Nonviolent Resistance

www.democracynow.org

THE National Security Agency HAS BEEN SPYING ON YOU, so it is time to demand an end to the lawbreaking by the Puzzle Palace. Join the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, Jonah House and others on Sat., July 8 at 10 AM at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Some participants plan to depart from AFSC-Baltimore, 4806 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 at 9 AM to meet with others at the Guilford Business Park, just off Route 32. At 10 AM there will be a march to the NSA at Fort Meade. Call Max at 410-323-7200 x31.

By Stephen Collinson

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Star Hollywood actor-activists including Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon and anti-war campaigners led by bereaved mother Cindy Sheehan plan to launch a hunger strike, demanding the immediate return of US troops from Iraq.

As Americans get set to fire up barbeques in patriotic celebration of US Independence Day on July 4, anti-war protestors planned to savour a last meal outside the White House, before embarking on a 'Troops Home Fast' at midnight.

www.jonahhouse.org

On June 20, 2006, a Roman Catholic priest and two veterans of military service went onto the E-8 missile silo in North Dakota.

Greg Boertje-Obed, Michael Walli and Carl Kabat, O.M.I.
- used hammers to disable the lock on the personnel entry hatch that
provides access to the warhead;
- hammered on the silo lid that covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead
that is targeted and ready to launch;

Please take a moment to sign our petition calling on the U.S. Army to grant an Honorable Discharge to Suzanne Swift:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/441448013

For more information read below, and go to www.suzanneswift.org, to learn more and see how you can further support our efforts.

Swift completed a tour of duty in Iraq, where she was sexually harassed and assaulted. Her efforts to report her treatment were met with disrespect and dismissed. When her unit was to be deployed to Iraq a second time, the 21-year-old Specialist Four Military Police Officer, who was being treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, realized she could not return to Iraq and resume her duties in the same unit with the same commanding officer who sexually assaulted her.

By Mike Ferner

This afternoon, drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in the Jesse Brown V.A. Medical Center on Chicago's south side, a Veterans Administration cop walked up to me and said, "OK, you've had your 15 minutes, it's time to go."

"Huh?", I asked intelligently, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"You can't be in here protesting," officer Adkins said, pointing to my Veterans For Peace shirt.

By Joann Loviglio, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)

PHILADELPHIA - Police arrested ten elderly members of the anti-war group called the Granny Peace Brigade who refused to leave a military recruiting center Wednesday after they were told they were too old to enlist.

Granny Peace Brigade members and other anti-war demonstrators protest outside a military recruiting center Wednesday, June 28, 2006, in Philadelphia. Ten elderly members of the Granny Peace Brigade were arrested Wednesday after refusing to leave the recruiting center, which shut down several hours early because of the demonstration. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)

By Debbie Clark
t r u t h o u t | www.truthout.org

Delivered at a press conference at the King Center, Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2006.

It is my great honor and duty to be here today to share with others my support for the action of First Lieutenant Ehren Watada in disobeying an unlawful order to serve in a war that is both immoral and illegal, as well as to show my support for all military service members and their families who are now resisting this war.

Action Center For Justice
Contact: David Dixon, (704) 492-8527

On June 27, some 25 people got together in Charlotte in support of Lt Ehren Watada. Lt. Watada is the first commissioned US officer to refuse deployment to Iraq. The Lieutenant says the Iraq War is an illegal war, in violation of international and domestic law. (Full information at www.ThankYouLT.org ). Over three dozen cities took part in the action. They are listed at http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/96/27

The Shalom Report -- June 28, 2006

Dear Friends,

This is a copy of a letter I sent Tuesday, June 27, to Clyde Haberman, NY Times columnist, about his column on p. B1, column 1, that morning).]

Shalom, AW

Mr Haberman:

I was one of the 120-plus people who gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza yesterday to call for halting the use of torture by the present government of the United States, and for closing Guantanamo.

A Report by Geoffrey Millard and Sari Gelzer
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

The Department of Defense has recently reported that 8,000 members of the US military are listed as AWOL. Currently 24 war resisters are known to be in Canada trying to establish citizenship, with an estimated several hundred more living there underground. Truthout's Sari Gelzer and Geoffrey Millard report from Buffalo, New York, and Fort Erie, Ontario, to bring you coverage of Peace Has No Borders, an event that brought US attention to political refugees in Canada. Geoffrey Millard interviews war resisters about their decision to refuse deployment to Iraq and seek asylum in Canada.

