g. "Professor of Biology" or "student, FCLC 2016"). The University currently seeks nominations for honorary degree recipients and commencement speakers. Fordham faculty & students have been emailed a nominations form; others can email me and I will email you the form. Finally, please check out Jamie Manson's fine article on our efforts in the National Catholic Reporter. http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/fordham-faculty-members-ask-revocation-honorary-degree-they-say-violated-jesuit#
In Our Son's Name Film Viewing The Search for Peace and Justice in a Post-9/11 World Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 5:30 p.m. Keating First Auditorium, Rose Hill campus In Our Son's Name is an intimate portrait of Phyllis and Orlando Rodríguez, whose son, Greg, died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The film tells the powerful story of how these bereaved parents choose reconciliation and nonviolence over vengeance and begin a transformative journey that both confirms and challenges their convictions. Phyllis and Orlando speak out against war in Iraq and Afghanistan, publicly oppose the invocation of the death penalty against avowed 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, and, in a deeply moving gesture of compassion and solidarity, befriend his mother. The film mixes in-depth interviews with on-location footage and striking archival photographs and video to create a poignant personal story that invites us to re-consider conventional concepts of justice and healing. "You cannot help but be impacted by the humility and grace that Phyllis and Orlando show in the face of their son's murder, nor to ask yourself, "Would I be able to do the same?" —Shannon Moroney, restorative justice advocate and author, Through the Glass For more information, contact the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at 718-817-0662 or [email protected].
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Fordham finally did the right thing and revoked the degree. I am overwhelmed that we held them to their own moral standards regarding human rights and torture. We have proven that the university must answer for who it chooses to honor.
May 18, 2015
Revoke the honorary degree granted to CIA director John Brennan in 2012 by Fordham University
Final supporters
In May 2012, despite the objections of both faculty and students, Fordham University awarded an honorary degree to John Brennan, then Deputy National Security Advisor, now Director of the CIA. This award was problematic at the time. In light of the recently released Senate Intelligence Committee Report on CIA Torture, it is now indefensible. Mr. Brennan is complicit with the war crimes and human rights abuses documented by the Senate.
For this reason, we the undersigned call upon Fordham University to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Mr. Brennan.
According to Reuters, as a senior CIA official under President Bush, Mr. Brennan “had detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’”—a bureaucratic euphemism for acts of torture such as waterboarding, hooding, sleep deprivation, forced stress positions, and other forms of dehumanizing treatment.
As Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Mr. Brennan enthusiastically supported the practice of “extraordinary rendition,” the extrajudicial abduction and transfer of people to foreign locations for the purposes of interrogation and torture.
In a 2007 interview, Mr. Brennan advocated the use of torture on the grounds that it yielded information vital to national security, a claim deemed false by the Senate Intelligence Committee. In a 6,700-page report based on the analysis of over 6 million pages of internal CIA documents, the committee concluded that the torture program had produced no intelligence of any value to national security.
As Director of the CIA, Mr. Brennan continues to defend the use of torture. In a formal response to the Senate report, he praised CIA officers for acting “in accordance with the legal and policy guidance they were provided.” Mr. Brennan is referring to the “torture memos,” a series of discredited legal briefs produced under the Bush administration that wrongly permitted such atrocities as rectal feeding, isolation, physical beatings, exposure to extreme temperatures, and sexual humiliation. Moreover, despite the Senate report’s unequivocal condemnation, Mr. Brennan remains willing to torture others in the future. Asked whether he would endorse further uses of torture, Mr. Brennan replied, “I defer to policymakers in future times.”
Torture is a war crime, an outrage to human dignity punishable under both federal and international law, as well as a morally repugnant act condemned by every major world religion. Mr. Brennan knew that his agency was guilty of torture. Nevertheless, he publicly supported it, lied about its efficacy, praised its perpetrators, and stated his willingness to employ it in the future. These actions make Mr. Brennan unworthy of an honorary degree from our university.
As members of the Fordham community, we value our connection to a Jesuit tradition “that assists in the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of justice, the protection of human rights, and respect for the environment.”
For this reason, we call upon the university to exercise its moral leadership and reaffirm its guiding principles by (1) revoking the honorary degree awarded to Mr. Brennan; (2) promoting reflection within the Fordham community on how our university can better live up to the values espoused in its mission statement; and (3) initiating a public dialogue on how, in the wake of the human rights violations committed by our government, we can advance the cause of restorative justice.
* * *
Please sign this petition only if you are directly affiliated with Fordham University, and please indicate that affiliation below (e.g. "Professor of Biology" or "student, FCLC"). These affiliations will be listed for identification purposes only.
