Nonviolent Resistance

Officer Faces Court-Martial for Refusing to Deploy to Iraq
By JOHN KIFNER and TIMOTHY EGAN, New York Times

SEATTLE — When First Lt. Ehren K. Watada of the Army shipped out for a tour of duty in South Korea two years ago, he was a promising young officer rated among the best by his superiors. Like many young men after Sept. 11, he had volunteered “out of a desire to protect our country,” he said, even paying $800 for a medical test to prove he qualified despite childhood asthma.

By Judy Homanich

There are 24 U.S. war resisters who are seeking asylum in Canada
(www.resisters.ca) rather than take part in this illegal, immoral war
-- and dozens more who are living underground. All of these courageous
men and women need -- deserve! -- our support and encouragement. The
best way to do that (besides sending a monetary donation) is by
writing a short note to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada and

1. ARTICLES
2. COURT DATES
3. ARTICLE ABOUT A CASE AGAINST BRIAN BEING DROPPED
4. MASS LONE DEMO MONDAY 24 JULY
5. EVENTS
6. BRIAN WINS BACK RIGHT TO USE MEGAPHONE

Dear supporters of Brian Haw and the right to protest near Parliament,

Welcome to those you have recently joined this list. Since I last wrote
to everyone there has been much activity in the Square. Supporters
continued to stay there with Brian for some weeks and still a few

friends:
below is an article that describes my day in court yesterday, plus an unusual editorial that appeared in today's paper, by toledo blade editor and vice pres., tom walton.
if this story touches your heart, write me if you must, but better yet, do something for peace today that you never thought you could do. you will have my heartfelt thanks and the thanks of those people who desperately need your committment.

"Policy Rewrite Reveals Rift in Administration" Washington Post, July 14 -- With color photo of Father Louie and Toby Blom with signs “Stop Supporting Torture” and “Humane Treatment for all Prisoners” at the Senate Armed Services committee hearing on July 13, 2006

"White House Prods Congress to Curb Detainee Rights" NY Times, July 13, 2006 -- With photo of Ann Wright and intern Zac in Git’mo orange jumpsuits with Father Louis and Toby waiting to go into House Armed Services committee hearing on July 12, 2006

On Saturday, July 15th, concerned citizens throughout the world will
join together to Shut Down Guantánamo, and end illegal and indefinite
detention. Called by CagePrisoners.Com, a British organization
supporting Guantánamo prisoners, this day of action includes events in
a dozen countries, and at least six demonstrations in the United
States.

As one of the New York organizers, Reverend Earl Kooperkamp of

By Sara Rich, mother of Suzanne Swift

My daughter, Suzanne, went AWOL from the Army three days before her
second deployment to Iraq. She suffers from Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder due to the consistent sexual harassment and the sexual assault
she endured during her first deployment to Iraq. She was arrested after
six months of being AWOL and taken to Ft Lewis where she was returned
to active duty. She is asking for an honorable discharge so she can get

By Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services

"The question that remains is: Are we who want the killing to stop as committed to peace as those who are committed to war?"

Ouch, this is a devilishly tough question, unless you're content to answer it in the negative. Then, of course, no problem. A bitter grimace and a stiff drink or whatever (name your poison) will get you through the day. Watch the opinion polls plummet - Gallup this week finds two-thirds of Americans opposed to the war in Iraq - and shrug in wonder that it doesn't seem to matter, but exercise patience. When three-quarters of Americans oppose the war, then the politicians - surely the Democrats at least, surely Hillary - will lip-sync a different tune . . .

BY ANN WRIGHT

On July 11, day eight of a fast to bring the troops home, I was arrested in the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the confirmation of William J. Haynes II to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

I was wearing an orange Guantanamo jumpsuit (with two others in Gitmo orange) in the hearing room to remind the Senators that Haynes was a critical player in the development of the Bush administration’s torture program at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. As a retired US Army Reserve Colonel with 13 years on active duty and 16 in the Reserves and a 16 year US diplomat, I felt I had to voice my professional military concerns to the Senators on the Judiciary Committee that Mr. Haynes has done extreme harm to the US military and to the country during his tenure as the Department of Defense General Counsel and should not be confirmed with a life-time appointment as a judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter vigorously banging his gavel precipitating the Capitol Police removing from the committee room and arresting me. I was charged with unlawful conduct.