By Alex Fryer, Seattle Times (Washington)

Lt. Ehren Watada couldn't be called a media figure, but the Hawaii-born officer who refused to deploy with his Fort Lewis unit on Thursday has done his bit to court the press.
Part of the public exposure is designed to protect Watada from potentially harsh military justice. But Watada also has become the latest public face for a peace movement that has produced few leaders able to marshal public opinion, even though polls show the majority of Americans believe the Iraq war was a costly mistake.

By Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS - Two Iraq war protesters were arrested on Lake Minnetonka after they tried to paddle near shore, where Vice President Dick Cheney attended a fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Michel Bachmann on Monday.

Robert Heberle, 71, of St. Anthony Roger Cuthbertson, 67, of Shorewood were cited for creating a public nuisance.

They were with eight other protesters on boats in Halsted's Bay. The two were arrested after being warned several times not to approach the site of the fundraiser.

By Ret. Col. Ann Wright, www.tompaine.com

Col. Ann Wright served in the U.S. Army for 13 years and in the U.S. Army Reserves for 16 years. She also served for 16 years in the U.S. diplomatic corps, and in that capacity helped reopen the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan in December 2001. She received the State Department’s Award for Heroism as the acting U.S. ambassador during the rebel takeover of Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1997.

OKLAHOMA VETERANS FOR PEACE

WHEN: TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006 @ 10 AM
WHERE: OK STATE CAPITOL - SOUTH STEPS
WHO: VETERANS FOR PEACE, IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR, REP OPIO TOURE, DFA, CODEPINK, JOY MENNONITE CHURCH, MAYFLOWER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, OK FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, CATHOLIC PEACE FELLOWSHIP, THE PEACE HOUSE, OK COMMITTEE FOR CONTIENTIOUS OBJECTORS, COURAGE TO RESIST AND MORE

(Oklahoma City, OK) On Tuesday June 27, people in dozens of US cities will demonstrate their support for US Army 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada's public refusal to participate in the ‘illegal war’ and occupation of Iraq. Lt. Watada is the first US military officer to take this stand.

www.ThankYouLt.org

On Tuesday June 27, people in dozens of US cities will demonstrate their support for US Army 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada's public refusal to participate in the "illegal war" and occupation of Iraq. Lt. Watada is the first US military officer to take this stand.

Public events will take place at Ft. Lewis (4-6pm at exit 119 overpass off I5), Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Ft. Lauderdale, Honolulu, New York City, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto, and many other cities. Events are being coordinated by the Family and Friends of Lt. Watada through the website www.ThankYouLt.org. National organizations such as Veterans for Peace, American Friends Service Committee, United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, Campus Anti-War Network, Not in Our Name, Courage to Resist, and numerous other organizations will participate.

www.ThankYou.Lt.org

On Tuesday June 27, people in dozens of US cities will demonstrate their
support for US Army 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada's public refusal to
participate in the 'illegal war' and occupation of Iraq. Lt. Watada is the
first US military officer to take this stand.

People from the region will gather at Ft. Lewis from 4-6pm at the I5 exit
119 overpass. Other public events will take place at Atlanta, Charlotte,

SAYING NO TO TORTURE, SHUT DOWN GUANTANAMO

Three Activists Arrested With the Names of the Men who Committed Suicide at Guantanamo on June 10, 2006.

Contact: Frida Berrigan 347-683-4928

Amanda Daloisio 201-264-4424

Undeterred by inclement weather, more than 60 people marched in a solemn procession from the United Nations to the US mission to the United Nations. Carrying signs that read Shut Down Guantanamo, the group marked the United Nations Day for the Victims of Torture. The procession, which included rabbis, priests, nuns, college students and human rights activists, was led by a cage on wheels representing the Guantanamo prison cells in which over 400 men remain, some for more than 4 years.

Cindy Sheehan, Dick Gregory, Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Ann Wright and CODEPINKers from around the country are coming to D.C. to launch the
TROOPS HOME 'FAST'
Extended Hunger Strike for Peace
July 3-4, Washington DC

Join us in DC to declare our independence from war on July 3rd and July 4th. The fasters will stay in front of the White House every day until August 14th. Sign up to join us at www.troopshomefast.org (or click on the button to the right!).

I am the mother of Lt. Ehren Watada, an officer stationed at Ft. Lewis. He is part of a Stryker brigade unit that deployed today to Iraq. Despite an unflinching commitment to his men and to democratic ideals, he chose not to accompany his men. His decision came through much soul-searching and through research and consultation with experts across disciplines, inside and outside of the military and the government.

