There's a nasty war going on in Iraq. Some Americans support it. A bigger — and growing — number do not.
That’s fine. This is a free country, so you’re free to agree or disagree with what the president does.
Except for one class of citizens. That would be anybody in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard.
They are all volunteers. They knew they wouldn’t be working for a flower shop or petting zoo. Even if they signed on to be cooks or clerks, they knew they would wear a uniform and train with guns.
Now mind you, they don’t have to like the war or George W. Bush. But if they are sent to Iraq — or Afghanistan or anywhere — they have to suck it up and go.
What they should not do is say, “Hold on; I just figured out I’m a conscientious objector to this war. Heck, maybe all wars, for that matter.”
If they truly believe those things, they’re remembering them a few months or few years too late. The time to figure all that out is before you volunteer to join the armed forces, not afterward.
One of these resisters is even an officer — First Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq with the rest of the Second Infantry Division. His case is even weaker, precisely because he’s a commissioned officer.
Yes, there are times when a soldier can properly refuse an order. If he’s told to do something like shoot a civilian or torture a prisoner, it would be immoral if he didn’t disobey.
But those cases are extremely rare. Once you sign on the dotted line, you should realize that a lot of decisions about your life are out of your hands.
After a serviceman’s tour is up, he can go back to doing or saying whatever he wants about the war. Until then, shaddup and obey the commander in chief.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Fight or flight
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In Firt Lt. Watada's own words.
"First, the war was based on false pretenses. If the president tells us we are there to destroy Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, and there are none, why are we there? Then the president said Saddam had ties to al-Qaeda and 9/11. That allegation has been proven to be false too. So why are we going there? The president says we're there to promote democracy, and to liberate the Iraqi people. That isn't happening either.
Second, the Iraq war is not legal according to domestic and international law. It violates the Constitution and the War Powers Act, which limits the president in his role as commander in chief from using the armed forces in any way he sees fit. The UN Charter, the Geneva Convention, and the Nuremberg principles all bar wars of aggression.
Finally, the occupation itself is illegal. If you look at the Army Field Manual, 27-10, which governs the laws of land warfare, it states certain responsibilities for the occupying power. As the occupying power, we have failed to follow a lot of those regulations. There is no justification for why we are there or what we are doing".
The remainder of his opinions can be read at: www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060706A.shtml
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