Nonviolent Resistance

New York -- The overwhelming response by alumni of United States service academies to the anti-war efforts of West Point Graduates Against the War ( http://www.westpointgradsagainstthewar.org ) has resulted in a combined arms organization of former and current land, sea, and air officers united against the war in Iraq.

The new organization, Service Academy Graduates Against the War (http://www.sagaw.org), was established by three West Pointers, William Cross, James Ryan, and Joseph Wojcik, all 1962 USMA graduates and cofounders of the former organization. They were joined in the new endeavor by Dud Hendrick, a 1963 United States Naval Academy graduate and Terry Symens-Bucher, an alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy, class of 1975.

VETERANS FOR PEACE
Chapter 034, NYC, PO Box 8150, New York, NY 10106 Voice Mail: 212-726-0557
Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631.889.0203 (mobile), ltbrin@earthlink.net

Support Events for First Officer War Resister Nov. 10-11
Patriot Refuses Illegal War
“We all have a duty as American citizens for civil disobedience, and to do anything we can within the law to stop an illegal war.”
- LT Ehren Watada

Military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned community members call for public action Dec. 8-10th!

"All my fellow resisters in Canada and the U.S...We have to stay strong and stand our ground. Because if we keep speaking the truth and stand up for what's right we will always be free inside." -Darrell Anderson

It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women GI’s who have in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and occupation and stood up for their rights.

Out-spoken war resister will turn himself in Tue. Oct. 31 and needs your support.
From Courage to Resist

“At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself if this is something you can live with. It’s your life and the choice is ultimately yours to make. I said NO and I will never regret it.”-Kyle Snyder

Kyle Snyder plans to present himself to Army authorities at Fort Knox, KY, Tuesday, October 31. Before turning himself in he will hold a press conference at 10am in nearby Louisville at Central Presbyterian Church, (4th and Kentucky St.) He will arrive at Fort Knox at approximately 2:30 pm.

Through November 17, Veterans For Peace, a member of UFPJ’s Steering Committee, is sponsoring a 24-city national tour of Bob Watada, Father of LT Ehren Watada, and his step-mother, Rosa Sakanishi. They are making this tour in support of and to raise funds for LT Watada, who is being court-martialed for refusing to deploy to Iraq. As the first commissioned officer War Resister, LT Watada believes that the Iraq Invasion and subsequent occupation is an illegal, unjust, immoral war of aggression in violation of the UN Charter, the Geneva Accords, and the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court.

By Elizabeth de la Vega, www.TomDispatch.com

I look forward to the day when Mattel makes a Sgt. Ricky Clousing action figure.

As the mother of sons born eight years apart, I spent nearly half my adult life surrounded by - and stepping on - action figures. They were everywhere: a phalanx of tiny knights in shining armor on the windowsill; Batman and Robin frozen in an ice tray; and GI Joe guys in camouflage among the hosta. One Christmas, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo even ended up in the manger scene along with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, two cows, three sheep, and several Ewoks. My kids spent hours and hours in a fantasy world populated by villains and heroes of every description except one; there were no peace heroes.

The Army found they had too many officers and NCO's so they decided to offer an early retirement bonus. They promised anyone who volunteered for retirement a bonus of $1,000 for every inch measured in a straight line between any two points on his body. The officer or NCO got to choose what those two points would be.

The first who accepted was a Major, who asked that he be measured from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He was measured at six feet and walked out with a bonus of $72,000.

By Cindy Sheehan

Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless or, which is the same thing, corrupt.
Gandhi

The thesaurus feature on my computer has had a workout since I started writing articles and books about this government, George, Casey, etc. There are only so many words to use. I have searched for synonyms to: sorrow, disaster, death, murder, crimes, maniac, profit, illegal, immoral, evil, innocent, corrupt…so often that it seems that these same words get used over and over again. I am running out of words to describe the miscreants in DC and the hideous occupation of Iraq.

Kucinich Said: "No One Speaks With More Moral Authority" On Need For Troops To Come Home

WASHINGTON - October 25 - Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, issued the following statement today in support of "Appeal for Redress" a group of active duty military personal who are calling for the US to end the war in Iraq:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 200 active duty U.S. armed service members, fed up with the war in Iraq, have joined an unusual protest calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, organizers said on Wednesday.

The campaign, called the Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq, is the first of its kind in the Iraq war and takes advantage of Defense Department rules allowing active duty troops to express personal opinions to members of Congress without fear of retaliation, organizers said.

By Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post

More than 100 U.S. service members have signed a rare appeal urging Congress to support the "prompt withdrawal" of all American troops and bases from Iraq, organizers said yesterday.

"Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home," reads the statement of a small grass-roots group of active-duty military personnel and reservists that says it aims to give U.S. military members a voice in Iraq war policy.

