“I [have] a radical idea… born from the very concept of American service: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting. [This] is not an easy task…Soldiers must be aware that they are being used for ill-gain. They must hold themselves responsible for individual action. They must remember that duty to the Constitution and the people supersedes the ideologies of their leadership. [They] must be willing to face ostracism by peers, worry over the survival of their families, and the loss of personal freedom. But they must also know that resisting an authoritarian government at home is equally important to fighting a foreign aggressor on the battlefield. Finally, those wearing the uniform must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that by refusing immoral and illegal orders they will be supported by the people not with mere words but by action.”
Lt. Ehren Watada’s vision is one of radical American heroism. Will his words stimulate GI resistance to this war similar to the resistance of that other war in Vietnam?
Learn more about Ehren’s case: http://thankyoult.live.radicaldesigns.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
For more information:
GI Rights Hotline: www.girights.org
Courage to Resist: www.couragetoresist.org
MotherSpeak: www.motherspeak.org
Contact Susan Galleymore at any of the above web sites.
This article was published in the spring 2007 issue of Left Curve Journal.
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