Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

I think Lt. Watada's contention that the Bush White House deliberately misled Congress and the public into believing that invading Iraq was necessary to help stop terrorism just got a big boost from declassified portions of a report out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that was released today in which it was noted that there was no connection between Sadam Hussein and al Qaeda.

A declassified report released yesterday by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence revealed that U.S. intelligence analysts were strongly disputing the alleged links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda while senior Bush administration officials were publicly asserting those links to justify invading Iraq.
...
The report also said exiles from the Iraqi National Congress (INC) tried to influence U.S. policy by providing, through defectors, false information on Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capabilities. After skeptical analysts warned that the group had been penetrated by hostile intelligence services, including Iran's, a 2002 White House directive ordered that U.S. funding for the INC be continued.
...
But Republican attempts to paint the findings as a partisan rehash were undercut by intelligence committee members from the GOP. The committee report's conclusions are based on the Democrats' findings because two Republicans -- Sens. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) -- supported those findings.
...
"It is such a blatant misleading of the United States, its people, to prepare them, to position them, to, in fact, make them enthusiastic or feel that it's justified to go to war with Iraq," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), the committee's vice chairman. "That kind of public manipulation I don't know has any precedent in American history."

Miulang

[TuNnL]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

And the hits keep on coming ...

Army Adds New Charge Against Watada

Associated Press (AP)

FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- The Army has added another allegation of conduct unbecoming an officer to the charges pending against war objector Lt. Ehren Watada of Hawai‘i.

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

And the hits keep on coming ...

Army Adds New Charge Against Watada

Associated Press (AP)

ROFL! Does that mean they have 2 counts of conduct unbecoming an officer now? I thought he already had one charge of misconduct in the original set of charges against him!

And I'm wondering if (and this is a big IF), the President gets impeached for engaging in a pre-emptive war (as defined in the Nuremburg Trials) and other less serious offenses, would Lt. Watada, if he is found guilty as charged, then be exonerated?

Miulang

P.S. Here's an elaboration on what that second gratutious charge of conduct unbecoming an officer means.

[damontucker]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Could this be our own HT member "war-resister canada"

AWOL soldier plans to return from Canada

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060923/...ar_deserters_2

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Could this be our own HT member "war-resister canada"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060923/...ar_deserters_2

No, Manoa, it's not. Chris Magaoay is the one who is a member of HT, and as far as I know, he's still in Toronto working with the War Resister's League up there.

Miulang

[TuNnL]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Apparently Lt. Watada is now being awarded by a local group for “making a stand for peace.” Must the best news for him in a long time.

Faith group to honor war resister Watada

The Army officer who refused to go to Iraq cannot travel to O‘ahu to accept the award

The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai‘i will honor Army Lt. Ehren Watada for taking a stand against the war in Iraq by refusing to serve there with his Stryker combat unit.

The organization chose the Honolulu-born artillery officer for its Flame of Hope Award to be presented Oct. 21 at its 2006 Community Awards Dinner.

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

A letter in support of Lt. Watada was sent to him by the West Point Graduates Against the War:

The last article of the Code of Conduct for the American Fighting Man states "I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions and dedicated to the principles which made my country free." Your decision illustrates the broadness of scope of an officer’s responsibility and highlights the difference between an American servicemember and any other. We share your desire to elevate mere obedience to orders to a higher duty, one unequivocally declared at Nuremburg, in the Geneva Convention and by the United Nations Charter.

Like you, we academy graduates swore to support and defend our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We also swore to bear true faith and allegiance to the same Constitution. The illegal policies of the current administration have resulted in a war catastrophic to our nation's interests: politically, economically, militarily, and morally. We now stand to protect our nation from these deceptions. We seek justice for all victims of this illegal war, both servicemen and servicewomen, and the citizens of Iraq, and we support you in your quest for justice....

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

An article in today's LA Times about the controvesy Lt. Watada's case is causing among the Japanese Americans in LA.

Bitterness between the two sides persists today. Hirabayashi and others, for instance, tell tales of brothers who never spoke again after one resisted and the other served. Ellen Endo, editor of Rafu Shimpo, the Los Angeles Japanese newspaper, calls the Watada debate the most emotional community divide she's seen in four decades.

Nine veterans groups have come out against Watada, but the Asian American Vietnam Veterans Organization backs him. The Japanese American community newspapers are filled with passionate debate over the case.

The community's leading civil rights organization, the Japanese American Citizen's League, is in the hot seat. In July, the league expressed concerns about Watada's free speech rights but said the military issues in the case went beyond its mission as a civil rights group. The statement drew some praise but was also criticized as spineless.

The league's Berkeley chapter and others are urging it to take a stronger stand of support for Watada at its national meeting next month.

Miulang

[zatoichi]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

A part of me condemns Lt. Watada's action. Although I was never shot at, I was a grunt back in the day (1978 to 1982). I could/would not ever do what Lt. Watada is doing. My sense of duty is such, that for me that is not possible.

