MySpace operations underway!
Days after Courage to Resist launches MySpace outreach effort, Army
bans MySpace and other sites. Make Courage to Resist one of
your top MySpace friends!
Hundreds welcome Army Spc.
Agustín Aguayo across Northern California
Along with fellow Iraq War resisters Camilo Mejia, Pablo
Paredes, and Robert Zabala, Agustín has
shared his story of resistance to hundreds at gatherings in Sacramento,
Carmel, San Francisco, Stockton, Berkeley and Watsonville—all in
the last week!
Soldier forced to go AWOL to get
PTSD help
"They don't want the liability so they deny I have a problem, and
because I tried to help myself, now they want to make me a criminal,"
says Spc. Eugene Cherry. Send letter of
support!
Message from Bob Watada &
Rosa Sakanishi
Army First Lt. Ehren Watada's dad and
step-mom
"Courage to Resist is providing a vital role to those
soldiers who are aware that they are being used for the corporate gain of
our leaders."
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Courage to Resist!
Courage to Resist launches
MySpace operations
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U.S. Army bans MySpace!
www.myspace.com/
couragetoresist
Courage to Resist. May 17, 2007
In the name of limited bandwidth and national security, the Army has
banned MySpace, YouTube, and nine other social networking websites. Not
only does this come only days after Courage to Resist launched our own
MySpace outreach effort, it comes the day after the Army itself opened a
YouTube channel dedicated to sharing the “good news that goes
unreported” in Iraq! No word yet that www.couragetoresist.org has
been banned.
Last month the U.S. Army ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or
sending personal e-mail messages, without first clearing the content with
a superior officer. The April 19 directive was the first clear, blanket
restriction on troops' online activities since the start of the Iraq war.
If followed “by the book,” it would mean the end of all
military blogs. However, more likely, it’ll simply be another tool
for the Army to shut down voices to it doesn’t like.
Ronn Cantu, an Army infantryman stationed in Iraq,
posted on the soldiervoices.net forum,
“This is worse than I had first anticipated. It turns out that this
affects ALL DoD computers and network, not just work
computers….This affects computers at the MWR (Morale, Welfare and
Recreation) centers as well. In fact, those computers are set up
SPECIFICALLY so that service members can keep in touch with families.
There's already websites set up to bypass these restrictions though. It
will be impossible to silence the troops.”
Under the policy, troops will still be allowed to access the sites
from non-military computers, although few soldiers in combat areas carry
private computers. At this time, troops still have some access to the
banned sites via Internet cafes that are available in many areas of Iraq.
Work-arounds, including the use of proxy servers, are being widely
discussed among troops.
Akinoluna, a woman Marine
blogger added, “Blocking to prevent "the disclosure of
combat-sensitive material" is pointless…. The ban is only on
the military network, the Internet cafes and private connections aren't
affected so if some idiot wants to spill classified info via MySpace,
they still can.”
The Washington Post noted the story of Mitchell Millican of Trafford,
Alabama. Mitchell said he had relied on MySpace to stay in touch with his
son Pfc. Jonathan M. Millican until he was killed in January by an attack
on his compound in Karbala, Iraq.
For its part in cracking down on bad news coming out of Iraq, the
U.S. controlled Iraqi government has banned reporters from covering the
site of resistance attacks until after the area can be cleaned up. Iraqi
troops have already begun enforcing this ban by firing automatic weapons
over the heads of journalists to keep them away for battle scenes.
Make Courage to Resist one of your top MySpace
friends!
Hundreds welcome home Army Spc.
Agustín Aguayo
Iraq War resisters Agustin Aguayo, Robert Zebala, Pablo Paredes
& Camilo Mejia, Watsonville CA 5/14/07. Photo Jeff Paterson
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Agustín joined by other Iraq War vets and resisters on
whirlwind speaking tour
“Before I left for Iraq I searched deep within me, I concluded
that if I go over there I can’t take a life. I ultimately say
I’ll go, but I’m definitely a conscientious objector.
I’m not willing to cross that line, no matter what I can’t
take a life.” Two years later, after his application for discharge
was a conscientious objector was denied by the Pentagon, Army Spc.
Agustín Aguayo went AWOL in order to resist redeploying to Iraq.
Last Thursday, Courage to Resist supporters joined his wife Helga at
the Sacramento airport to welcome Agustin home from a U.S. military
prison in Germany where he was held for eight months as a prison of
conscience for his unjust conviction for desertion.
Since then Agustín has shared his story of resistance at
community gatherings in Sacramento, Carmel, and San Francisco. Highlights
of Agustín’s first week as an anti-war activist also included
presentations to day labors, farm workers, and their families in
Stockton, and high school and college students in Watsonville.
At the Mexican Community Center in Stockton (photo below),
Agustín joined community members in brainstorming about ways to
counter the influence of military recruiters among immigrant communities
in California’s Central Valley.