2 protesters arrested at NOAA headquarters while claiming cover-up of global warming info
By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) Two environmentalists spent about four hours Monday perched on a ledge over an entrance to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building to protest what they said is the agency's suppression of information on global warming.

The pair, which climbed a ladder to reach the ledge, unfurled a banner that read "Bush: Let NOAA Tell the Truth," while a small group of demonstrators handed out fliers on a nearby sidewalk.

Police eventually used a cherry picker from a nearby construction site to reach the demonstrators and lower them to the ground. Both men, Ted Glick, 56, and Paul Burman, 23, were charged with disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment and trespassing.

The men had climbed to the ledge using a ladder and used suction cups to anchor themselves to a window.

NOAA, based in Silver Spring, studies climate, weather and the oceans. Its agencies include the National Weather Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

A week of nonviolence education and action, Nov. 11-19, 2006
From Selma, Alabama to Ft. Benning, Columbus, Georgia

Contact: Co- chair Dr. John L. Alford, Sr.
Co-chair Judy Collins Cumbee
Living the Dream 2006, P.O. Box 1362, Lanett AL 36863
www.LivingTheDream2006.org

On November 12, participants in a week of nonviolence education and action, responding to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call to "rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter but beautiful struggle for a new world" and to his dream of a unified, non-violent "beloved community,"will convene in Selma, Alabama, and begin an empowering seven day pilgrimage to Ft. Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

WATADA FUNDRAISER EVENTS ON NOVEMBER 9TH, 2006

In June of 2006, Army Lt Ehren Watada refused to deploy to Iraq, saying he was following his conscience and upholding his duty not to obey illegal orders.

Lt. Watada, is now facing court-martial and a maximum of 8 1/2 years in a military prison if convicted of all seven counts against him, which include disloyalty and conduct unbecoming of an officer. Lt. Watada is the first commissioned officer to refuse duty in Iraq. By invoking the Nuremberg Principles in his defense, he is essentially forcing the military justice system to rule on the legality of the war itself.

8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23
U.S. Climate Emergency Council/Chesapeake Climate Action Network
www.climateemergency.org

Standoff with Police Occurs at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD; Protesters Block Main Entrance, Denounce Bush Climate Policies
See photos of the ongoing protest at www.climateemergency.org

If you live or work near Silver Spring, MD please come to the protest site right now and show your support (see directions below). All others, please send an email to Bush and your Congressman demanding clean, efficient energy by clicking here. And please forward this alert far and wide!!

From Courage to Resist

Father of Iraq war refuser Lt. Ehren Watada, to organize support and raise funds for his son's courageous stand.

Bob Watada is embarking on a national speaking tour to raise awareness of his son's courageous actions, organize support, and raise money for his defense. Events are scheduled from Texas to New York!

View full speaking schedule..

From Courage to Resist

"Going to Iraq meant I was going to reconstruct a city, not kill people. That’s what I believed I was going to do," explains Kyle Snyder, a 22-year-old Iraq War veteran.

After arriving in Iraq, the heavy construction equipment operator was reassigned to a security detail. Kyle quickly realized that no reconstruction was taking place with the exception of military bases. "I can’t take this anymore!’ That’s what I thought to myself." A survivor of string of foster homes since he was 13-years-old, Kyle joined the Army in 2004.

From Courage to Resist

Clousing pled guilty to "absent without leave" and is currently being held at Camp LeJune, N.C. and needs your support!

“I’d rather spend a year in jail than participate in an illegal war and be part of the machine suppressing Iraq” -Sgt. Ricky Clousing

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served as a U.S. Army Interrogator in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, plead guilty to "absent without leave" on Thursday October 12 at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Clousing was sentenced to three months confinement, forfeiture of 2/3 pay while confined, and a bad conduct discharge. At his sentencing hearing, Sgt. Clousing continued to voice his concerns about the abuses of power that go without accountability and the everyday devastation of the occupation of Iraq. “My experiences in Iraq forced me to reevaluate my beliefs and ethics,” he told the judge. “Ultimately, I felt like I could not serve.”

From Bill Perry

Do you have 17 minutes to learn how this Army Officer is using the Nuremberg Accords, the Geneva Accords, the U.S. Constitution, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice {UCMJ} to refuse "An Unlawful Order"?

The Nuremberg Accords were a response to "Where were all the 'Good Germans' ?"

Someday, soon, children of the world will ask "Where were all the 'Good Americans'?"

By Cindy Sheehan

I usually end my articles with a call to action, but today, I begin with one. Maybe readers get bored with my pieces before the end and don't get to the action part, which is the most important part.

