In the shadow of the RNC...
War resisters convene to stop war. Sarah Lazare, Courage to
Resist's new Project Coordinator, reports from the Vets for Peace
and Iraq Veterans Against the War conventions.
Iraq veterans march against
war
Sixty Iraq-era vets march in uniform to RNC convention site. McCain
campaign refuses to speak with the very veterans that he claims to speak
for.
Robin Long sentenced to 15
months
The first (and so far only) Iraq War resister to be deported from
Canada, Robin will
be imprisoned at the Miramar Naval Brig in San Diego until June 2009. Free
Robin now!
Airman
Thurman wins CO discharge
With the help of Courage to Resist, Airman Michael Thurman
honorably discharged as a conscience objector. Listen to Michael explain
his transformation.
Also: Tomorrow, September 13th is a
pan-Canadian Day of Action to support U.S. Iraq war resisters
and to demand that the Harper government immediately stop the
deportations. War Resisters
Support Campaign (Canada) for more info.
In
shadow of the RNC, war resisters convene to stop war
Courage to Resist. August 29, 2008
This past weekend, as Republicans prepared for their national
convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, a more somber gathering was taking
place, a few miles away. At a Ramada hotel in Minneapolis, Veterans for Peace along with
Iraq Veterans Against the War held a
convention calling for an end to the U.S.-led war and occupation
of Iraq. These are the soldiers who are called on to fight the war that
their government chose to start. While the Republicans continue to
celebrate the so-called "War on Terror" and the success of the
"surge"
in Iraq, the veterans have a different story to tell about carnage,
destruction, and physical and mental wounds that have yet to heal.
Read more, including an interview with Harvey Tharp...
Photo above-right (from left to right): Iraq War
resisters Hart Viges, Selena Coppa, and Matthis Chiroux receive
"Courage to Resist" medals from staff members Jeff Paterson and
Sarah Lazare following "Supporting GI Resistance" workshop.
Iraq veterans march against war
at the RNC
Courage to
Resist. September 9, 2008
Throughout the Republican National Convention last week in St. Paul,
John McCain was repeatedly hailed as a war hero. Yet, as his supporters
waxed poetic about his service in Vietnam and his time as prisoner of
war, McCain turned his back on the very veterans that have served on
the frontlines of the ongoing war on Iraq.
On the first day of the RNC, 60 members of Iraq Veterans Against the
War (IVAW) marched to the Xcel Energy Center convention site to deliver
a briefing to the McCain campaign explaining why they are opposed to
the war. Wearing their uniforms and standing in formation, the former
service people were turned away by McCain's staff, and Wes Davey,
Former Master Sergeant and march leader, was forced off the premises
after attempting to deliver the letter in person.
Read
more and view photos...
March of thousands to DNC site in Denver led by "Support GI
Resistance" banner!
Iraq War resister Robin Long
sentenced to 15 months
September 12, 2008 update: Robin Long transferred to
Miramar Naval Brig, San Diego, California for remainder of
imprisonment. Please send letters to Robin c/o Courage to
Resist (he must add you to his "approved mail list"
prior to receiving correspondence directly from you). Robin will likely be
released June 2009.
Courage to Resist. August 22, 2008
Robin Long, an Iraq War resister deported from Canada into U.S.
military custody last month, was sentenced today to 15 months of
confinement and dishonorable discharge, receiving credit for 40 days of
time served. He will spend 2-3 weeks in a county jail outside of Fort
Carson, Colorado before being transferred to a Army stockade.
Long’s supporters, who flooded the Fort Carson, Colorado
courtroom
where the court martial was held and held a vigil in his honor,
expressed dismay at the harsh verdict. “It sets a very chilling
precedent that someone who is brought back gets the book thrown at
them,” said Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army Colonel who publicly
resigned in opposition to the invasion of Iraq and served as a witness
at Long’s trial. “I hope the Canadian government recognizes
that.”
Read more and listen to Robin from jail...
Airman Michael Thurman
wins CO discharge
During basic training, Air Force recruit Michael Thurman began to have
misgivings about the war in Iraq -- and all war. By the time he was
assigned to his first duty station, he realized that he could not
continue working for the war machine. He applied for conscientious
objector status, and after working with Courage to Resist, he was
discharged from the Air Force eight months later.
Listen to the Courage to Resist interview...
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