Tuesday, December 19, 2006

THIS JUST IN! IT'S WAR!

 
SPEAKING TO THE D.C. PRESS CORPS TODAY, WHITE HOUSE FLACK TONY SNOW JOB DENIED THAT THERE WAS "A SPLIT" BETWEEN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE U.S. MILITARY'S JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF.
 
"IT IS TRUE," A FORMER WHITE HOUSE SOURCE, NOT SCOTTY MCCLELLAN, TOLD US AFTERWARDS.  "THERE IS NOT A SPLIT.  THERE IS A COMPLETE AND TOTAL WAR ZONE BETWEEN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE JOINT CHIEFS.  A SPLIT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE THEY QUARRELLED OVER WHO WAS PICKING UP THE DINNER TAB.  THIS IS COMPLETE AND TOTAL WAR BETWEEN THEM AND THE WHITE HOUSE."
 
OUR SOURCE GIGGLED AND THEN SCAMPERED OFF CHASING AFTER A U.S. POSTAL CARRIER. 
 
 
 
In peace news, Carolyn Ho, mother of Ehren Watada, was interviewed by Dalia Hashad, Michael Smith, and Michael Ratner on WBAI's Law and Disorder Monday. Ehren Watada is the first US officer to refuse publicly to deploy to Iraq.  Ho spoke of being "stunned" on January 1, 2006, when her son told her of his decision.  Dalia Hashad asked, "You were upset with your son because he didn't want to go to war?"  Ho replied, "Well, you know, all I could think of was I just did not want him to be vilified in the press.  All I could see was this was my son trying to face the military-industrial complex.  It was just totally overwhelming and I just was not prepared for it.  It was days that I had to think through this. It was just feelings of grief, of anger that he was doing this to himself."
 
Ho has spoken with member of Congress and hasn't been overwhelmed by their response.  She noted, "I feel that my son's case is not seperate and apart from the legislative branch."  And though Congress and the military wishes to act as though it's as cut and dry as her son just refusing an order, Ho feels "this government is going to have to face reality." 
 
Ehren Watada knows the war is illegal and the resaon for the refusal to deploy is not a secondary issue but the primary one in his case -- whether the military or the US Congress wants to admit it.  Michael Ratner revealed that Eric Seitz' attorney has spoken with him about the prospect of Ratner testifying at Watada's February court-martial.
 
Dalia Hashad raised the issue of Watada's role in "the larger anti-war movement" and Ho offered, "I think that he holds the banner as do all the other refusenics.  I think that people sometimes say that he is a part of it and not the other way around but I think it needs to be perceived in the  broader context and that with his victory, I believe truly that it will be a victory for the people and for the movement because the movement progresses with each case and each victory is something that brings us further along the line.  I think that he does not operate in a vacuum, that he has been inspired by others that went before him and he will be an inspiration for other to follow."
 
Watada is a part of a resistance movement within the military that includes Kyle Snyder, Darrell Anderson, Joshua Key, Ivan Brobeck, Ricky Clousing, Mark Wilkerson, Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass, Patrick Hart, Clifford Cornell, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, and Kevin Benderman. Those are some of the war resisters who have gone public and over thirty US war resisters are currently in Canada attempting to be legally recognized.
 
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Appeal for Redress is collecting signatures of active duty service members calling on Congress to bring the troops home -- the petition will be delivered to Congress next month.
 
 
Ehren Watada spoke with Robert Shikina (Honolulu Star -Bulletin whose Gregg Kakesako is among the reporters subpeoned by the prosecution to testify in the February court-martial).
"It'll all be over pretty soon.  In one way or another, it'll all be over," Watada told Shikina.  "Now at least I know I have a date and it's set.  And I know after that point, one way or another, it's going to end."  Though the court-martial is due to begin in February, pre-trial motions start January 4th.  Watada and Ann Wright (retired US army colonel, retired US State Department official) will speak at 7:00 p.. tonight at the Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Ave, in Honolulu. 
 
 
 
Recommended: "Iraq Snapshot"

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Posted by at