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1

If Lt Watada was drafted I would not be in favor of the court marshal in any way. But Lt. Watada signed up by his own free will. And part of the deal with the military is you go where they tell you to go. I am sure most everyone will be pissed I think that way but he should have thought his choice to join the military before he signed up.

Posted by Andrew | January 2, 2007 11:15 AM
2

That's very convenient of you to be so casual with another person's life.

There are any number of lies told by recruiters in order to hit their numbers... That Watada was able to eventually see through them, and what was being done to the people of Iraq, and had the conscience and courage to stand up to the US miliray should be commended.

There will be a rally in support of Watada at Fort Lewis, off I-5, exit 119 on Thurs. Jan. 4, 8-11am. I would encourage people are actually against the war to come out and support him. It was not until people actually started getting involved in the resistance movement that the anti-Vietnam War movement began to mean anything. The war in Iraq will not end until we begin showing our support for heroes like Watada.

Posted by Jason | January 2, 2007 11:40 AM
3

but andrew, there is a difference between just not feeling like going, and saying that you will not go because you feel that it is wrong. He has said that he is willing to go to Afghanistan, or south korea, but that he will not fight in iraq because he believes it is morally wrong. if only german soldiers had done the same in the 1930's and 40's. (not to suggest that the iraq war is anything like ww2)

Posted by konstantconsumer | January 2, 2007 11:46 AM
4

He was casual with his life. Sorry, but he signed up. In the military you give up the right to think for yourself. That is why it is called the military and not Boy Scouts. Until he can prove he was forced to join he should face trial.

Posted by Andrew | January 2, 2007 12:09 PM
5

I have to agree with Andrew on this one. I had a bunch of friends join the military after high school (in 2001), and I'll never forget what one of them said a few years back: he hoped he wouldn't get deployed to Iraq, but he realized that he gave up any choice in that matter when he enlisted. Watada may be noble, but that doesn't exempt him from court-martial.

Posted by Hernandez | January 2, 2007 12:09 PM
6

when you join the military you join the military to defend the constitution of the united states. if after the fact the military tells you to go to a country and fight a war that isn't legal, you should have the right to refuse. i understand the moral argument that he seems to be making, however if I were him i would say that, morals aside, the war is illegal and he is not obligated to participate in an illegal action. that probably has a better legal standing, though i'm not a lawyer and I know even less about military law. either way, i don't think you can dismiss him just because he joined the miliary. by doing so you're basically saying that once you join the military you should do whatever they tell you, no matter what. konstantcomsumer made the point: just following orders can lead to some fucked up shit.

Posted by charles | January 2, 2007 12:27 PM
7

Members of the military are supposed to refuse to follow illegal orders, like killing unarmed civilians or participating in illegal wars of aggression. Until now, that's what gave us a better moral authority.

The crux of his case is that the Iraq War is illegal and he’s not the only one that thinks so. Sorry Andrew, but you don’t become a mindless, amoral robot when you join the Army. You still have a responsibility to do the right thing.

Posted by Original Andrew | January 2, 2007 1:36 PM
8

The war is not illegal, whether you want it to be or not. In fact, it got the seal of approval from congress before we went in, unlike when Clinton sent troops to the Balkans. LT. Fuckhead was an officer people. That means that in the very least you have been in ROTC in college for 4 years, or you gone to OCS, officer candidacy school, which is minimum 9 months + regular training. He joined in 2003, right? That was when we invaded Iraq. He took his commission knowing he could go there. He also, in his minimun 9 month OCS school, learned that officers can't even critize the leaders of the armed forces, no matter what. That alone can get you a court-martial. Even if president Bush was killing babies, he could not go in pubic and say that Bush was bad/wrong/etc.


Regardless of what you think about that policy, the fact is that it is there. And he KNEW it. It is drilled into every officers head. He also knew that he could go to a war he didnt like. Playing the whole "it's illegal" defense makes me puke. Our congressmen/women voted for it. It sucks, but they did it, and most of them paid for it this year.


On top of that, Lt. fuckhead failed in the one job of an officer: to take care of HIS soldiers. HIS soldiers had to go to Iraq without his leadership, with low morale, etc. His unit was short one officer, which DOES make a difference.


So all in all, I think he should rot in jail. Unless they somehow make the Iraq war illegal (which it is not people), then that guy has to deal with the punishment he knew was the consequence of being a chicken shit.


Posted by Monique | January 2, 2007 3:31 PM
9

Monique,

Wars of aggression (aka unprovoked attacks) are against international law, which the US violates all the time not that it matters anymore.

Are you really saying that soldiers should follow illegal orders without question? Kill children etc? They're doing plenty of that thanks to people like you.

It makes me want to puke when people like you trot out the good enough for the Nazis it's good enough for the US "I was only following orders" defense. So all in all, I think you should rot in jail. You should deal with the consequences of being an amoral chickenshit.

Posted by Original Andrew | January 2, 2007 4:03 PM
10

Monique is correct. Right or wrong this war is legal. Andrew is correct. The Army is an all volunteer force, nobody has been drafted, much less gang pressed into action, and individuals must be held responsible for their decisions even, and maybe especially, when they regret them. (I know that personal responsibility isn’t popular with the Bleeding Hart Liberal set, but it’s still core to personal character.) Furthermore, anyone who makes it through officers training knows that they don’t have the luxury of having an actionable opinion on any order they are given. (That’s how the Military works, otherwise people die.) As to his argument re: the legality of the war, once it fails his only lasting accomplishment will have been to have given the government the opportunity to create a legal precedent confirming the legality of the war. If he wanted to chicken-shit-out, he should have just “conscientiously objected” on moral grounds instead of playing these lawyerly games that he won’t be able to win. This guy should get the firing squad for desertion and sedition.

Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me | January 2, 2007 6:07 PM
11

@ Original Andrew...


The war is legal. Our congress voted it in. And all our goverment has to say to the international community is that they "thought at the time that Iraq was involved in 9/11". This is what they have done, in case you didnt notice. And trying to compare killing children and WW2 with failing to deploy to a war zone is completely off-base. When you make those assertions, that is what makes you sound even less credible. And as You_got_to_be_kidding_me said, the only way that the military functions is to obey lawful orders without question. BTW, Do you even know the difference between enlisted and officers and what they can and can't do? I doubt it. I think the war is awful, I was not for it before, or now. But I know how our country works. If the congress ok's it, and they fund it, then its a war/police action/whatever. It sucks for sure.


And how dare you accuse the majority of soldiers over there of killing babies. That is a low blow, akin to how soliders were treated during and after vietnam. All wars have bad stuff happen, innocent people die. The majority of guys over there are just trying to stay alive to come home. They have to sacrifice, and they choose to do so. For you to make those inflammitory statements, is just plain sad.

Posted by Monique | January 3, 2007 9:51 AM
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It's not a legal war, because Congress was lied to to get into the war... remember, Saddam and Osama BFF... not true. Saddam has uranium and wmd... not true...

How quickly they forget...

Posted by Sha | January 6, 2007 9:10 PM

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