PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Sociopolitic: July 2006

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Thank You Lt. Watada


It was very encouraging to read this morning that First Lt. Ehren K. Watada of the Army has refused to deploy to Iraq on the basis of his opposition to the wars' illegality as well as "the deception used to wage this war," and "the lawlessness that has pervaded every aspect of our civilian leadership." ( NY Times, 7/23/06).

This apparently was not a sudden or hasty decision by the lieutenant, who apparently did much soul searching and research before on Jan. 25th finally delivering a two-page letter to his commander Col. Stephen J. Townend asking to resign his commission.

According to the NY Times ;

Lieuntenant Watada said that when he reported to Fort Lewis that he was beginning to have doubts. "I thought it was my responsibility to learn about the present situation. At that time I never conceived that our government would deceive the Army, or deceive the people."

The same Times piece quotes the lieutenant as saying; "I was still willing to go until I started reading." Apparently he first read James Bamford's book A Pretext for War which claims that the war in Iraq was created by a small group of neocons in the Pentagon and "their allies in policy institutes." He also reportedly read Sy Hersh's book Chain of Command as well as selections dealing with the treatment of prisoners at Gitmo and the notorious Downing Street memo.

Lt. Watada, 28, is currently working behind a desk at Fort Lewis just south of Seattle, but according to The Nation Magazine (7/7/06) on July 5 he was charged by the U.S. Army with three articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), including two counts of contempt towards officials (Article 88) - specifically President Bush, three counts of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (Article 133) , and one count of missing movement (Article 87).

The lieutenant's lawyer claims they were expecting the missing movement charges but are surprised about the other charges. Lt. Watada has reached out to anti-war groups however and they have embraced him, helping raise money for his legal defense and circulating a petition on his behalf. The website www.thankyoult.org provides concerned citizens the opportunity to support his cause by making donations and/or signing the petition.

The Nation piece by Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith claims that Watada "could be sentenced to over seven years in a military prison," if convicted of all six charges. It is also clear however, that the lieutenant was well aware of the possible consequences of his actions when he decided to make this courageous decision. He clearly knows what he is facing but was nonetheless willing to pay that price.

Under the circumstance I think we should give the lieutenant that much more of our respect. This was not the reflexive action of a soldier in battle who leaps into harms way to protect a fellow soldier. This way was a carefully planned, and research-informed decision of a man struggling with a moral dilemma. He had sworn to serve his country, but not under false pretenses. He had signed up after 9/11 wanting to defend his country. At that time he didn't know what he obviously knows now.

We can only hope that other military personnel are inspired by the lieutenants' stand. Movements often start with a single person of high integrity and courage acting in the face of great opposition and sometimes grave personal consequences. The least we can do is to let Lt. Watada know that we are with him in spirit and give our names as concerned citizens who support the ending of the criminal abomination our so-called leaders call "The War on Terror."

Posted by Rogue Scoop at 2:42 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Review of Sir! No Sir

Directed by David Zeiger


On Saturday I attended a special screening (sponsored by KPFK), of Sir! No Sir in Pasadena. This film, a documentary about the widespread but underreported GI anti-war movement during the time of Vietnam, is both educational and entertaining and wipes away the cobwebs of time in transporting viewers back to an era whose Zeitgeist was largely formed by protests and organized rebellions against the government and the "establishment," whose policies led to repression at home as well as death and destruction overseas.

Writer/Director/Producer David Zeiger has created not only a historically significant document with this film, but has contributed a lodestar for present anti-war activists and Iraq war veterans who have either thought about or are currently engaged in protesting the brutalities and crimes going on in the Middle East. Indeed, a representative from IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) joined Zeiger in a post-screening questions and answer session and informed the audience that there is a surprisingly large number of men and women who have served in Iraq and now want to speak out about the injustices they have witnessed first hand (www.ivaw.net).

As for the film, it makes no direct reference to the present war that the U.S. government has perpetrated against the Iraqi nation and its people, but the parallels between Vietnam and the Iraq war are clear, certainly in the accounts of the My Lai massacre and 1971's Winter Soldier investigation. In these contexts one thinks of the recent horrors that occured in Haditha.

