June 27 - National Day of action supporting Lt. Watada....

[marmar]

National Day of Action on June 27th to support Lt. Watada

ACTION ALERT: June 14
Contact the Army to Demand:
“Drop Investigation into Lt. Watada's Protected Free Speech Against Illegal War”


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On Wednesday June 7, 2006
U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada
became the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment
to the unlawful Iraq war and occupation. He announced his
intention to disobey the illegal order to deploy to Iraq in
coordinated press conferences in
Tacoma, Washington and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Watch the Video


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To demonstrate our solidarity, we call for a


photos by: Lori Hurlebaus
National Day of Action on June 27th
to support Ehren as he officially resists deployment.
These actions will include marches, vigils, protests,
nonviolent direct action or civil disobedience in support
of his legal and moral refusal, and against the war and
occupation of Iraq.



Download the organizing kit now
List of Participating Events in National Day of Action

Groups and Organizations endorsing National Days of Action


For full reports, breaking news, and to donate : www.ThankYouLt.org


Statement of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada
Intial Call to Support 1st Lt. Ehren Watada

Details: http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/83/27/

[pizzed]

1. Todays News (6-22-06) Ehren confined, & under GAG order

If you haven't heard about Ehren Watada yet, please go to the website AND PASS IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, AND SEND TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN TELLING THEM TO HELP EHREN!!! He is a young Army Lt from Hawaii who has already served in Iraq and refuses to go back. He speaks eloquently. And he speaks for hundreds who are afraid to speak for themselves. The few who have taken a stand against this illegal war-for-profit-and-control have been ostracized, threatened and harrassed at the least of it... THIS HONORABLE young man is going to be crucified because he is an Officer, and the FIRST OFFICER speaking out! HE NEEDS OUR HELP AND HE NEEDS HELP TO PAY HIS LEGAL EXPENSES... I ASK YOU ALL TO SEND A DOLLAR OR WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD TO HIS LEGAL DEFENCE FUND, PLEASE!!!

Here's todays news: (SOUNDS LIKE IT'S FROM AN OLD RUSSIAN GULAG, DOESN'T IT? Thanks to the Pnaczie's United fasciStates of America!)

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Lt. Watada refused orders this morning to deploy to Iraq
Now under confinment and complete gag-order without charge
June 22, 2006



Contributions to the Friends and Family of Lt. Ehren Watada legal and political defense fund are urgently needed to challenge these new restrictions.

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada reported to duty at 2:00 a.m. early this morning at Fort Lewis, Washington, and refused orders to move to the adjacent McChord Air Force Base to prepare to fly to Iraq. Lt. Watada believes that the war and occupation in Iraq are illegal, and thus participation in the war is also illegal.

Lt. Watada’s attorney Eric Seitz said, “This morning Lt. Watada has been restricted to base without any actual charges or proper process. By placing a complete gag order on Lt. Watada, the military has again shown that their first concern is silencing Lt. Watada's speech in opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. We will immediately challenge these highly questionable and improper restrictions." Mr. Seitz is currently the only non-military person authorized to have any contact with Lt. Watada.

Lt. Watada is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the war in Iraq. By refusing to participate in the on-going Iraq war and occupation, Lt. Watada joins a growing number of high ranking military officers, West Point graduates, and current and former members of the armed services who have expressed their opposition to the actions of the United States in Iraq. Lieutenant Watada’s refusal comes in the wake of a series of charges and convictions against lower ranking soldiers for participation in war-related crimes: 9 Marines charged with premeditated murder yesterday, charges of a massacre in Haditha, Iraq and convictions at Abu Ghraib Prison.

Lt. Watada faces possible court-martial charges for refusing to participate in the Iraq war and occupation and intends to defend himself based on the illegality of the Iraq war and occupation. Lt. Watada, age 28, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii where he enlisted in the Army and was obligated to serve on active duty as an Army officer for a term of three years concluding on December 3, 2006. Lt. Watada was stationed at Ft. Lewis in January 2006, when he first asked to resign his commission because as he stated, "I am whole-heartedly opposed to the continued war in Iraq, the deception used to wage this war, and the lawlessness that has pervaded every aspect of our civilian leadership."



National organizing PDF poster


On June 27, a national day of action in support of Lt. Watada and coordinated through the website www.ThankYouLt.org will take place in dozens of US cities, including: Ft. Lewis, WA; Tacoma, WA; Honolulu, HI; Charlotte, NC; Cleveland, OH; Harrisburg, PA; San Francisco, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Atlanta, GA; Corvallis, OR; Medford, OR; New York City, NY; and Pittsburgh, PA.

Lt. Watada’s mother, Carolyn Ho, who flew in from Honolulu, Hawaii to support her son, said today, “My son’s decision to refrain from deploying to Iraq comes through much soul searching. It is an act of patriotism. It is a statement to all Americans, to men and women in uniform, that they need not remain silent out of fear, that that they have the power to turn the tide of history: to stop the destruction of a country and the killing of untold numbers of innocent men, women, and children. It is a message that states unequivocally that blindly following orders is no longer an option. My son, Lt. Watada’s stance is clear. He will stay the course. I urge you to join him in this effort.”

Judy Linehan, of Military Families Speak Out said, “As the mother of an officer who deployed to Iraq with Lt Ehren Watada’s Stryker Brigade in their first mission, I know the human cost of war intimately. I stand in solidarity with Lt Watada as he breaks ranks with a Commander-in-Chief who has flaunted international law with impunity in the prosecution of this illegal war and occupation of an unarmed country. The lieutenant’s quiet resolve and quest for truth facing into our government’s fabricated deceptions carry hope to a world that trusts in the rule of law. Thank you, Lt Watada, for your courageous stand.”