By Associated Press

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (AP) — An Army lieutenant who has said he'd rather go to prison than Iraq did not deploy with his unit when it left Thursday for the Middle East, Army officials said.

1st Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, of Honolulu, who joined the Army in March 2003, has said he would be willing to serve in Afghanistan or elsewhere, but has concluded that the war in Iraq is illegal and immoral.

www.warresisters.org/smod

Calling all organizations working to expose and stop corporations’ war making and war profiteering! Drawing upon the spirit, the experience and success of the Honeywell campaign*, the War Resisters League, in conjunction with Alliant Action, Nukewatch, Veterans for Peace—Twin City Chapter, University of St. Thomas Justice and Peace Studies Dept., and the Des Moines Catholic Worker are sponsoring a national networking and strategy conference to build a cohesive local and national anti-corporate movement to develop strategies for stopping corporate merchants of death.

First commissioned officer to refuse
Posted by Evan Derkacz, http://alternet.org/blogs/peek/37996

Today, as his Stryker Brigade leaves for the Air Force Base that will transport them to Iraq, Lt. Ehren Watada becomes the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment claiming that "[my]participation would make me party to war crimes."

When Watada, who had attempted to resign his commission at least twice, learned in May that his request was denied, he simply refused to deploy, saying:

FAMILY & FRIENDS OF LT. WATADA
www.ThankYouLt.org

Ft. Lewis, WA-- First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada refused orders today to deploy to Iraq as his Stryker Brigade began deployment. He reported to duty at 2:00 a.m. at Ft Lewis, WA, and refused orders to move to the adjacent McChord Air Force Base to prepare to fly to Iraq. Lt. Watada believes that the war and occupation in Iraq are illegal, and thus participation in the war is also illegal. Lt. Watada's attorney Eric Seitz said, "This morning Lt. Watada has been restricted to base without any actual charges or proper process. By placing a complete gag order on Lt. Watada, the military has again shown that their first concern is silencing Lt. Watada's speech in opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. We will immediately challenge these highly questionable and improper restrictions."

FAMILY & FRIENDS OF LT. WATADA
www.ThankYouLt.org

Ft. Lewis, WA-- First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada refused orders today to deploy to Iraq as his Stryker Brigade began deployment. He reported to duty at 2:00 a.m. at Ft Lewis, WA, and refused orders to move to the adjacent McChord Air Force Base to prepare to fly to Iraq. Lt. Watada believes that the war and occupation in Iraq are illegal, and thus participation in the war is also illegal. He has been ordered to remain on site pending further orders from his commanding officer and cannot make or receive phone calls or any other form of communication.

The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) occupied the military recruitment center in downtown Oakland for about 45 minutes until we were forced out and the center shut down for the day. Gooooo Clowns! (Lots of silly pictures)

By Suzanne Goldenberg, Guardian / UK

A female soldier in the US military has refused to serve in Iraq, accusing some of her superiors of using the war zone as a pretext for sexual harassment.

In what is believed to be the first case of a soldier refusing to serve because she feared sexual harassment, Suzanne Swift, 21, a specialist with the 54th military police company, told the Guardian she did not join her unit when it left for a second tour of duty in Iraq because it meant a return to a regime of harassment.

A Roman Catholic Priest and two Veterans went to a Minuteman III silo
this morning and began to disarm the nuclear weapon using hammers.
Reverend Carl Kabat, OMI, Gregory Boertje-Obed, and Michael Walli
entered the E-9 missile silo on the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in
North Dakota about 75 miles southwest of Minot. Using a sledgehammer and
household hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatch

By Joy First

I wanted to share with you my experiences at the trial I participated in on June 16. As many of you know, I was arrested on March 20 at the Pentagon, along with 50 peace activists committed to nonviolent civil resistance, including Janet Parker from Madison. Approximately 250 peace activists marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon to demand an end to the war and occupation of Iraq. We carried a coffin representing all the Iraqis and US soldiers who had died as a result of the war. Our goal was to deliver our message to end the war to Donald Rumsfeld. Cindy Sheehan and Michael Berg participated in the march, and Michael Berg was one of the 51 people arrested.

On June 15, I was sentenced to two years probation, suspended
jail time and a $2,500 fine for my arrest at Vandenberg Air Force Base
during the Keep Space for Peace protest on October 8, 2005.
Before sentencing I was allowed to make a statement and I chose to quote
CG Weeramantry, world court judge and author of Armageddon or Brave New
World? Reflections on the Hostilities in Iraq.