Sir! No Sir is beautifully edited and skillfully incorporates powerful music from the time to contribute to a seamless, flowing narrative. Stylistically, it feels like it could have been made in 1975 rather than in 2004. In particular, the color scheme and animation of the opening titles which portray the raised hand of a soldier forming the peace sign, which then transforms into a flying dove, is reminiscent of sixties short films.

At the outset, Former Green Beret Donald Duncan, who was one of the first soldiers to speak out about Vietnam, as well as Dr. Howard Levy, who was courtmartialed and spent three years in prison after refusing to serve in Vietnam, are both interviewed and provide insights into the roots of the GI movement. Susan Schnall, a one time Navy nurse who helped organize and participate in mass demonstrations against the war, Keith Mather who was part of "The Nine For Peace" and Randy Rowland, part of the "Presidio 27" all provide emotional recollections of their actions and states of mind during their defining moments in history. Zeiger mixes these interviews with newspaper clippings, caricatures of officers from the then notorious G.I. Underground press, and newsreel footage to create a collage of images, sounds, and feelings. He manages to convey the sense of desperation and purpose that propelled these courageous men and women to take up a fight that had really never been taken up on the level they were attempting.

The role of Afro-American soldiers and their organizations such as the Black Brothers Union were examined in the film as well. It becomes clear in viewing the film that the organized protests, the dialogue being shared at the G.I coffee houses and the participation of antiwar celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Dick Gregory and Donald Sutherland all played a role in the unfolding of events that led to the eventual withdrawal from Vietnam.

While the general public seems to have some conception of the public protests against the war in Vietnam perhaps most don't realize what a significant role the soldiers themselves played in bringing an end to the devastation. It is of interest that mass instances of "insubordination" and refusal of soldiers to go into battle forced Nixon and Kissinger to end the U.S. ground campaign in Vietnam. It was supposedly due to these acts of rebellion by G.I.'s that Nixon had to focus on an air campaign instead. The films' narrator tells us that "with the air assault coming mainly from aircraft carriers, sailors and airmen became the center of the G.I. movement." It is noted that on the U.S.S. Coral Sea 1,200 enlisted men and women signed a petition demanding that their ship stay home. Shortly thereafter Air Force personnel began to participate in the open revolt by refusing to provide intelligence to U.S. leadership.

Former U.S. naval officer Ron McMahan is quoted in the film as saying "we truly believed what would stop that war was when the soldiers stopped fighting it." It appears that to a great extent that came to pass. One must wonder what would happen today if these types of open refusals to fight began to multiply. Whatever the answer to this question, seeing Sir! No Sir helped to restore my faith in human beings and their willingness to stand up and fight for what they believe in, even under the most difficult and trying of circumstances, and against the longest of odds.

Posted by Rogue Scoop at 12:41 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Sickness and degradation : The tragedy of Abeer Qasim Hamza


Yesterday as I read a diary over at Daily Kos ("The Face of An American Soldier -- the Last Thing She Saw", 7/10/06) I initially felt deep sorrow for Abeer Qasim Hamza, shortly followed by outrage and great anger at the perpetrators of her brutal rape and murder. The tragedy of what happened to young Abeer and her family ( her 6 year old sister Hadeel and her parents were all reportedly shot and killed by the soldiers involved) is emblematic of the horrors and cruelty that surface in war zones where chaos and lawlessness tend to rule, I thought. My outrage grew however when I read the signed affidavit by FBI Special Agent Gregor Ahlors, who detailed sworn testimony of several eyewitnesses to these barbaric acts.

Apparently on or about March 12, 2006 former U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division soldier Steven D. Green invaded the home of young Abeer (many reports list her as having been a 14 yr. old Iraqi girl but the affidavit lists her as 25 yrs. old) with several soldiers. According to testimony of an eyewitness he proceeded to the bedroom and murdered the father, mother and little sister of Abeer with an AK-47. After appearing from the bedroom and proclaiming that "they 're all dead" Green joined at least one of the other men in gang raping the girl and subsequently shooting her in the head and later burning her body. It is also reported that the AK-47 was buried near a canal outside the house to hide any evidence. Other reports suggest that some of the soldiers involved had oggled Abeer at a checkpoint just days before the attack and that she complained to her mother about this.

