Support Iraq War resister Lt. Ehren Watada!
Act on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 27
Civilian federal judge to review double jeopardy issues tomorrow
Friday, October 19. We demand: Stop the retrial, drop the
charges, and honorable discharge now for Lt.
Watada!
Capt. Peter Brown wins objector
discharge
West Point grad who cited his religious beliefs in a lawsuit against
the Army while serving in Iraq granted conscientious objector status and
honorable discharge.
Labor Conference to Stop the
War
San Francisco event Saturday, October 20 with labor
leaders from Japan and UK to include Courage to Resist workshop with
Cindy Sheehan, Aimee Allison, Stephen Funk, and
Andy Stapp.
Message from
Army Spc. Agustín Aguayo
Iraq War veteran and war resister : "As someone
who has felt the enormous relief of having a strong support group behind
me, it is a privilege now as a member of Courage to Resist to help others
as I have been helped." Please donate today.
Support Iraq War resister
Lt. Ehren Watada!
Lt. Watada speaks to the Vets for Peace 2006 nat'l convention
backed by Iraq Veterans Against the War members, Seattle WA Aug 2006.
Photo J Paterson |
Act on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October
27
Civilian federal court judge Benjamin Settle to review double
jeopardy issues of Ehren's case Friday, October 19. We demand:
Stop the retrial, drop the charges, and honorable discharge now
for Lt. Watada!
By Watada National Steering Committee. October 17, 2007
The Watada National Steering Committee of Friends and Family of 1st
Lt. Ehren Watada urge to you act this week and next in support of Lt.
Ehren Watada. He refused to fight in the illegal war in Iraq and is
facing a possible second court martial and up to 6 years in prison.
Lt. Ehren Watada, the first Army officer to publicly refuse orders
to Iraq, is now at a critical point in his struggle against the
Army’s attempt to imprison him. The Army tried to proceed with a
second court martial despite the fact that an appeal on the basis of
double jeopardy was in progress in the Army courts. This was completely
illegal and a violation of the Constitution. Just days before the second
court martial was to be held, Lt. Watada’s lawyers went to federal
court and requested an injunction to stop the Army from proceeding. At
the very last moment, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin H. Settle
granted an emergency stay. The court martial is now postponed until at
least Oct. 26. Meanwhile, Judge Settle will consider issues around double
jeopardy in this case. It is unknown what decisions he might make.
For this reason, it is absolutely vital that Ehren Watada’s
case get the maximum possible publicity and show of support! Judge Settle
has set up a briefing schedule to examine the merits of the double
jeopardy argument and how long he will continue the stay. The government
has until Oct. 12 to file its arguments, and Watada's lawyers must reply
by Oct. 17. Judge Settle will review the case on Oct. 19.
The Watada campaign plans joint demonstrations with allied groups on
Oct. 19th and Oct. 27th.
On Friday, Oct. 19, we will be working closely with our allies such
as the Iraq Moratorium, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the
War, and many others to stage demonstrations around the nation along with
Iraq Moratorium. We call on all peace and justice groups everywhere to
come to the support of Lt. Ehren Watada on Oct. 19! We urge everyone to
hold or attend demonstrations carry signs supporting Ehren Watada and
listing the three demands of the Watada Campaign:
- Stop the Army from putting Lt. Watada on trial again.
- Drop all charges against him.
- Free Lt. Ehren Watada with an honorable discharge.
On the weekend of Oct. 26 - 27, we will be participating in or
holding demonstrations in support of Lt. Watada. This is the weekend of
the Oct. 27 nationwide day of action called jointly by United for Peace
& Justice and International A.N.S.W.E.R. We will be reaching out to
them to work jointly where we can, or to have local events in cities and
towns where they are not having an event.
For more information, please go to our website , contact
us online , or phone us at 877-689-4162.
Local groups who wish to support Lt. Watada can help by holding
events or speaking about his case at events you are already planning,
holding press conferences, writing articles in the media, or writing
letters to the editor of your local media. In newspapers, the letters to
the editor sections are among the most widely read sections of the paper.
Letters must be short or they will not be published due to space; see the
length of letters currently published in your local paper for
examples.
