When he arrived, we proceeded to the ManchuWOK for some lunch. I was last in line, and while I was getting my drink and talking to a GI, Lt J O Smith of the Department of the Army Fort Jackson Police #008 told me to put my tray down and step towards the door. On the way he grabbed the rest of our group, Nate Lewis, Mike Blake, Sholom Keller, and Steve Mortillo, who were sitting down having lunch with our soldier. When we got outside, we were surrounded by police, and there was a Park Ranger truck blocking in my car. They took our IDs and harassed us for a while with stupid questions, all the while refusing to tell us why we were being detained except for something about protesting on base.
They lined us up against a row of vending machines and told us to keep our hands at our sides. Sholom happened to have a copy of the Constitution on him and began quoting some craziness about rights, like "to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation." One of the officers went to give him back his ID card. "Is this your ID card, brother?" "Yes it is, and I'm not your brother. Dr King was a brother, Malcom was a brother, Huey P Newton was a brother. You are a traitor and a sell-out." Then one of the officers told me that because the base registration sticker on my Bronco was expired, he was going to have to scrape it off and he called me over to watch him do it. That was when I started taking pictures. Then the Lt started taking pictures of us with his phone.
The above is from Adam Kokesh's "Five IVAW Members Arrested At Fort Jackson For Wearing IVAW T-Shirts" (Sergeant Kokesh Goes to Washington). A number of members noted it in e-mails (and Shirley passed the news on to Kat). In the 1970s, there were arrests on military bases. (To avoid confusion, maybe I should have said "during the 'sixties'"?) but that generally involved someone not in the military, not ever having been in the military, handing out literature. Kokesh and others were meeting a friend stationed at the base. They were at a table talking with the friend. It's interesting that the arrest and harassment just 'happened.' It's not as though Iraq Veterans Against the War has been targeted by the US military, It's not as though Liam Madden, Cloy Richards and Adam Kokesh, Madden has been targeted and threatened. It's not as though Kokesh was asked in that mockery of a hearing, if was "a card carrying member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Oh wait, all that has happened and more.
Well Iraq Veterans Against the War are obviously making head honchos nervous -- a sign of power is when you're feared.
The other thing being noted repeatedly in e-mails is Madden's response to the dropped charges. This is a press release, so we'll note it in full. "Marines Cut and Run -- Drop Charges Against Vet Who Claimed Iraq War is Illegal -- "Marines Cower at a Real Debate on Whether War Crimes are Being Committed in Iraq" (Common Dreams):
WASHINGTON - JUNE 29 - Liam Madden, the Iraq War veteran who claimed the military attack on Iraq was "an illegal war of aggression under Nuremberg principles" and that "war crimes were being committed in Iraq," received word today that the Marines have dropped the charges against him rather than provide a forum for these issues to be debated. The Marines had claimed his comments were "disloyal" and threatened to reduce his discharge from honorable to less than honorable.
"I planned to argue that my comments were accurate and therefore not disloyal. In fact, it is the duty of veterans and active duty members of the military to stand up and tell their leaders when war crimes are being committed," said Madden. "Now that the military has chickened out and dropped these charges I hope others will join me in speaking out against this illegal war."
The Marines offered to drop the charges against Madden if he agreed to not wear his uniform at demonstrations. Liam responded that he would agree to that only if the Marines agreed that his comments about the war being illegal were not disloyal because they were accurate. His response to the Marines is below.
"The dropping of charges in my case should be a signal to all vets that they can speak out. The Marine Corps fear of holding a disciplinary hearing is an admission that my comments were accurate. If the Marines had moved forward to discipline me I would have brought forward leading legal scholars, military law experts and historians to demonstrate conclusively that the United States is now engaged in an illegal war of aggression under international law and therefore all acts being taken are war crimes," said Madden.
Madden is currently on tour with fellow vets going to military bases to reach out to active duty troops and urge them to get involved in efforts to end the war. "The reception we are receiving is remarkable. There is no doubt that more and more troops are coming to the conclusion that this war is wrong and are ready to speak out. Indeed, under international law all acts taken in an illegal war of aggression are considered war crimes," noted Madden.
Madden can be reached while he is on the road for interviews. His number is 703-408-3626.
# # #
Liam Madden's response to the Marines
June 25, 2007
Lt Col Blessing,
This letter is in response to the offer the Marine Corps Mobilization Command relayed to me via my military appointed attorney. I am prepared to accept the settlement proposed in which the Marine Corps agrees not to continue with the discharge proceeding regarding my alleged disloyal statements and protest activity. I understand that this is contingent on my oral promise not to engage in further political protest while wearing articles of my Marine uniform.
I will make such an oral agreement and stand by my good word if the Marine Corps is prepared to meet the following condition.
I will orally agree to not wear my military uniforms while engaged in any political protest, hell, I’ll have it carved into stone if you'd like, upon receiving a signed, written statement on official USMC letterhead acknowledging that my statements in question were neither disloyal nor inaccurate. If the Marine Corps issues this statement, apologizing for erroneously (or possibly vindictively) accusing me of disloyalty to my country, I will not share it with another living soul. I believe that the statements I make and the protest I engage in is necessary. If it’s not true that the war in Iraq is illegal, then I believe it would be indeed disloyal to declare such a position. However, the fact of the matter is that the United States is violating the sovereignty of another nation without the approval of the UN Security Council or a legitimate claim to self defense. Sir, is honesty disloyalty?
Additionally, if it isn't true, I would hope the US Government would prove to the skeptical world that the war is legal instead, of trying to stifle political opposition. I am sure we can agree that protesting against an illegal war, premised on lies and baseless assertions cannot be considered disloyal.
If the Marine Corps decides to not accept this condition, then I cannot agree to stop wearing my uniform at protests and we must continue to exhaust my legal alternatives. Which at present, include my right to an administrative board and may ultimately result in a case in federal appeals court.
I assure you, as a fellow patriot, my actions are taken in the best interest of the American people and the people of the world. Therefore, if the Marines decide to stop pursuing this case, I will accept that measure as your implied tolerance and support of protesting against war crimes while wearing military uniforms.
Thank you for considering my counter offer and I hope we can come to agreement on the matter. I understand men in your position have their careers to think about, as I’m positive many German Colonels did in 1939.
Semper Fidelis,
Liam Madden
And to round out this entry, an excerpt from a highlight Marci noted. Camilo Mejia is a war resister and the first for this illegal war who served in Iraq (first public one at any rate). Mejia has written about his journey in Road from Ar Ramaid: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejia. This is from "Rethinking patriotism this Fourth of July" (The Progressive):
This Independence Day, we should rethink our concept of patriotism.
Is it patriotic to support a war that our president launched on false premises and that has turned into a disaster?
Or is it patriotic to oppose that war?
I had to face this question while in uniform.
Back in 2003, when I fought in Iraq, my infantry unit was going out on combat missions without bulletproof vests and without basic radio equipment. For a while, we even had to suspend patrols because we didn’t have enough water to hydrate ourselves.
After 10 months of deployment and five months of combat without a purpose, I made the agonizing decision not to return to the war. A few months later, I publicly denounced the war and vowed that I would no longer fight in it.
That got me a 12-month sentence in a U.S. Army jail, demotion to the lowest rank and a bad-conduct discharge from the service.
I have no regrets.
Today, our young men and women in the military still find themselves in the role of occupiers, in a war that to this very day remains unjustified, a war that seems to be helping only U.S. companies like Halliburton that have profited from it.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
adam kokesh
liam madden
iraq veterans against the war
camilo mejiakats korner