Then again, this is a war of choice and any disobeidiance should be seen in that light. The war has generated some real criminal actions that have and lead to criminal actions. There is also a spector of war crime trials at the Hague in the not so distant future(lets see where we are in three years).

I still condemn but respect Lt. Watada's actions. Anyone who does not understand that regardless of Lt. Watada's arguments does not see he will get an appropriate military penalty (some but not a huge amount of jail time) is not thinking this through.

[Miulang]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Breaking news...The Army has decided to court martial Lt. Watada. Date of the court martial has not yet been determined.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

On the other hand, the military has also decided not to court-martial female Kentucky National Guardswomen who posed nude with rifles and flags. Because, dammit, that's what we're fighting for -- the right to be armed, and bare. Or something like that.

[TuNnL]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

The Army has decided to court martial Lt. Watada. Date of the court martial has not yet been determined.

According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the trial is set for next year.

[MSgtRoderickSeatonUSMC]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Hi, I feel that I need to address this on behalf of the United States Marine Corps as a Retired Master Sergeant. I like to say that Ehren Watada, is correct that the war is illegal. I am very upset to hear from some fellow marines both active and retired, that he is doing this as a Japanese trying to inflitrate the United States Army just to AWOL vogue. This would be easily made so especially when done by a CO. I feel that Ehren Watada's actions been seen as an individual American founded on sound reasoning of legality rather than because of the fact that he is of Japanese Ancestry. One has to remember that Lt. Ehren Watada is not a Japanese National (meaning he is not a dual citizen), so I feel that this accusation of him in quiet gossips must come to an end. This type of prejudice based largely on his place of origin is only as ignorant as Second World War era. This would be easily be made so especially when done by a CO.

Adressing his case must be done without using his heritage or unfounded remarks such as how he is secretly working as a Japanese Jietai to a Japanese's underground attempt to occupy Perl Harbour. It is time we Americans wake up out of Igorance. We are already having to live with the reputation worldwide how we live under an igorant President, AKA Bush. We need to show the world that we are not retarded and ignorant in the USA.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

Hi, I feel that I need to address this on behalf of the United States Marine Corps as a Retired Master Sergeant. I like to say that Ehren Watada, is correct that the war is illegal. I am very upset to hear from some fellow marines both active and retired, that he is doing this as a Japanese trying to inflitrate the United States Army just to AWOL vogue. This would be easily made so especially when done by a CO. I feel that Ehren Watada's actions been seen as an individual American founded on sound reasoning of legality rather than because of the fact that he is of Japanese Ancestry. One has to remember that Lt. Ehren Watada is not a Japanese National (meaning he is not a dual citizen), so I feel that this accusation of him in quiet gossips must come to an end. This type of prejudice based largely on his place of origin is only as ignorant as Second World War era. This would be easily be made so especially when done by a CO.

Adressing his case must be done without using his heritage or unfounded remarks such as how he is secretly working as a Japanese Jietai to a Japanese's underground attempt to occupy Perl Harbour. It is time we Americans wake up out of Igorance. We are already having to live with the reputation worldwide how we live under an igorant President, AKA Bush. We need to show the world that we are not retarded and ignorant in the USA.

Illegal or not he disobeyed a direct order to deploy. When your CO tells you to drop you don't ask why, you do it or else you'll have a bullet thru your head. That's the kind of discipline the Military instills in all of it's men and women in uniform. Watada will have his day when he gets out but in the meantime, if every serviceman and woman did what he did, we wouldn't have a strong military anymore.

Thank you for making that distinction of Pearl Harbor and today's military personnel of Japanese ancestry. Some people still don't get it that I didn't bomb Pearl Harbor. Heck I wasn't even born yet and to think I was slapped in the face by a woman who's husband was killed in that bombing while I was in Denver...while I was wearing my USAF Combination I dress uniform. I ducked the second slap and just walked away from her ranting. There are times to engage with the enemy and times you simply pick your battles wisely.

I guess Watada and I are similar in that respect, however I followed standard military protocal when in public in uniform. I didn't disgrace it.

[MSgtRoderickSeatonUSMC]

Re: Iraq War Called Illegal by Hawai‘i Army Lieutenant

According to the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) a soldier is required not to carry out an unlawful order. If the Lieutenant believes the Iraq war is illegal and unjustified, he can make that argument in front of a military court-martial. Given the usual result of those things, I think it's unlikely that argument will fly, but if he's got the courage of his convictions, it's his choice.

I happen to agree with him that the Iraq war was sold to the American public as something it wasn't (Look! WMD! Oh wait, um, al-Qaeda! Um, bringing democracy to Iraqis! Er, fighting the terrorists there so we won't fight them here! Well, we can't leave now because it will become a civil war!). Fortunately for me, I'm not in the position he's in; I'm just an ordinary civilian.

Interestingly, KHNL led its 10:00pm news last night with an interview with his father, who said he'd protested the Vietnam War in his day and fully supports his son.

Exactly, thus, I say that Lt. Watada should not only be be pardoned, but be made a hero for being a true warrior to fight for true justice. I nominate him for the Congressional Medal of Honour as a Retired Marine.