US soldier sues Rumsfeld on Iraq policy

[Nambe]

Agence France-Presse
Rumsfeld sued over forced retention of Iraq troops

US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld has been sued by an army reservist over a retention policy that allows the Pentagon to keep troops on active duty in Iraq even after their contracts expire. ..

The plaintiff, who filed suit against Rumsfeld, Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee and other top military officials with the Ninth US District Court on Tuesday, alleges a breach of contract and questions the constitutionality of the whole setup.

He has been identified by his attorney simply as John Doe to protect his privacy.

Court documents describe him as a decorated veteran who has already completed nine years of active service with the army and the US Marine Corps, including deployments in Somalia and unidentified war zones in the Middle East. ..

The lawsuit asserts that the emergency policy instituted in the wake of the 11 September 2003 attacks was "invalid" because Saddam Hussein's government had been removed from power and "Iraq cannot be considered to pose a threat of terrorist attack upon the United States". ..

While acknowledging that Doe's contract allows the military to retain him in the event of war, the filing notes that "Congress has not declared a war in Iraq or elsewhere", which makes involuntary retentions illegal. ..
Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[proud patriot]

1. Woo Hoo

:D

[jean]

2. Nambe, thank you for posting all the information and links! You

somehow manage to stay on top of these things as they become available. Thanks again, for keeping your fellow DUer's up to date and informed.

Nambe

:yourock:

[Nambe]

8. Thank you for thanking me Jean!

There is a degree of selfishness involved as I find it therapeutic. Fighting back with words has it's rewards.

[pippin]

3. Another Hero

Sock it to the bastards John Doe!

[Disturbed]

4. What is the MIlitary situation in Iraq, legally?

It is not a declared war, so what is it?

[merh]

6. Authorized use of force to get SH to comply with UN resolutions

NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR

[merh]

5. Way to Go John Doe!!!

Sue the bastards - they are violating the contract and our rights.
The resolution did not declare WAR - it authorized the use of force if certain conditions were meet by the "weed that would be king". He did not meet the conditions and violated the terms of the resolution, thus he has - dare I say it - BROKEN THE LAW and violated the contracts he has (as clown-n-chief) with the soldiers.

SUE, SUE, SUE

Thank you Nambe! You do have wonderful posts!

:yourock: Nambe

John Doe rocks too!

[Swamp Rat]

7. I hope this is just the first law suit against Reichmarshal Rumsfeld.

[LauraK]

9. As many as 40,000 soldiers could be affected by this suit.

That's probably why the US press hasn't picked it up.

[Moderator]

10. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=757878