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Lt. Watada Action: Report from Phila Feb 5

Global Women's Strike and Payday , Indymedia.us,  Feb 21, 2007

Lt. Ehren Watada demo & Speak Out Mon Feb 5, Love Park, Center City Philadelphia

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Link to more photos of this event

At least 60 people came out to rally near Philadelphia City Hall in support of Lt. Ehren Watada on the first day of his court martial Feb 5. From high school girls to 80-year-olds, there were veterans and peaceniks, mothers and fathers who lost children in Iraq, a Black grandmother in a wheelchair, college students and more. Followed by a program featuring Lt Watada's speech at the Vets for Peace conference (Aug '06) and a line-up of moving and powerful speakers, including Gloria Pacis who spoke of her son Stephen Funk who spent 5 months in prison for refusing to serve. $350 was raised for the Watada defense campaign.

At least 60 people faced the bitter cold and wind and came out to rally near Philadelphia City Hall in support of Lt. Ehren Watada on the first day of his court martial. From high school girls to 80-year-olds, there were veterans and peaceniks, mothers and fathers who lost children in Iraq, a Black grandmother in a wheelchair, college students and more. We had a lively rally and then marched around Love Park which also helped stave off the cold. There were banners from the different groups represented and beautifully done placards that Stephen Funk's mother Gloria Pacis made with quotes from Lt Watada, Carolyn Ho his mother and others. And there was a lovely new banner quoting Lt. Watada, "To Stop an Illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it" done by Karyl Weber for the occasion.

There was lots of loud, enthusiastic chanting, and a lot of horn honking as drivers also showed their support. The sponsors are listed below and show the movement getting together in Philly.

Most of the crowd moved inside for hot drinks and a program featuring Lt Watada's speech at the Vets for Peace conference (Aug '06) and a line-up of moving and powerful speakers. When Phoebe Jones, Global Women's Strike (GWS), introduced the video, she spoke of the victories from the Watada campaign so far and urged the crowd - most of whom had not seen the video - to listen carefully to Ehren's words, "For soldiers to stop fighting, they must have the unconditional support of the people. ...Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison... their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education."

Ehren's speech was enthusiastically received. Gloria' spoke of her son Stephen Funk who spent 5 months in prison for refusing to serve. She had spoken on two panels with Carolyn Ho in Dec - two mothers of refusers speaking out together. Al Zappala and Michael Berg whose sons were killed in Iraq and three Iraq vets all spoke very well to urge continued action in support of Ehren and other refusniks and an end to the war. Michael Berg related the story of a high school girl who stood up against her school over women's right to choose - that when you take a stand, people will support. Chad Hetman contrasted Lt. Watada's putting conscience before career with an officer corps whose level of corruption he'd witnessed as an army Captain. Nancy Carroll, the Black grandmother whose son died from Agent Orange, asked "what war IS legal?" Marlena Santoyo spoke of upcoming Granny Peace Brigade actions and 3 grannies sang a protest song. Pat Albright of the Global Women's Strike (GWS) and Dean Kendall of Payday (the event sponsors) co-chaired.

Interspersed were updates from Payday on international actions, and reports from inside the court room and outside the base. $350 was raised for the Watada defense campaign.

The supporters of the event show the movement getting together in Philly. Sponsors: Global Women's Strike and Payday. Co-sponsors include: AFSC Youth & Militarism, Brandywine Peace Community, Code Pink, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Every Mother is a Working Mother Network, Granny Peace Brigade Phila, Peace Action - Delaware Valley, and RACE (Revolutionary Action for Change Through Education, Temple Univ). Endorsed by Amnesty International - Greater Phila Area, Asian Americans United, CCCO Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, Coalition for Peace Action Bucks/Eastern Montgomery & NE Phila, Coalition for Peace Action Chester/Delaware County, Middle East Working Group of Phila Yearly Meeting, Phila Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Phila Int'l Action Center, PRAWN (Phila Regional Anti-War Network), Veterans for Peace Chapter 31, and Phila Women's International League for Peace & Freedom.

Last Updated ( Friday, 09 November 2007 )
 
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In The News

Watada won't be retried on 3 of 5 counts
By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times, October 21, 2008
 

Citing the constitutional protections against being tried twice for the same crime, a federal judge Tuesday ruled that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada cannot face a second court-martial on three of five counts resulting from his high-profile 2006 refusal to deploy to Iraq with a Fort Lewis brigade.

The ruling by Judge Benjamin Settle, however, leaves open the possibility of a second prosecution on two other counts involving conduct unbecoming an officer.

In the ruling, Settle abstained from ruling on the constitutionality of those charges and said it was up to a military court to consider "if constitutional defects" would be present in a second court-martial on those two counts. Convictions on those two counts could result in two years in prison.

The ruling keeps Watada, who has been assigned a desk job at Fort Lewis since his refusal to deploy to Iraq with his combat brigade, in a kind of legal limbo.

Read more...
 
Judge rules for officer who refused Iraq duty
Federal court cites double jeopardy in Watada case

By This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 21, 2008

If the Army tries to court-martial 1st Lt. Ehren Watada a second time, it cannot prosecute him for refusing to deploy to Iraq, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Seeking a conviction on that charge -- the most serious that Watada faced -- would constitute double jeopardy, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma decided.