* * *
For a set of links to sources supporting the statements made in this petition, to find out more about its organizers and whom to contact to volunteer to help, to learn how we came to circulate this petition, and to see a list of who has signed so far, copy and paste this url into your browser: http://fordhamnotorture.tumblr.com
Please note: One limitation of this petition site is that we have no way of knowing who has clicked the box asking that their name not be shared publicly. And we are including the names and affiliations of signatories on our Tumbler site. If you would prefer that your name not be shared there, please write to ghendler at fordham dot edu and we will make sure your name does not appear there.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
April 2, 2015
March 31, 2015
Seeing this level of support for accountability reminds me why I started this fight in the first place. It is deeply validating to know so many of you refuse to let Fordham ignore the dark reality of what their honorary degree represents.
March 31, 2015
We are approaching five hundred signatures and Fordham needs to see this momentum building right now. Please send this link to a few people who believe our university should not associate itself with the architects of torture.
Reached 100 supporters
February 6, 2015
11 Comments
A bit of thanks to my colleagues who helped put all of this together. To expand on Jeanne Flavin's excellent idea, if you have ideas and / or people to propose for programming, do contact us, so that we can take the Fordham community into account in any planning. One quick way to begin--thinking about the honorary degree process generally. We know now who SHOULDN'T have received a degree--it would be helpful to get a strong community sense of who SHOULD receive one. .
Thanks to everyone for your continued support of this effort. In the weeks and months to come, our (very ad hoc) group of seven will provide updates. In the meantime, though, we invite you to undertake or continue conversations about how we -- as individuals and as members of various academic units and schools -- might promote reflection on how we/Fordham can better live up to the values in our mission statement, and otherwise deepen our commitment to the promotion of justice and the protection of human rights. (As an aside, do not under-estimate the power of small events or integrating conversations into existing efforts or programming.)
Please note: One limitation of this petition site is that we have no way of knowing who has clicked the box asking that their name not be shared publicly. And we are including the names and affiliations of signatories in a shared Google doc at bit.ly/1z3TQjI. If you would prefer that your name not be shared there, please write to ghendler at fordham dot edu and we will make sure your name does not appear there.
embarrassing that this even needs to be said. thanks for starting this group. hope the administration actually listens this time and does the right thing.
I'm moved by the show of support for this petition, including and especially from Fordham students, past and present. (Moved, proud, encouraged . . . but not surprised.)
Finally this is being addressed. Fordham should be reflecting Jesuit values not honoring someone linked to torture. It really is that simple.
Thank you for your support! If you are directly affiliated with Fordham University, please indicate that affiliation below (e.g. "Professor of Biology" or "student, FCLC 2016"). The University currently seeks nominations for honorary degree recipients and commencement speakers. Fordham faculty & students have been emailed a nominations form; others can email me and I will email you the form. Finally, please check out Jamie Manson's fine article on our efforts in the National Catholic Reporter. http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/fordham-faculty-members-ask-revocation-honorary-degree-they-say-violated-jesuit#
In Our Son's Name Film Viewing The Search for Peace and Justice in a Post-9/11 World Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 5:30 p.m. Keating First Auditorium, Rose Hill campus In Our Son's Name is an intimate portrait of Phyllis and Orlando Rodríguez, whose son, Greg, died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The film tells the powerful story of how these bereaved parents choose reconciliation and nonviolence over vengeance and begin a transformative journey that both confirms and challenges their convictions. Phyllis and Orlando speak out against war in Iraq and Afghanistan, publicly oppose the invocation of the death penalty against avowed 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, and, in a deeply moving gesture of compassion and solidarity, befriend his mother. The film mixes in-depth interviews with on-location footage and striking archival photographs and video to create a poignant personal story that invites us to re-consider conventional concepts of justice and healing. "You cannot help but be impacted by the humility and grace that Phyllis and Orlando show in the face of their son's murder, nor to ask yourself, "Would I be able to do the same?" —Shannon Moroney, restorative justice advocate and author, Through the Glass For more information, contact the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at 718-817-0662 or [email protected].
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A bit of thanks to my colleagues who helped put all of this together. To expand on Jeanne Flavin's excellent idea, if you have ideas and / or people to propose for programming, do contact us, so that we can take the Fordham community into account in any planning. One quick way to begin--thinking about the honorary degree process generally. We know now who SHOULDN'T have received a degree--it would be helpful to get a strong community sense of who SHOULD receive one. .