[Peace-discussion] Active (Conscience on) Duty Day

[Drew Johnson]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20071112/cm_thenation/15251202

 Active (Conscience on) Duty Day

The Nation Mon Nov 12, 6:44 PM ET

The Nation -- This country sets aside two days to honor military service.
On Veterans Day we celebrate the living; on Memorial Day we remember the
dead.

I'd like to propose a third national holiday: Active Duty day. A day to
celebrate those who refuse to leave their conscience at home. A day to
cherish those who elevate this nation's morals by refusing to participate
in illegal acts.

Leading this year's Active Conscience-on-Duty Day parade should be First
Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to
Iraq.

"To me," Watada told a court earlier this year, leading soldiers into
battle in Iraq "means to participate in a war that I believe to be
illegal."

Last Thursday a civilian judge handed Watada a victory against those in
the military who would like to see him silenced, convicted and locked up.

In June 2006, Watada gained international attention when he publicly
denounced the Iraq war as an illegal occupation and then refused to deploy
with his Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade.

This February, his court-martial ended in a mistrial, after which his
attorneys claimed that Fifth Amendment constitutional protections
protected him from a second round in court.

On November 8, Judge Benjamin Settle agreed: "The same Fifth Amendment
protections are in place for military service members as are afforded to
civilians ... . To hold otherwise would ignore the many sacrifices that
American soldiers have made throughout history to protect these sacred
rights," he wrote.

In issuing a preliminary injunction, the Judge concluded that "it is
likely" that Watada will succeed in his claims that a second court-martial
would violate constitutional protections against being tried twice for the
same crimes.

But Army officials aren't giving up. In a statement, they said they will
file briefs in U.S. District Court to try to prevent the injunction from
becoming permanent.

Now is the time for all moral men and women in uniform to stand up -- not
just behind Lt. Watada, but at his side. So far, not one other officer has
followed in the lieutenant's footsteps.

According to the Army more than 10,000 soldiers have deserted since the
Iraq invasion started. Every year, the number of deserters has gone up.
Official statistics say 3,196 went AWOL last year, compared to 2,543 the
year before. Based on the calls they received, groups like Iraq Veterans
Against the War put the real numbers at ten times that.

Desert if you must, but better yet, come out. Activate your Conscience on
Duty and I bet I won't be the only one to hoot and holler and organize a
parade.

For more on Lt.Watada's case go to Thank you Lt. Ehren Watada