Col. Ann Wright: Watada Follows Military Rules on Dissent

[marmar]

From Truthout:


Watada Follows Military Rules on Dissent
By Colonel (Retired) Ann Wright
t r u t h o u t | Guest Columnist

Monday 12 February 2007

Mistrial declared as Army's case flounders.
Courage is not only shown on the battlefield by military personnel. It takes guts and courage for a soldier to refuse to deploy to Iraq with one's unit because he believes the war is illegal. Very few in our country resign from their careers, much less risk imprisonment, on a point of principle and conscience.

First Lt. Ehren Watada is the latest in a series of war resisters. He went in front of a military court-martial for his belief that the war in Iraq is a war of aggression based on untruths told to the American public and Congress. As a war of aggression, Watada has characterized the war as a crime against peace, and hence, according to international law, a war crime. Going to Iraq would make him complicit in a war crime. Two other US Army soldiers will be court-martialed within the next month for their opposition to the Iraq War, making seventeen who have faced jail rather than compromise their conscience.

I attended Lieutenant Watada's general court-martial February 5, 6 and 7, 2007, at Fort Lewis, Washington. The military law judge, Lt. Col. John Head, declared a mistrial on the third day of the trial before the defense had presented its case. While Watada stipulated the fact that he missed his unit's deployment to Iraq, he pled not guilty to the charge, as he maintained he did not have criminal intent in refusing to deploy, but instead his refusal was to prevent his complicity in a war crime. As to the stipulation of fact that he had spoken in a public forum in June and August, he would argue that his statements about the illegality of the war were based on facts provided by international law experts, Congressional testimony and comments by retired general officers.

The defense was to consist of only two witnesses, one of whom was to be Watada himself. Eight witnesses, including leading international war experts and analysts, had been struck from the defense witness list by the judge in a January 2007 pre-trial hearing. The judge ruled that evidence concerning the legality of the war on Iraq was off-limits during the trial. As one can imagine, the courtroom dance of not mentioning the "ultimate question," of whether a soldier can question the legality of a war, proved to be an incredible obstacle to justice in the case of a military officer facing prison time for his beliefs.

The US Army prosecution called only three witnesses to meet its burden of providing evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Lieutenant Watada had failed to deploy to Iraq and had committed conduct "unbecoming an officer" for public statements about the war on Iraq he made in June and August 2006. ......(more)

The rest of the piece is at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021207S.shtml

[Bonobo]

1. Reccomended! We continue to ignore Lt. Watada although his actions

are arguable the strongest and most patriotic voice of protest since this war began.

Consider the brain-washing, and peer pressure that he has overcome.

Consider how much time and spiritual and physical effort he put into becoming an officer.

Consider the scorn he has endured from those who's respect means everything to him, his fellow soldiers.

Consider how much he has thrown away and how much he risks. His life, his future.

Now consider the fact that we laughed at the WW2 Germans who's defended themselves by saying "I was just following orders".

Now ask yourself, "Are we any better?", "Are our soldiers also just following orders?"

Staring into THAT abyss is some pretty scary shit, huh.

[marmar]

2. I agree that he's ignored. That more people don't stand up with him and for him....

perplexes me. :think:

[Bonobo]

3. I tried so hard to get that video viewed! I think it was a historic speech!

I cannot stress enough how much it kills me that people won't take 40 minutes or even 1 minute of their time.

If Thomas Payne or Nathan Hale or Jefferson made a video and it was on You Tube, they would still be ignored if Paris Hilton went panty-less to the Academy Awards.

Here is the link to the video.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=15717&mesg_id=15717

[marmar]

4. "they would still be ignored if Paris Hilton went panty-less to the Academy Awards."

Sad but true....Thanks for the link.:thumbsup:

[countmyvote4real]

5. I would like to know if any of our POTUS candidates are aware of Lt. Watada.

IF they are, what do they think of his position?

If he is ultimately convicted of anything, would they pardon him and why or why not?

[Bonobo]

6. Excellent question. We should try to ask them!

My guess is he would get the hot potato treatment.