Gold Star Families for Peace is calling for an action in front of the White House on the days of November 6th to November 9th (due to the urgency of our situation, we are beginning the sit-in on Saturday, Nov. 4) to perform a Gandhi-like sit down for peace and justice. Join us to sit down for all or part of the time we will be there. We might as well face it, the White House is where the power is. Congress has spent 6 years invalidating themselves and creating a Unitary Executive Branch that pats Congress on the head for being obedient and circumvents the Supreme Court and goes whining to the same agreeable Congress when the Court (in rare cases) slaps Georgie on the wrist. The potential Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) has already said that if the Democrats take back the House, impeachment proceedings will not be forthcoming. Who's going to sit down with us to hold the war criminals in power accountable for their war crimes and crimes against humanity and peace?

By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times

An Asian American soldier faces a court-martial for his refusal to serve in Iraq. His stand stirs anger and admiration among Japanese Americans who remember World War II.

The old veterans gather nearly every morning in Little Tokyo, where an American flag and black granite sculpture rise in honor of 16,000 Japanese Americans who served during World War II.

ONCE YOUTH REFUSES TO SLAUGHTER
AND BE SLAUGHTERED, HOSTILE
NATIONS MUST ABANDON THIS MAD
DESTRUCTION AND COME TO REASON.
click here for an animated version of wulf zendik's 1969 antiwar classic, "don't go."
http://zendik.org/Don't_Go/dontgo.html

this page also has links to a pdf version of the text and graphics for copying and distribution.

By Max Obuszewski

"Not to speak is to speak ... not to act is to act." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, hanged by the Nazis April 9, 1945

The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] has organized numerous actions around the country aimed at ending U.S. military involvement in Iraq. More than 500 nonviolent activists have been arrested in actions sponsored by NCNR.

Because of its experience, NCNR was approached by the Declaration of Peace to organize a mass action on Sept. 26, 2006 in Washington, D.C. Most of the organizing was done by email and conference calls, and a decision was reached to target Congress, the funders of the war.

Paratrooper gets three months confinement for going AWOL
Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - A Fort Bragg paratrooper who says he left his military base because he disagreed with the U.S. mission in Iraq was sentenced to three months of confinement after pleading guilty Thursday to going absent without leave.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, 24, of Sumner, Wash., also will receive a reduction in rank and will forfeit two-thirds of his pay during the time of his confinement before getting a bad conduct discharge. His plea allowed him to avoid a more severe sentence for desertion.

RESISTANCE WHERE IT COUNTS: Hear Soldiers Who Served In Iraq Report How They Organized Against the War on the Front Lines

There has to be a point when we reach a high enough number of troops in our peace effort that a unified boycott of all military action will have a desired effect
- Soldier X

Hear from Antiwar Soldiers
GARRET REPPENHAGEN, JEFF ENGLEHART and JOE PUBLIC
1st Infantry Division, Diyala Provice, Iraq, 2004 - 2005

By Associated Press

A soldier who said she was sexually harassed by noncommissioned officers and refused to return to Iraq will face a military trial.

Fort Lewis' commander referred Army Spc. Suzanne Swift's case to a special court-martial, Army officials said Wednesday.

Swift, 22, of Eugene, Ore., was charged Sept. 27 with missing movement and being absent without leave. She claimed she had been harassed or abused by three noncommissioned officers — two in Iraq and one at Fort Lewis. She alleged that her supervisor in Iraq coerced her into a sexual relationship.

Lt. Watada refuses to commit war crimes on the orders of President Bush.
This video combines Lt. Watada's points as well as supporting evidence from respected others to show that we all must do something to stop the madness currently in control of our Country, Congress and White House.
http://www.chimpeach.info/ltwatadavideo.html

By BRETT BARROUQUERE, Associated Press

RADCLIFF, Ky. - An Army soldier who fled to Canada rather than redeploy to Iraq surrendered Tuesday to military officials after asking for leniency.

Spc. Darrell Anderson, 24, said he deserted the Army last year because he could no longer fight in what he believes is an illegal war.
"I feel that by resisting I made up for the things I did in Iraq," Anderson said during a press briefing shortly before he turned himself in at nearby Fort Knox. "I feel I made up for the sins I committed in this war."

Specialist Darrell Anderson came back from Iraq nearly two years ago with a Purple Heart and an order for a second deployment. Instead, he fled to Canada where he's been until this week. Specialist Anderson returned to the United States where he could face charges. He'll be turning himself in to the military later today. He joins us on the line from Lexington, Kentucky.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/03/142239

September 29, 2006: According to Agustin Aguayo’s attorneys, two Army military escorts from his unit are on their way to California to Fort Irwin National Training Center, where he turned himself in on Tuesday. The escorts will immediately bring Aguayo either to Germany or to Kuwait, where he could be prosecuted for going AWOL (absent without leave) and for "missing movement" rather than submitting to a second deployment to Iraq. The home base of Aguayo’s unit, the First Infantry Division, is in Schweinfurt, Germany, but most of the unit has been serving in Iraq since the beginning of September.