Hope, courage and support

solnitA note from David Solnit

This is an amazingly effective, bare-bones organization. I’m asking you to become a monthly sustainer or to make a larger-than-you-first-thought contribution so that we can continue to organize the “support of the people” when soldiers become part of the solution, and to build a better world.
couragetoresist.org/donate

Dear Friend,

Three things I want to tell you briefly: hope, courage and support. It has been rough; 12 killed and at least 30 injured at Fort Hood, and Obama is about to deploy tens of thousands more young soldiers to war in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hope.

As I started writing this I got a call from Aaron Hughes, the amazing National Guard veteran, artist, and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) field organizer. He called from Missouri driving down Highway 44 from Chicago to Fort Hood, TX to strategize with the Fort Hood IVAW Chapter.

I asked Aaron about the shooting. He said, “They have pointed the finger and looked for a “motive” but they have not addressed the fundamental issue. This is a result of the destruction of the mental well-being of the Army through multiple deployments and the repression of the realities soldiers face. Our military is overtaxed, our government and command doesn’t care. Our country is in denial about PTSD and the lack of mental health care. And we still don’t know why we are in Iraq six years and Afghanistan eight years later.”

resistersAaron added, “Courage to Resist’s support for Victor Agosto when he refused to deploy to Afghanistan—after already serving in Iraq—helped build the Fort Hood IVAW Chapter. Now we can lead a response to the shooting and give this nation a way to respond.”

It was actually many nationwide who donated through Courage to Resist that covered Victor’s legal expenses. Many more helped with publicity and support (specifically, Under the Hood café) that contributed to his 30 day sentence and quick discharge. Victor’s stand, and the support it generated, inspired Sgt. Travis Bishop to refuse. Keep your eyes on Fort Hood.

Courage.

I remember being with Lt. Ehren Watada the predawn morning he had to report for duty. It was the day his unit was deploying to Iraq. He had already announced his intention to refuse deployment at a press conference before the worldwide media, but now it was him alone that would refuse orders and face the consequences.

On August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention, ignoring cautious legal advice, Ehren delivered the clearest call to GI resistance in recent history:

Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War—but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it. Now it is not an easy task for the soldier. I tell this to you because you must know that to stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people.

To no one’s surprise, the military attempted to make an example out of him. Yet last month, the military finally gave up and discharged Ehren. Ehren is now free of the Army—without having served a single day in jail. He, with the support of thousands of people, set the example.

Support.

people powerI remain inspired by the 1986 Philippine “People Power” uprising led by rebelling soldiers backed by tens of thousands of ordinary people who defended them. The brutal US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos fled.

I co-founded Courage to Resist with a few veterans, a military mom, a priest and a half dozen peace activists five years ago because we believed that in order to achieve deep change in our country, our movements had to make common cause with the 2.5 million service members—and their family members—who are getting a raw deal.

Today I’m convinced that troops organizing themselves to be part of the solution—with ordinary people backing them—are key to getting us free of the interlocking crisis of war, climate change, and economic injustice.

To do this we need long haul organizations that can weather the ups and downs of anti-war mobilizing to help organize that “support of the people.” Courage to Resist does this.

Staff organizer and 1991 Gulf War resister Jeff Paterson was there to support and counsel Ehren Watada in the months before he publicly refused to fight. Jeff, I, and other activists traveled to and lived near Fort Lewis, WA for a month in order to set up press conferences, coordinate media and establish a national support campaign. So when Ehren resisted, it mattered.

In another recent victory, we made it possible for Army Spc. Dustin Stephens to take a stand, get support and change the conditions for many soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC. Shortly after Dustin first contacted us, staff organizer Sarah Lazare traveled across the country and not only met with Dustin and other members of his unit, she also recorded an interview with their commanding officer! After her first article was published, living conditions improved. After her second article, co-authored with Dahr Jamail, “Echo Platoon” was disbanded. And after we mailed hundreds of petitions to military authorities on behalf of supporters like yourself, Dustin’s court martial for desertion was canceled. He was discharged last week.

Sincerely,
David Solnit
Courage to Resist Organizing Collective member

www.couragetoresist.org/donate

newsletterP.S. This is an amazingly effective, bare-bones organization. I’m asking you to become a monthly sustainer or to make a larger-than-you-first-thought contribution so that we can continue to organize the “support of the people” when soldiers become part of the solution, and to build a better world.

David Solnit is an anti-war, global justice, and arts organizer. He was a key organizer in the WTO shutdown in Seattle in 1999 and in the shutdown of San Francisco the day after Iraq was invaded in 2003. He is editor of Globalize Liberation: How to Uproot the System and Build a Better World (City Lights Publishers, 2003) and co-author with Aimee Allison of Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War and Build a Better World. He is a co-founder of Courage to Resist and an active member of the organizing collective.


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