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The Courage to Resist...

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freedom4free
 
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2006 03:14 pm
The Courage to Resist: A US Lieutenant Refuses Deployment to Iraq

Ehren Watada is a 27-year-old First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He joined the Army in 2003 during the run-up to the Iraq war. He turned in his resignation to protest the war in Iraq in January 2006. He expects to receive orders to deploy in late June and will become the first Lieutenant to refuse orders to deploy to Iraq, setting the stage for what could be the biggest movement of GI resistance since the Vietnam War. He faces a court-martial, up to two years in prison for missing movement by design, a dishonorable discharge, and other possible charges. He says speaking against an illegal and immoral war is worth all of this and more.

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The military insists that no soldier is obligated to follow an illegal or immoral order. This has been policy since the Nuremberg trials when "I was only following my orders" became the standard defense of WW2 war crimes.

Given that Bush lied to Congress in his letter of transmittal to Congress of March 18, 2003, it is beyond question that the war in Iraq is illegal. Congress did not declare it. The President did not actually meet the requirements included in the Congressional authorization for the use of force.

No soldier is legally or morally obligated to serve in this illegal war.
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 442 • Replies: 7
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woiyo
 
  1  
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2006 03:21 pm
He is in no position to determine the legality of this war and neither are you.

Make sure you write him letters while he spends his time in prision.
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freedom4free
 
  1  
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2006 03:29 pm
Quote:
He is in no position to determine the legality of this war and neither are you.

Make sure you write him letters while he spends his time in prision.


Thanks for the comment mr sitting bull...$h!t.
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JustanObserver
 
  1  
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2006 05:49 pm
Not sure if I can agree with him on this one.

I understand and support his stance on the war.

BUT...

He did sign up voluntarily to be a part of the armed forces. Strong arguments can be made about the legality of this war (and all it's related points), but this is different than being in a position to do something that is clearly and blatantly illegal/immoral.

Let me put it this way- if his commanding officer told him to kill Iraqi civilians and he refused, then he would be in the right. But just being a part of the armed forces in a war that can be argued as illegal is a different story. He's further removed from the "harm" that he would be causing, know what I mean?

His better bet would be to file as a "conscientious objector" and see if they can move him to a role that wouldn't involve combat, or whatever the options provided for "CI's" are.

Basically, when he joined the military, he essentially agreed to a contract. One that is to be taken very seriously. I wish him luck, but I don't think luck is going to do anything for him here.
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Baldimo
 
  1  
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2006 07:22 pm
He got his free college money and now doesn't want to pay it back. He heard ahead of time that he was going to be getting orders for Iraq and doesn't want to go. This I can understand but being in the military doesn't give you the right to refuse to go where they tell you to.

As someone else noted he can claim objector status and not serve in a combat roll but when they tell you that you are going you really don't have much of a choice. He needs to buck up and just do it. I have seen and experienced some amazing things since I left home in Oct. He is missing out on some fun times as well as dangerous times.
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woiyo
 
  1  
Reply Tue 13 Jun, 2006 05:58 am
freedom4free wrote:
Quote:
He is in no position to determine the legality of this war and neither are you.

Make sure you write him letters while he spends his time in prision.


Thanks for the comment mr sitting bull...$h!t.


Sorry idiot, no relation to Sitting Bull.
0 Replies
 
CoastalRat
 
  1  
Reply Tue 13 Jun, 2006 06:05 am
Ah, Woiyo, don't stoop to his level. When someone posts something that disagrees with him, he seems unable to express himself without using inappropriate language. All it does is show his lack of intelligence in being able to find words to express himself, so he resorts to name-calling. Let it go.
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woiyo
 
  1  
Reply Tue 13 Jun, 2006 06:14 am
CoastalRat wrote:
Ah, Woiyo, don't stoop to his level. When someone posts something that disagrees with him, he seems unable to express himself without using inappropriate language. All it does is show his lack of intelligence in being able to find words to express himself, so he resorts to name-calling. Let it go.


Just wanted to set the record straight. I am no relation to Sitting Bull. Different Tribe.
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