Adam Kokesh, and other vets speaking out against the continued US occupation of Iraq, are being threatened by the top military brass and Bush Administration. Yet, it is striking in how unpopular the war has become, that the leader of the largest vet’s group in America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is now defending the right of these vets to protest this war without harassment from the Pentagon establishment.
Many politicians in local, state, and federal governments, feel that it is perfectly OK for soldiers to be forcibly paraded in pro war demonstrations paid by our tax monies, but that free speech for dissenters, including military dissenters, should be put down by any means at their disposal, including using attacks by police, dishonourable discharges of GIs, etc. This war will not be ended either by soldiers or civilians sitting back quietly and waiting for politicians to act responsibly. The politicians will act in the interests of the military-industrial complex instead, unless pressured by our continued protests.
We owe the antiwar vets all of our support. Together, patriotic vets and patriotic civilians can end this war by our actions and continued opposition to the politican’s war. Those dissenters in the military are an inspiration to us all, and together show that patriotism does reside in the ranks, even in a military full of people voluntary largely recruited by rank economic incentives.
The Peace Movement needs to do all it can to help defend from government persecution our friends, the antiwar vets of America. They are supporting the end to persecution of foreign peoples by our imperialist government often at great personal risk to themselves. May their ranks grow yet larger, as the world needs this as well as our own country itself. It is a case where patriotism becomes international solidarity, and international solidaritiy really is the patriotism of the future that the world needs more of now.
The government is threatening vets who speak out against the war. It is an apalling attack on the first amendment right to free speech and should be condemned by every American who values the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States. What makes these people think they can trample on this constitutional right?
The president? Possibly yes. After all, George Bush has made clear (although not to the public’s face) HIS intentions not to follow US law with the hundreds of “signing statements” attached to nearly every law congress has passed during his time in office. What an example to set for the military, of which he is the leader.
How can we expect soldiers to act lawfully when we allow this to occur unchallenged? I respect and admire any soldier who will stand up and protest this immoral war. I didn’t have the knowledge to do it when I was a soldier, but now I do and I will not stand by and do nothing.
Thanks, Tony, for your support of veterans opposed to this illegal war.
I don’t know what I would have become or done if I had stayed in uniform.
A lot of choices and almost all of them ugly.
These kids don’t have that option though, they’re back-doored into the Ready Reserve, which is a foretaste of the coming draft
It’s been done before, more than a third of the U.S. soldiers in the Korean war were WW2 veterans still doing their Guard or Reserve “obligations”
Technically, according to the Draft Act of 1863, everybody in America is under the obligation to join the service if the government decides it needs whatever we have to offer.
Even Steven Hawking could technically be drafted, 4F means only that you have the most number of DEFERMENTS, it isn’t a full exclusion from being drafted.