Retired Army Col. backs officer who refuses to go to Iraq...

[marmar]

Soldier's Iraq war stance backed
Watada has right to refuse to go, retired officer says

By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER

With his Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade possibly deploying to Iraq in the coming weeks, Lt. Ehren Watada has picked up the public endorsement of a retired Army colonel and diplomat who also contends the war there is illegal.

Speaking at University Lutheran Church in Seattle, retired Col. Ann Wright said Monday night that the artillery-targeting officer has the right to disobey "illegal orders."


Under principles established during the Nuremberg trials after World War II, she noted, people have an obligation to oppose a government that is conducting a war of aggression.

"The country of Iraq did nothing to the United States of America," said Wright, who resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2003 because of the war.

At the church, Watada sat next to his parents, who flew in from Hawaii to support him. When the day comes for his unit to go to Iraq, he said he will report for duty. But he said he will not board the airplane.

The rest is at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/274585_watada20.html

[BoneDaddy]

1. Good for him

And kudos to Col. Ann Wright

[genie_weenie]

2. Hopefully Lt. Watada's case

will draw the support of more former military personel. If only Hackworth was still alive.

Maybe Karen Kwiatkowski, Lt. Col. USAF (ret.) of Lewrockwell.com and Why We Fight fame will do a story on it...

http://militaryweek.com/columns/kwiatkowski.php

[Ganja Ninja]

3. They all need to do this.

Especially anybody that's served 3 deployments already. What are they going to do call them cowards and traitors and put them in jail? I doubt the public would think very highly of that.

Enough is enough, send some college republicans and the Bush spawn. Time for those that support the war to make a sacrifice and sign up or shut up.

[marmar]

4. "Time for those that support the war to ... sign up or shut up"

Amen to that! :woohoo: :applause:

[Peace Patriot]

5. This is a very serious and courageous thing that he is doing.

The consequences to him could be dire. Will they shackle him, put him on the plane and transport him to a torture brig in Iraq? Expose him to danger? Put him in the line of fire? Let angry Iraqis capture him? They have so much unaccountable power! I was just reading the other day about the secret prison flights stopping in Ireland, and the discovery by local police, I believe it was, of a shackled U.S. Marine on board. What are they doing with dissenters? What are they doing with AMERICAN prisoners? And even if he remains here and gets treated relatively decently, he has a courtmartial and jail time to face. There is really no tougher civil disobedience than this.

And, of course, he loses his career, and may have already lost friends. I would never cheer him on, in the sense of wanting him to put himself in danger. I can only express the utmost admiration and awe for what he is doing, and hope and pray that he has the strength to take the consequences, and also the strength to forgive himself if he fails in any way. He has already put himself in jeopardy, and has been an eloquent inspiration to peace-lovers everywhere. Blessings upon you, Lt. Watada! May the God and the Goddess be with you! May you have peace in your heart, and may you help bring peace to our troubled country!

[Nikki Stone 1]

6. The retired military are really against this war

That alone should speak volumes to the US