Interview with Christopher Gorman, a religious Conscientious Objector who is refusing to return to Iraq.

7/13/06
http://groups.google.com/group/Coalitionforfreethoughtinmedia/msg/13df97...

Published and Audio Broadcasted by Coalition For Free Thought In Media

Interview conducted by Jay Shaft: Editor-In-Chief/Executive Investigative Editor

THOUGHT BOMB RADIO - SHOCK AND AWE FOR THE MIND RADIO HOUR (C) 2003-2006 Jay Shaft/Coalition For Free Thought In Media

By Reuters

Seattle - The US Army plans to call two journalists as witnesses to support charges filed against an officer who refused to fight in Iraq because of his objections to the war, the lieutenant's lawyer said on Monday.

First Lt. Ehren Watada is facing charges over his refusal to deploy to Iraq with his unit on June 22 and choosing to remain at the Fort Lewis base in Washington state.

Supporting the Goals of Troops Home Fast

Washington, DC - US Representative Maxine Waters (CA-35) Representative Lynn Woolsey (CA-6), Representative Barbara Lee (CA-9) and members of the "Out of Iraq" Congressional Caucus will hold a press conference on Thursday, July 13th at 11:00 AM EST to express their support for individuals participating in Troops Home Fast, an event supported by numerous individuals and organizations to highlight the need to conclude the war in Iraq and bring our troops home.

Police say signs caused honking that was not necessary
By Christy Strawser / Macomb Daily

FERNDALE, MI -- In front of his wife and their 13-year-old daughter, war protester Victor Kittila, 55, was handcuffed and threatened with a Taser if he resisted in any way.

It wasn't his best day.

But Kittila, of Eastpointe, said his brush with the law will not stop him from protesting the Iraq war at Nine Mile and Woodward, the same place local peace groups have been stationed for four years. They started the weekly vigil when the United States sent troops into Afghanistan.

Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 PHONE: [410] 323-7200, ext. 31
CONTACT: Max Obuszewski 410-323-7200, ext. 31 or mobuszewski [at] afsc.org

WHO: Baltimore peace groups have tried to dialogue with representatives of the National Security Agency since 1996. See James Bamford's book BODY OF SECRETS, which details the Agency's response to these requests. In June 2006, the Pledge of Resistance–Baltimore sent a letter to the NSA director, Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, seeking a meeting.

By Pete Perry

WASHINGTON -- Four anti-war and anti-torture activists appeared Friday before Judge Harold Cushenberry Jr. setting a date for a jury trial stemming from unlawful entry charges when they visited the Kalorama home of Donald Rumsfeld in May.

The four activists, Katie Heald of Portland and Mari Blome of Berkeley, Calif., both with Code Pink; along with Pete Perry and David Barrows of Washington, D.C. and both with the D.C. Anti-War Network (DAWN) plead not guilty to the charge of Unlawful Entry Friday. An October 3rd court date was set.

Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, 325 East 25 Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 Ph: 410-323-7200, ext. 31; Fax: 410-323-7292

On March 20, 2006, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR], affiliated with United For Peace & Justice, organized From Mourning to Resistance – March on the Pentagon. After a rally near the Lincoln Memorial, some two hundred antiwar activists marched across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to LBJ Grove across from the Pentagon. After another rally, participants walked across a footbridge carrying a commemorative coffin and hoping to deliver it to Secretary of War Donald Rumsfeld.

By Maria Allwine

Did you know that protesting at the NSA was against "the law?" The members of the Iraq Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore certainly didn't when we went to the NSA for our annual demonstration on Saturday, July 8. We've been doing this since 1996 and went there yesterday with an increased sense of urgency, given the latest revelations of illegal activity by this secretive spy agency.

Letter from Suzanne Swift's Mom

Suzanne joined the Army with stars in her eyes. She was told she would see far away travel, be trained as a military police officer and when she got out she would be given money for college. Hell of a deal. Not once did the recruiter mention the deadly statistics for women in the military and how going to war dehumanizes many soldiers to a point where they think that raping and harassing women is acceptable behavior.

By Cindy Sheehan

I don't know Lt. Ehren Watada, but I know his mother and spoke at length with her back in May in Hawaii about how Ehren morally did not want to go to Iraq and how he was being harassed by other members of his unit for his beliefs that the war in Iraq was wrong and that he didn't want to kill innocent people for BushCo.