Settle agreed with Watada's request by throwing out the charge of missing movement for refusing to deploy with his Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade to Iraq in June 2006. Watada said the war was illegal.

Settle also dismissed two specifications of a second charge, of conduct unbecoming an officer, related to statements Watada made against the war and against President Bush. He made the statements at a news conference and in a speech at a Veterans for Peace convention.

Read more...
 
"DISSENT: VOICES OF CONSCIENCE"
http://www.voicesofconscience.com/
 When the actions of government become dangerous to the security of the nation, it takes a special courage for men and women inside the government to speak out. If we care about keeping democracy alive, we must welcome this book. "

         —Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the U.S.

During the run-up to war in Iraq, Army Colonel (Ret.) and diplomat Ann Wright resigned her State Department post. She was one among dozens of government insiders and active-duty military personnel who leaked documents, spoke out, resigned, or refused to deploy in protest of government actions they felt were illegal. In Dissent: Voices of Conscience, Ann Wright and Susan Dixon tell the stories of these men and women, who risked careers, reputations, and even freedom out of loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law.

Read more...
 

Watada Supporters Around The Country

WINTER SOLDIER HEARINGS

VETERANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WAR

March 13-16, 2008

On March 13-16, US veterans of the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq will gather in Washington DC to testify about their experiences, and present video and photographic evidence, as will military families and civilian survivors, in "Winter Soldier" hearings organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). 

These hearings are modeled on the 1971 event of the same name organized by anti-war veterans in Detroit which galvanized the movement against the Vietnam war.  These important hearings will be broadcast live via satellite, radio and internet all over the world; please see below for details and schedule.  The Global Women Strike and Payday will organize a public view in London and possibly in other cities.  Details to follow.

·    Tune in, organize house parties, showings at community centers, places of worship, trade-union locals/branches, etc.  If you organize an event, post it on IVAW's website here and let us know at Payday, and we will publish it on our website.

·    Write a statement of support for the hearings on IVAW’s website (tick “other” if you’re not in the US and insert your post code for "zip code" – it will be accepted).  Send a copy to Payday and we will also post it on our website.  We are all strengthened when US soldiers say no.  If you are a conscientious objector/refusenik from another country tell them your experience.  Let Winter Soldier know that the world supports them! 

·    For more information on what else you can do to publicize and support this important event, see IVAW's website: www.ivaw.org.

 
"To stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people... Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no matter how long this country takes to right itself, their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education. How do you support the troops but not the war? By supporting those who can truly stop it; let them know that resistance to participate in an illegal war is not futile and not without a future."  -- Lt. Ehren Watada, first commissioned officer to refuse to go to Iraq, faced 7 years in prison, his court-martial ended in a mistrial but he still remains in legal limbo.

Read more...
 
JACL Calls for Equal Treatment for Lt. Ehren Watada

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) believes that all American citizens have the right to a fair and impartial trial, which includes the right to have a trial presided over by an impartial judge and to be protected from double jeopardy.

As the oldest Asian Pacific American civil rights organization in the United States, the JACL has lodged numerous principled defenses of constitutional rights. History has taught us a valuable lesson that true affirmation of American ideals and rights requires conscientious reflection and action based on those ideals. The Japanese American experience, with 120,000 people unjustly imprisoned without due process or equal protection under the law during World War II, has taught JACL the importance of defending civil rights and civil liberties.

On June 7, 2006, First Lt. Ehren Watada publicly declared his intent to refuse deployment to Iraq based upon his oath to defend the Constitution. Lt. Watada explained his convictions again on August 12, 2006. Each time, Lt. Watada spoke while out of uniform, off his military base, and on his own time -- in accordance with the limits on free speech under military law that Lt. Watada's superiors emphasized to him. During subsequent court-martial proceedings, the presiding judge repeatedly refused to allow Lt. Watada to present testimony about his convictions. However, before the prosecution rested its case, the prosecution's own expert witness acknowledged that an officer must ultimately follow the demands of his or her conscience. The judge eventually declared a mistrial over defense counsel's objections.

Serious issues of fairness have been raised concerning selective prosecution, freedom of speech, judicial bias, the ability to present witnesses in one's defense, due process and the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy with respect to Lt. Watada's case. While legal minds and good people can disagree about Lt. Watada's beliefs in this case, the JACL is committed to raising awareness and educating other organizations about his principled stand to ensure he is treated with fairness and receives due process within the U.S. military justice system and under the U.S. Constitution.

 
Cynthia McKinney

Former U.S. Representative

cynthia_mckinney

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1984)

desmond_tutu

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Denis Halliday

Former United Nations Assistant Secretary General

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Among the Watada Supporters . . .

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We gratefully acknowledge US Rep. Mike Honda, Willie Nelson, Harry Belafonte, Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Randi Rhodes, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen and many others for their support. Read their statements

Watada on NPR

Tune in or listen online: NPR's Jan 25 Fresh Air interview with Lt. Watada.

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