Fort Lewis Rally! Be there!

[greek302]

On June 22, 2006, U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada stepped forward as the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War and occupation. He faces court martial and up to 4 years imprisonment (reduced from an original 6 years maximum) for refusing to deploy and for speaking out against a war that he believes is illegal.

On Febuary 5, 2007 Lieutenant Watada will be courtmashled for refusing to deploy to Iraq. Be there to support him!

LT. Watada


50,000 expected

[Soulghast]

Oh, if I understood well, there is a general who refuses to go to Iraq, and speaks against this war, and he is imprisoned? Is this democracy?

[greek302]

Look at a thread called Lt. refuses comabt, or somthing to that effect.

[Caelius]

Oh, if I understood well, there is a general who refuses to go to Iraq, and speaks against this war, and he is imprisoned? Is this democracy?

Not in the military there isn't.

[danzig]

If I could be bothered and lived anywhere near it Id attend it...to support his facing charges. To quote a movie, our job is to protect democracy not practice it in regards to the military. He signed up, he is an officer in US military one cannot pick the wars one will fight in sure applaud his courage for standing up for his conviction unlike others like him during Vietnam he didnt flee to another country so he deserves respect for that but he very much deserves the charges he is facing. And Ill bet you will be lucky if 10,000 show up, sponsors of these events always overplay attendence and out of the people who do show up uncanny % of people who think their right to protest includes defacing a capital building like they did in Washington.

[VALIS]

Dear Greek302
Kind Regards

LT. Watada seems to be an ignoramos.He enlisted in 2004.Well after the controversial invasion of iraq took place.If he knew he didnt want to be posted there he shouldnt have enlisted.I was 14 when Iraq war happened and even i could see that it was contoversial and rattled peoples cages.
If he enlisted before Iraq then he could be excused(which would still be wrong imo!)
In the armed forces you are sent where you are needed the most not where you wish you could be posted.If all soldiers/officers did this then the armed forces would cease to function.You can not and pick and choose the orders you like and dislike.If you join the army you should be ready to do whatever you are told and go where you are sent.If you do not like this then do not join the armed forces regardless of what era.
I believe he deserves his time in jail and i hope he gets maximum imprisonment.

Yours Thankfully
MoralMan

[danzig]

The thing is too, legally the US is in Iraq currently at the request of the Iraqi goverment...a 'legal' hurdle even the UN sees as valid so unless he planned on going to Iraq and shooting up a bunch of Iraqi civilians what war crimes would he face?

[Bwaho]

On June 22, 2006, U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada stepped forward as the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War and occupation. He faces court martial and up to 4 years imprisonment (reduced from an original 6 years maximum) for refusing to deploy and for speaking out against a war that he believes is illegal.

what if all soldiers were to refuse orders? you wouldn't have much of an army left.

I understand the guy, but he signed the papers and it's up to his superiors to decide whether he should be deployed or not.

[Erik]

The thing is too, legally the US is in Iraq currently at the request of the Iraqi goverment.

A puppet regime installed by the US...:hmmm: I suppose the Nazi occupation of my country was legal too (not the invasion, just the occupation).

[danzig]

A puppet regime installed by the US...:hmmm: I suppose the Nazi occupation of my country was legal too (not the invasion, just the occupation).

What a surprise you making a comparison to Nazis, guess you conveniently forgot the Iraqis going to vote for their current government.

[carl-the-conqueror]

this guy joined the army, he wasnt forced, knowing about iraq, he is an idiot. whil i am against most of what goes on in there, he has no choice.

What a surprise you making a comparison to Nazis, guess you conveniently forgot the Iraqis going to vote for their current government.

the iraqi parliment has no power to do anything though.

[Gaidin]

A puppet regime installed by the US...:hmmm: I suppose the Nazi occupation of my country was legal too (not the invasion, just the occupation).

New record for Godwin's Law people!

Try and handwave the request away all you want. It's still there, and as said, even the UN acknowledges it.

[Tom Paine]

Conscientious objection to original invasion? Fine, I can see that, that was i my eyes illegal. Objection to the occupation? Um... on the request of the Iraqi government and deserving of the support of the anti-war crowd more than anyone else (in a you-broke-it, you-fix-it manner). No chance, sorry mate.

[danzig]

Um... on the request of the Iraqi government and deserving of the support of the anti-war crowd more than anyone else (in a you-broke-it, you-fix-it manner). No chance, sorry mate.

I assume you are against British troops leaving Iraq in 2007 as well then? Since well you guys helped 'break' it

[Tom Paine]

I assume you are against British troops leaving Iraq in 2007 as well then? Since well you guys helped 'break' it

Why, yes I am. Against the war, for the peace, that's me... and the occupation is presently required for the peace.

[Centurion-Lucius-Vorenus]

Conscientious objection to original invasion? Fine, I can see that, that was i my eyes illegal. Objection to the occupation? Um... on the request of the Iraqi government and deserving of the support of the anti-war crowd more than anyone else (in a you-broke-it, you-fix-it manner). No chance, sorry mate.

Could not of said it better, Agreed virtually entirely.

[leeho730]

I'm in the army and I would be pi$$ed off to be sent to Iraq.

My job as a soldier is to spend my life in something worthwhile, and I would not label "dying in 2nd Iraq War" as something worthwhile. Military has a responsibility to make sure that risks and lives sacrificed are really worth while.

The amount of training cadets undergo to be commissioned is no joke-it is physically and mentally extremely demanding, and many cadets quit in a first few months.

If all US and coalition soldiers stood up against Iraq War, Iraq War wouldn't have happened. We need more people to rally against unjustifiable war. We could have stopped many terrible wars such as Vietnam and WW1 (but I have no qualms in whopping German and Japanese a$$es during WW2-they deserved it, well, not the atomic bomb, but hey, if all the German and Japanese soldiers refused to participate in war, WW2 wouldn't have happened).

And it's always easy to sit behind the desktop then ACTUALLY join the army and train.

[Stalins Ghost]

I'll say what I said before about the issue. I fully support his outcry against the war, and admire what he's doing, but I do recognise what being in the military means. If he goes through with the punishment, upon completing his time, he will have earnt a freedom far greater than most people, in that he will have fought in one way or another for his beliefs, and undergone the sacrifice needed to fight for those beliefs. I admire the guy really though overall for going against all the ******** the army has likely fed him over the years.

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

I'll say what I said before about the issue. I fully support his outcry against the war, and admire what he's doing, but I do recognise what being in the military means. If he goes through with the punishment, upon completing his time, he will have earnt a freedom far greater than most people, in that he will have fought in one way or another for his beliefs, and undergone the sacrifice needed to fight for those beliefs. I admire the guy really though overall for going against all the ******** the army has likely fed him over the years.

Quoted for truth.
He made a tough choice between getting punished or going off to fight a pointless war started by an idiot.
If he take what is coming to him which is most likely a dishonorable discharge and maybe little prison time then he is a brave man.

[Farnan]

Actually the current regime was voted in by the Iraqi people...


Also, soldiers choosing what wars they want to fight in is a threat to Democracy itself.