It shouldn't be surprising that the MSM almost uniformly failed to mention or print the name of the young victim, and also left out the gory details of the act. It is clear that by simply labelling Abeer as an "Iraqi woman" or an "Iraqi girl" the value of her life is minimized, the horrorendous nature of the crimes diminished and the public is anesthetized to the the gruesome reality of war. This unwillingness to humanize victims is part of the same agenda which dictates that the mainstream media's not show images of the flagdrapped coffins of dead U.S. soldiers or slaughtered Iraqi civilians -- what we don't see it is thought, we won't protest. In other words, "out of sight, out of mind."

But I am here to express outrage, and I know I am not alone in this outrage. I have read the posts and comments of many others who share my feelings.

According to the Washington Post "military authorities have charged four active-duty soldiers with premeditated rape and murder for the March attack near Mahmudiyah(wp.com, 7/11/06). They add that a fifth soldier has been charged with dereliction of duty. The Los Angeles Times lists these soldiers as : Sgt. Paul E.Cortez, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard. The Times article states that "Yribe is charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to report the attack (,)" and add that "the others face rape and murder charges." (L.A. Times, 7/11/06)

It is noteworthy that former Pfc. Green was reportedly discharged from the Army before this incident came to light. Allegedly, this was due to an unspecified personality disorder (logic would tell us that Antisocial Personality Disorder makes sense here). Green was charged last week in federal court in Charlotte, N.C., with one count of rape and four counts of murder (L.A. Times, 7/11/06) and is currently being held without bond. We can only hope that justice is expeditiously served in the case of these unimaginably cruel and horrible crimes.

It also appears that the kidnapping, torture and execution of U.S. soldiers Kristian Menchaca and Thomas L. Tucker, played a role in at least one of the eyewitnesses to the Mahmudiyah murders coming forward with his account. Reportedly the eyewitness had a guilty conscience about the deaths of his brigade colleagues. The mayor of Mahmudiyah has said that the killings of the two U.S. soldiers was likely not retribution for the rape of Abeer Qasim Hamza and the murder of three of her family members. His explanation was that the Maymudiyah crimes were initially reported as insurgent attacks and that the involvement of U.S. troops did not emerge until after the Yusifiyah killings. (washingtonpost.com, 7/11)

On the other hand, the recent emergence of a video reportedly released by an insurgent group linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq supposedly shows the bodies of Menchaca and Tucker, one of them decapitated and the other lying on the ground and his head being stepped on. The new video was purportedly posted on an insurgent Web site and accompanied by a statement from the Mujaheddin al-Shura Council saying that the killings were indeed in retaliationfor the rape and murder of the young Abeer Qasim Hamza al Janabi.

While it seems that new and updated information surrounding this case is presented everyday, one thing remains certain; the cycle of violence characteristic of warring factions such as Israel and Palestine is becoming increasingly characteristic of the conflict in Iraq. This alone should serve as a strong statement in favor of ending the occupation and immediately withdrawing the remaining troops. For those who argue that a sudden withdrawal would have even more serious consequences than maintaining a presence in Iraq, they should heed the words of Chomsky who maintains that "an occupying army doesn't have any rights," especially when they have illegally and criminally invaded an innocent country. If the people of that country want them to leave then they should do just that.

To some the rape and murder of Abeer Qasim Hamza al Janabi may come to symbolize the U.S. "rape" and destruction of Iraq. She was an innocent, indeed. In the face of the horrors of Haditha and now this terrible, terrible act it is really unthinkable that any rational person can support the present U.S. military occupation of Iraq. In a recent statement Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki called for "brotherhood and love" in the face of growing violence, while all around him "sectarian militias have been carving up Baghdad neighborhoods for weeks (.)" (J. Michael Kennedy, L.A. Times, 7/11/06). Meanwhile Major Gen. William B. Caldwell had conceded that U.S. forces have been stalled but states that "....we're moving along in a positive direction in many, many areas." (L.A. Times, 7/11). Just what are these areas General, if I may so boldly ask? Are systematic executions of civilians and premeditated combination rape/murders positive in your world?

In the same Times piece Caldwell is also quoted as stating that "I think everybody thought that perhaps it might be improving more than it is at this point." Well, General, I never suffered from such delusion. If more tradegies such as the one suffered by Abeer Qasim Hamza and her family come to light it will become increasingly difficult to convince even the most naive and unquestioning of this country's denizens that anything resembling improvement is on the horizon for the people of Iraq while the U.S. and its' military are there.

Posted by Rogue Scoop at 12:34 PM | | Comments