Support First Lieutenant Ehren
Watada
REFUSING
TO KILL IS NOT A CRIME
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Lt Watada
(center) with his parents
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International Day of Action – Tuesday June 27
Leafleting at Mann's Chinese Theater ,
Noon – 1pm
6925 Hollywood
Blvd. (near Highland), Los Angeles
“Normally, those
in the military have allowed others to speak for them and act on their
behalf. That time has come to an end… I
hope that my example shows other soldiers that they too have the power
to choose right over wrong and that freedom is something that can never
be taken away”.
Lt. Watada
On Thursday June 22, First
Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer of the US Army
to publicly refuse to go to Iraq and to campaign for an end to this
war, was confined to his base and put under a complete gag order
without being charged. We urge you to
support his principled and courageous stand, to demand that he be freed
to move and to communicate with his family and supporters and the
public, and that he not face any further punishment for his actions.
The Day of Action has been
called by the US group Courage to Resist and actions have been planned
across the US. The Watada family is
pleased and excited that Payday will internationalize the
support by calling for groups and individuals in other countries to
take action with them. Actions
are taking place in more than 25 cities across the US,
as well as Canada, the UK, Japan
and Italy. A model
letter to US Embassies is suggested below.
Recently,
US soldier Suzanne Swift was arrested for deserting
her military police unit after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder
as a result of rape and sexual harassment by superiors while on duty in
Iraq. Her refusal and Lt. Watada’s stand out among the increasing
number of soldiers who are refusing the atrocities this war is
inflicting on civilians and its own military. The
two families have met and gave mutual support. More information on Suzanne Swift's
campaign will be available soon at www.suzanneswift.org
or email Sara Rich, Suzanne Swift's
mother, at formydaughtersuzanne@yahoo.com.
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“We taught Ehren that he has to
care for other human beings, other people on this planet, regardless of
where they are. We didn’t teach him to go kill children, kill women in
Iraq… he’s chosen the hard course, but it’s the right course and we’re
very proud of him.”
Bob Watada, Lt. Watada’s father, who refused to serve in the
Vietnam war.
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“I think that what Ehren is doing
will galvanize the antiwar movement… The 1% of the population that
represent the oil conglomerates, and the rich who get richer, can no
longer mandate and determine our future.” Carolyn Ho, Lt. Watada’s mother.
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In
defending Lt. Watada, we are defending ourselves and our sisters and
brothers in every country against the rape, murder and devastation
unleashed by Bush’s “endless wars” and the theft of billions of dollars
from every population which the world needs to be invested in caring
not killing.
Power to the sisters and brothers refusing to
kill – and to be killed
·
Take action on Tuesday June 27. A current list of demonstrations
can be found on the Courage to Resist website http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/96/27/
.
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If
you live outside the US, send
a letter of protest
to, or vigil outside of, the US
embassy where you live. See
below model letter, or write your own. For US embassies and consulates see http://usembassy.state.gov. Please cc: courage@riseup.net and payday@paydaynet.org
Los
Angeles is among many cities across the US taking action in
support of Lt. Watada, in Los Angeles sponsored by the
Global Women’s Strike/LA, Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike
and Payday.
Global Women’s Strike INVEST IN CARING NOT KILLING
Tel 323-292-7405 Email la@crossroadswomen.net Web www.globalwomenstrike.net
Payday, an international network of men working with the Global
Women's Strike
Model
letter to US Embassies
Dear Ambassador,
Re: Lt. Ehren Watada, confined to base and silenced for
refusing to deploy to Iraq
On
June 7, First Lieutenant Ehren Watada of the US Army publicly declared
that he is refusing orders to deploy to Iraq with his brigade, after
the Army had declined his resignation based on his conscience and
principles.
We
understand that on 22 June, he was confined to Fort Lewis and put under
a complete gag order without any charge or proper process, after
refusing orders to prepare to fly to Iraq. We demand that he be freed
from confinement and allowed to communicate with his family and
supporters and the public, that he be granted an honorable discharge,
and that he not face court-martial or is not in any way punished for
his actions. Refusing to kill is not a crime.
Lt. Watada’s stance is in line with the
Nuremberg Charter (1950), which enshrined in international law the
responsibility of each of us to refuse to obey illegal and immoral
orders from any government. In the US,
these principles have been part of the official policy of the
Department of Defense since 1953, and can be found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice 809.ART.90
(20), 892.ART.92 (1), and 892.ART.92 (2).
The pre-emptive war on,
and occupation of, Iraq is a crime on a massive scale. Increasingly,
soldiers in the US, the UK and other countries are refusing to
participate in this slaughter, torture and rape -- by some estimates
over 100,000 Iraqis killed, the majority women and children. The number of US military deaths in Iraq is
now over 2500. Total casualties for both
are many times higher.
Recently, US soldier Suzanne Swift was
arrested for deserting after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder
as a result of rape and sexual harassment by superiors while on duty in
Iraq. Her refusal and Lt. Watada’s represents the view of
millions. Poll after poll around the
world, including in the US, have shown public rejection of the war and
the occupation of Iraq.
At
least 8,000 US soldiers are officially “deserters”, hundreds are
seeking refuge in Canada and other countries, and the number of young
men and women signing up for the military (particularly people of
color) is at an historic low despite the pressure of the “poverty
draft”. In the UK, which has the second
largest contingent in Iraq, the number of deserters has tripled since
the invasion.
Ben Griffin, a British
soldier who resigned from the SAS (Special Armed Services) said,
“Soldiers are no longer
asked to line up in the trench and at a blow of their commander’s
whistle go over the top without thinking. The
war is illegal, we were lied to -- surely a soldier is allowed to
unvolunteer himself from the army?”
Lt. Watada has said of
his decision to refuse,
“It is my conclusion
as an officer of the Armed Forces that the war in Iraq is not only
morally wrong but a horrible breach of American law.
Although I have tried to resign out of protest, I am forced to
participate in a war that is manifestly illegal. As the
order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I
must as an officer of honor and integrity refuse that order.”
We urge you to accept
Lt. Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq and grant him an immediate
honourable discharge, and to release him from confinement and the gag
order immediately.
Yours sincerely,