In Carmel, Agustin was joined by fellow Iraq War resisters Camilo
Mejia and Pablo Paredes at the local Unitarian Church. Students from
nearby Hartnell Community College raised hundreds of dollars for these
resisters with a bake sale for peace.
In San Francisco, with the help of Veterans for Peace and Codepink, a
hundred supporters packed a large meeting room in the Veterans War
Memorial Building to hear these courageous resisters.
Earlier in the day, these war resisters were joined by Iraq veteran
Sean O’Neill at a large Mother’s Day ceremony and press
conference to declare the San Francisco Unitarian Church a peace church.
Agustín was joined by California State Assemblyman Mark Leno in
urging the congregation to support war resisters.
The resisters also introduced screenings of the documentary film
“The Short Life of José Antonio Gutiérrez” at a
theater in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. Marine
Lance Cpl. Gutiérrez was a Guatemalan immigrant, a “Green
Card” soldier, and was the first US casualty of the Iraq War.
In Watsonville, recently discharged Marine conscientious objector
Robert Zabala joined Camilo, Pablo, and Agustín in speaking to over
a 130 people at the United Presbyterian Church. With half of the audience
being students, there was no shortage of questions about the realities of
military life and the Iraq occupation. Robert made national news last
month when a federal judge ordered his release from the Marines as a
conscientious objector, despite the military denial of his claims.
Courage to Resist organizer and 1991 Gulf War military resister Jeff
Paterson presented Robert and Agustín with gold-plated
“Courage to Resist” medals for bravery in the name of
peace.
For International Conscientious Objector Day on Tuesday, May 15,
Agustín joined Berkeley city council member Kriss Worthington in
hoisting a peace flag in front of the Berkeley City Hall by proclamation
of the city council and mayor.
On this
morning’s Democracy Now! radio and television show,
Agustín shared:
My time in prison was a time of deep reflection. I felt completely
free there, as free as I had not been in so long. I was able to share my
experience with others, and that brought me a sense of joy. It was also
painful, since I was separated from my wife, but this was something I was
willing to pay or something I was willing to do in order for me to save my
sanity and not go against my conscience.
Now at home, Agustín is celebrating the birthday of his twin
daughters who turned 12-years-old today. A welcome home celebration is
being organized for June 1 in Los Angeles. Stay in touch for details
coming soon.
View the
Courage to Resist photo gallery of Agustin's Northern California
tour.
Thank you Agustin Aguayo for your courage to resist!
Spc. Eugene Cherry forced to
go AWOL to get PTSD help
Army Spc. Eugene Cherry. Photo Different Drummer Cafe
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SYRACUSE, NY -- A 10th Mountain Division soldier facing a bad conduct
discharge for going AWOL says he suffers from post-traumatic stress
disorder and is being court martialed because he went home for help after
the Army failed to provide him with adequate treatment.
"They don't want the liability so they deny I have a problem, and
because I tried to help myself, now they want to make me a criminal,"
Spc. Eugene Cherry said in a telephone interview from Fort Drum, where he
is restricted to post pending a court martial.
Cherry served as a combat medic in Iraq for a year with the division's
2nd Brigade Combat Team, returning to Fort Drum in June 2005. That
November, he took an unauthorized leave from the Army, returning to his
native Chicago to live with his mother and find mental health
treatment.
Send Eugene letters of support!
Eugene Cherry, c/o Different Drummer Cafe
12 Paddock Arcade, 1 Public Square, Watertown NY 13601
Read
more...
A message from Bob
Watada & Rosa Sakanishi
Bob Watada and Rosa Sakanishi with son Lt. Ehren Watada, Fort
Lewis WA, 1/4/07. Photo AP
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Father and step-mother of Lt. Ehren Watada
The terrible United States' invasion of Vietnam came to an end because
of soldier resistance to the wanton killing of the Vietnamese people.
Today, the United States has again invaded and occupies another
country--Iraq, for corporate greed by our leaders. The plunder, torture,
rape, and murder of innocent peoples and the senseless use of our citizen
soldiers as a weapon against innocent peoples must come to an end.
Courage to Resist is providing a vital role to those soldiers who are
aware that they are being used for the corporate gain of our leaders.
Where soldiers know that there is a support system in the community,
their choice to resist will be of great comfort. Courage to Resist
actively supports the soldier.
Please
make a donation to support the work of Courage to Resist.
Lt. Ehren Watada update from Courage to Resist: In the
wake of Lt. Watada's mistrial victory in February, the Army had scheduled
pre-trial motions for a new trial to begin this week with the second
court martial to take place in July. However, these proceedings have been
postponed with no new dates yet announced. Lt. Watada continues his daily
duties at Fort Lewis, Washington and is scheduled to be promoted to the
rank of captain soon. His lawyers will soon be asking the federal courts
to bar the Army from holding a second trial based on the double jeopardy
clause of the U.S. Constitution. No dates are available for those
hearings either.
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