Watada National Steering Committee
Capt. Peter Brown wins
victory against Army
Army Captain Peter Brown
|
West Point Grad wins objector status
By the Associated Press. October 16, 2007
FORT DRUM, NY — A West Point graduate who cited his religious
beliefs in a lawsuit against the Army while serving in Iraq has been
granted conscientious objector status and given an honorable
discharge.
Capt. Peter Brown, a 2004 graduate and member of the 10th Mountain
Division, said his religious convictions prevented him from carrying a
loaded weapon or ordering his men to use lethal force.
"I'm relieved the Army recognized that my religious beliefs
made it impossible for me to serve as a soldier," Brown said in a
news release issued Tuesday through the American Civil Liberties Union,
which had intervened and filed a lawsuit on his behalf in U.S. District
Court in Washington.
Brown was stationed in Baghdad for more than a year with the 2nd
Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Drum in northern New York.
His conversion to a pacifist interpretation of the Bible began after his
commission into the Army when he attended a civilian religious center in
the Netherlands in 2004, the lawsuit said.
Read
full story
SF Labor Conference to Stop
the War
Saturday, October 20 - 9am to 5pm
400 North Point St. (at Mason St.), San Francisco, California (map)
Don't miss the Courage to Resist presented workshop Soldiers
and Veterans Against the War at 1:00 PM with:
- Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace, mother
of Army Spc. Casey Sheehan killed April 4, 2004 in Iraq
- Aimee Allison, author of “Army of
None”, KPFA Radio Morning Show host, former Army medic, Gulf War
conscientious objector
- Stephen Funk, Iraq Veterans Against the War, former
Marine Corp L/Cpl., Iraq War resister
- Andy Stapp (via pre-recorded statement), former
Army Pvt. who attempted to unionize the military by founding the American
Servicemen's Union in 1968.
- Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist (workshop chair),
former Marine Corp Cpl., Gulf War resister
Hundreds of troops are now openly speaking out and organizing against
the war. Scores of U.S. war resisters have traveled to Canada seeking
sanctuary from an unjust war. Nearly 100 servicepersons have publicly
refused to fight. Well over 40,000 troops have gone AWOL. Meanwhile,
military recruiters are becoming increasingly desperate to fill their
quotas.
Join us
for a discussion on the state of the anti-war movement that is taking
shape INSIDE today's military, and what we can do to support it and work
to make sure that young people know all of the facts before enlisting.
Learn why some servicepersons are risking everything to refuse deployment
to the Iraq War, and are challenging military authority in order to speak
out. GI resistance was a critical factor in ending the Vietnam War, and
we believe it is a critical ingredient in ending our government's illegal
and unjust war and occupation in Iraq.
Of course there is a lot more to the conference than our workshop!
Other conference highlights include opening statements (9:00 AM -10:30
AM) by:
- Jack Heyman - Conference Chair, Executive Board, ILWU Local
10
- Tommy Clark - ILWU 10 President
- Richard Cavalli, President ILWU Local 34
- Takumi Shimizu, Executive Board, Doro-Chiba Rail Union
(Japan)
- Bob Crow, General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport
Union (Britain)
- Betty Olsen-Jones- President of Oakland Education Association
- Bob Mandel - Executive Board of Oakland Education Association
- Jeremy Corbyn - UK Member of Parliament
- Clarence Thomas- ILWU Local 10
- Alexander Cockburn - Editor of CounterPunch
- Jack Hirschman - San Francisco Poet Laureate
Conference participants are requested to pre-register at:
http://laborstopwar.googlepages.com/laborconferencetostopthewar
Donation requested
A message from
Agustín Aguayo
Army Spc. Agustín Aguayo
|
Iraq War veteran, war resister
Since the day I surrendered to military custody after refusing to
return to Iraq, Courage to Resist has been there for me and my family as
a constant fountain of support. This support has come in many forms, from
a friendly call, to organizing a campaign to cover my legal expenses and
basic needs. I believe only an organization with altruistic motives that
truly cares would have done this. As someone who has felt the enormous
relief of having a strong support group behind me, it is a privilege now
as a member of Courage to Resist to help others as I have been
helped.
Agustín was sentenced to eight months in the brig for
following his conscience and refusing to participate in war by a U.S.
court martial in Germany March 2007.
Please make a donation
to support the work of Courage to Resist. |