ThankYouLt.org
http://www.ThankYouLt.org

[Dystopian]

2. Yes, spread the word and.....

how many others are attending a rally in support?
I've seen the larger ones on his site...
Have been in the organizing stages, and finalizing now..

PEACE~

[JeffR]

3. ***IMPORTANT INFO & A LETTER FROM EHREN'S MOTHER***

A letter from Ehren's mom

Carolyn Ho with her son Lt. Ehren Watada. June 16, 2006. Photo: Jeff Paterson
I am the mother of Lt. Ehren Watada, an officer stationed at Ft. Lewis. He is part of a Stryker brigade unit that deployed last week to Iraq. Despite an unflinching commitment to his men and to democratic ideals, he chose not to accompany his men. His decision came through much soul-searching and through research and consultation with experts across disciplines, inside and outside of the military and the government.


After weighing the evidence, he came to the conclusion that he could no longer be silent while atrocities were committed in the name of democracy. He could no longer be a tool of an administration that used deception and lies to make the case for pre-emptive war.

As a member of the armed forces, sworn to uphold the US Constitution, he refuses to blindly participate in a war of aggression, an illegal war that undermines who we are as a nation and violates international law. Implicit in his oath as an officer is the duty to disobey all unlawful orders for; to carry out these orders renders him an accomplice to a criminal act. Furthermore, to order his men to participate in a war of aggression multiplies his guilt a thousand fold. His conscience will not permit him to do so. He believes that he can best serve them by taking a stand against the war. In so doing, he demonstrates that one does not relinquish the freedom to choose what is right, even in the military, and that the freedom to choose what is right transcends the allegiance to man and institutions.



Contributions to the Friends and Family of Lt. Ehren Watada legal and political defense fund are urgently needed to challege these new restrictions.

As a mother, I have evolved from fearing for his safety and for his future to the realization that there is a higher purpose to all that has transpired. My son no longer stands at the crossroads. He has chosen “the road less traveled.” Come what may, he is committed to staying the course.

I invite you to affirm your support of Lt. Ehren Watada on June 27th, National Day of Action (details below). On this day, groups across the country will participate in peaceful demonstrations, prayer services, candle light vigils, parades, leafleting, visitations to recruitment stations to provide counsel to prospective recruits, etc. Please contact your local organization for details.

My deepest thanks,

Carolyn Ho
Ehren’s Mom


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National Day of Action to Stand Up with Lt. Watada

National organizing PDF poster


Participating events include:

Ft. Lewis, WA - 7am - Morning bannering on the Exit 119 (DuPont Rd.) bridge over Interstate 5.
Ft. Lewis, WA - 4pm - Bannering and support rally on the Exit 119 (DuPont) bridge over Interstate 5.
Atlanta, GA - 10:30am - Press Conference, The King Center, 450 Auburn Ave.
Atlanta, GA - Noon - Vigil, State Capitol
Boston, MA - 5:30pm - Rally, Brewer Fountain, Park St. subway
Charlotte, NC - 6:30pm - Speaker/"Sir No Sir" Film Showing, Public Library, Main Branch, Francis Auditorium
Cleveland, OH - 4:30pm - Rally, Federal Building
Corvallis, OR - 6pm - Rally, Benton County Courthouse
Evanston, IL - 5pm - Vigil and gathering, Fountain Square
Eugene, OR - 8am and 5pm - Freeway bannering over I-5
Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 5pm - Support Rally, Military Recruitment Office, 1406 North SR 7
Harrisburg, PA - Noon - Vigil, 3rd and Walnut
Hilo, HI - 4pm - Support vigil, Kamehameha Ave. and Pauahi St.
Honolulu, HI - 4pm - Rally and bannering, Ft. Shafter, just before Moanalua Gardens
Honolulu, HI - 4pm - Vigil and sign holding, Thomas Square, King Street side
Kansas City, MI - 5pm - Support vigil, 63rd St. & Ward Pkwy
Medford, OR - 4pm - Vigil and support rally, corner of Riverside and Barnett
Nanuet, NY - 7pm Support rally, Rt 59 & Middletown Road
New York City, NY - 5pm - Rally at Chambers St Recruiting Station, Chambers between W Broadway and Greenwich
Oakland, CA - Noon - Vigil, Oakland Federal Building
Oklahoma City, OK - 10am - Rally, S. Plaza of State Capitol Bldg. (on Lincoln Ave)
Philadelphia, PA - Noon - Leafleting and support protest, National Constitution Visitor Center, Market St. between 5th & 6th St.
Pittsburgh, PA - Noon - Counter-recruitment picket, Army Recruiting Station, Market Square, Downtown
Seattle, WA - 5pm - Vigil and sign holding: (1) Westlake Park, 4th and Pine Streets; and (2) Greenlake, East Green Lake Way N and N 64th St.
San Diego, CA - Noon - Support rally, Federal Building, 880 Front St.
San Francisco, CA - 5:00pm - Support rally, Justin Herman Plaza (Market and Embarcadero)
Tacoma, WA - 7am - Bannering: (1) McKinley Way overpass above I-5; and (2) Pedestrian Bridge over Route 16 near Narrows Bridge.
Tacoma, WA - 4pm - Bannering: (1) McKinley Way overpass above I-5; and (2) Pedestrian Bridge over Route 16 near Narrows Bridge.
Toronto, Canada - 4:30pm - Support vigil, across from US Consulate, University Ave. & Armoury St.
Ventura, CA - 6pm - Support rally, Ventura County Government Center, Telephone Rd. & Victoria Ave.

For additional information about listed events, or to have your event:
www.CourageToResist.org