Ehren tried everything he could within regulations and legal means to be excused from going over to the war crime in Iraq and becoming a war criminal himself, nothing worked, so he refused to be deployed with his unit.

By Jeff Leys

On July 5, three of us entered the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM) to nonviolently resist the war in and occupation of Iraq. We sought to read the names of U.S. soldiers and Iraq citizens who have died in the war. Immediately upon entering MEPCOM's property, we were met by base security. We began to read the names of the dead and were quickly arrested. Charged with trespass and facing up to six months in prison, our first court appearance is scheduled for July 20th.

National education and action campaign responds

Lt. Watada's mother Carolyn Ho addresses supporters at the gates of Ft. Lewis, June 27, 2006, with step-mother Rosa and father Robert Watada left.

Dear Friends,

We are asking you and your organization to do what you can to make support for U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada a priority in the coming weeks and months.

We believe that Lt Watada’s stand offers a historic opportunity to assert our power to challenge and end the illegal war and occupation and to support the courageous soldiers and officers who fulfill their commitment to refuse illegal orders to participate in illegal war, occupation and war crimes. We intend to make Lt Watada’s stand count as a significant step towards a better, just and more peaceful world.

A Film by Scott Galindez
On July 4th, in Washington, participants in the "Troops Home Fast" took their message to the National July 4th Parade. Cindy Sheehan and Michael Berg, who both lost sons in the war, called on the fasters and their supporters to declare independence from war. Following a brief program in Lafayette Park, the group marched to join the national parade.
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

By David Swanson

Suzanne Swift's story begins in an all-too-familiar way. A dead-end job, a friendly military recruiter, a promise that signing-up as military police would mean no deployment to Iraq, a broken promise, and a trip to war. Then it takes a less commonly heard of turn, one involving a practice known as "command rape." Suzanne is back in the U.S. and is refusing to return to Iraq. Until a couple of days ago she was confined by the military and threatened with prosecution. The three superiors whom she has accused of various forms of harassment or assault have not yet been charged. Suzanne's mother, Sara Rich, spoke with me about her daughter's ordeal and recorded this 20-minute conversation. Here's a faster opening version, compressed by Peter Bricel.

Marine Calls War On Terrorism Medal 'Eye Candy' From Bush
http://www.newsnet5.com

AKRON, Ohio -- A local Marine who service in Iraq earned several medals for serving his country, but he's giving back one of the medals to the White House as a form of protest.

Sgt. Matthew Bee is a decorated Akron Marine who spent seven months in Hadeetha, serving with the 3rd Battalion 25th Marines Weapons Company based in Brook Park.

Friends and Family of Lt. Ehren Watada www.thankyoult.org

FIRST COMMISSIONED OFFICER TO REFUSE DEPLOYMENT TO UNLAWFUL IRAQ WAR OFFICIALLY CHARGED BY U.S. ARMY

Ft. Lewis, WA-Today, July 5, 2006, First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada was formally charged with three articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: missing movement (Article 87), contempt towards officials (Article 88), and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (Article 133). If convicted of all charges by a general court-martial, Lt. Watada could be sentenced to four years in a military prison.

Lt. Watada was charged today with missing movement, making disrespectful statements, and conduct unbecoming an officer.

http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

By National Organization for Women
Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906

WASHINGTON - July 4 - Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy:

As people across the U.S. celebrate the nation's 230th birthday, families will be enjoying the holiday with picnics and backyard gatherings full of food and good spirit. Grills will be sizzling with hot dogs and barbecue chicken and buttered corn; plates will be piled with potato salad, coleslaw and apple pie. This year, however, thousands of soldiers serving in Iraq will not share in their families' festivities, and 2,539 women and men will never see another Fourth of July.

By Reuters

Washington - About 150 protesters sat in front of the White House on Monday to savor their last meal before starting a hunger strike that some said will continue until American troops return from Iraq.

The demonstration marking the Independence Day holiday was organized by CodePink, a women's anti-war group that called on volunteers to abstain from eating for 24 hours from midnight on Monday.

Today, U.S. activists will launch an open-ended hunger strike to end the American occupation.
By Medea Benjamin, Philadelphia Inquirer

Benjamin is cofounder of Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org ) and Codepink: Women for Peace (www.codepinkalert.org )

As we celebrate the 230th anniversary of our nation's founding, we find ourselves in a tragic position: A nation born out of a longing for freedom from domination has now become the dominator.