On Tuesday, Zaslofsky came to Colorado to support Robin Long.
"(Canadians) are very distressed by this. This is going against the tradition we have in our country," he said.
Zaslofsky is now a Canadian citizen. In the mid 60s he too left the United States after a brief stint in the military during the Vietnam War era.
Back then it's believed tens of thousands of Americans traveled to Canada to avoid participation in the Vietnam War.
"The (Canadian) government at that time believed they should be welcomed," he said.
Dominick Mirabile (July 17 opinion piece) argues that U.S. war resisters had a choice whether or not to enlist. However, signing a contract with the U.S. military does not obligate someone to participate in war crimes. Whether they volunteered or not is irrelevant. They have a higher obligation to international law than their "duty" to just follow orders.
Mr. Mirabile argues that war resisters "broke the law. They are in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." But under Principle 2 of Nuremburg, "The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law." In other words, international law trumps the Uniform Code of Military Justice if, under the guise of the UCMJ, soldiers are being ordered to participate in war crimes.
We now know soldiers are systematically ordered to violate international humanitarian law in Iraq -- from torture to intentionally targeting civilians -- and there are more revelations of war crimes emerging every day. The Nuremberg Tribunal ruled that "the very essence of the (Nuremberg) Charter is that individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience imposed by the individual state."
A contract runs both ways. Those who argue that the war resisters should be deported back to the U.S. miss one simple, basic truth. While the war resisters signed a contract voluntarily, they are not the ones who broke it. The U.S. administration is. The U.S. soldiers seeking refuge in Canada signed up to defend their country, not to commit war crimes.
Courage to Resist is at work raising awareness on Robin Long and organize. Here is their "Support Robin Long! Iraq War resister faces court martial:"
On July 15, 2008 U.S. Army PFC Robin Long became the first war resister since the Vietnam War forced to leave Canada and to be turned over to the U.S. military. Robin is currently being held in the El Paso County Jail, in Colorado, awaiting his Courts Martial. He will be present for his Courts Martial at Fort Collins, Co. He will likely be charged for AWOL, desertion, and possibly speech-related violations of military discipline; he is facing a General Courts Martial, the maximum penalty of such a trial is 20 years confinement. Support Robin Long and all troops with the courage to resist!
1. Donate to Robin's legal expenses
2. Send Robin letters of support
3. Send Robin commissary money
4. Send Robin a book
5. Sign the public statement of support – coming soon
1. Donate to Robin legal's expenses
Online: http://couragetoresist.org/robinlong
By mail: Make checks out to "Courage to Resist / IHC" and note "Robin Long" in the memo field. Mail to:
Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave #41
Oakland CA 94610
Courage to Resist is committed to covering Robin's legal and related defense expenses. Thank you for helping make that possible.
Also: You are also welcome to contribute directly to Robin's legal expenses via his civilian lawyer James Branum. Visit girightslawyer.com, select PayPal, and in the comments field note "Robin Long". Note that this type of donation is not tax-deductible.
2. Send letters of support to Robin
Robin Long, CJC
2739 East Las Vegas
Colorado Springs CO 80906
Robin's pre-trial confinement has been outsourced by Fort Carson military authorities to the local county jail.
Robin is allowed to receive hand-written or typed letters. To help ensure that he receives them, do not include drawings, stickers, copied photos or print articles. Robin cannot receive packages of any type (with the book exception as described below).
3. Send Robin a money order for commissary items
Anything Robin gets (toothbrush, shirts, paper, stamps, snacks, supplements, etc.) must be ordered through the commissary. Each inmate has an account to which friends may make deposits. To do so, a money order in US funds must be sent made out to "Robin Long, EPSO", along with the sender's name. Mail to the address above.
4. Send Robin a book
Robin is allowed to receive books which are ordered online and sent directly to him at the county jail from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. These two companies know the procedure to follow for delivering books for inmates.
5. Public statement of support
Coming soon -- sign the public statement in support of Robin Long and all war resisters.
Turning to the US presidential race. Yesterday's snapshot noted Matt Gonzalez (Ralph Nader's running mate) speaking at the the National Latino Congreso 2008. Below is the video of him being interviewed at the Congreso:
More videos from the Nader-Gonzalez campaign can be found here.
Bob Barr is the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate and this is a video for his campaign:
More Barr campaign videos can be found here.
Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party's presidential candidate and this is from her victory speech earlier this month at the party's Chicago convention.
Barr, McKinney and Nader are presidential candidates. Barack Obama and John McCain are the presumptive nominees of their parties. Yesterday the McCain campaign released two videos and here's the one to "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
The other is to "My Eyes Adored You." From Team Nader:
Nader and Gonzalez to Campaign in Houston, Sun., July 27
Contact: Chris Driscoll, 202-360-3273, chris@votenader.org
NADER AND GONZALEZ TO CAMPAIGN IN HOUSTON, SUN., JULY 27
Who: Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Vice Presidential Candidate Matt Gonzalez
What: Nader/Gonzalez News Conference and Campaign Rally
When: Sun., July 27, 1:30 p.m. News Conference and 2 p.m. Campaign Rally
Where: University of Houston Hilton, 4800 Calhoun Suite 207, Houston, TX 77204
Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader will campaign in Houston, Sun. July 27, hosting a news conference and campaign rally with Vice Presidential Candidate Matt Gonzalez at the University of Houston Hilton, 4800 Calhoun Suite 207, Houston, TX77204. The news conference starts at 1:30 p.m. and the campaign rally is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Mr. Nader and Mr. Gonzalez will both address critical issues the major party candidates have taken "off the table" that the Nader/Gonzalez campaign has put on the table, including:
- a comprehensive, negotiated military and corporate withdrawal date from Iraq;
- a single-payer, Canadian-style, private delivery, free-choice public health insurance system for all;
- a living wage and repeal of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act;
- a no-nuke, solar-based energy policy supported by renewable, sustainable, energy-efficient sources;
- a carbon tax to deter global warming;
- an end to the corporate welfare and corporate crime that has resulted in millions losing pensions, savings and jobs and squandered tax dollars; and,
- more direct democracy reflecting the preamble to our constitution which starts with "we the people," and not "we the corporations."
About Ralph Nader
Celebrated attorney, author, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader has been named by Time Magazine one of the “100 Most Influential Americans in the 20th Century”. For more than four decades he has exposed problems and organized millions of citizens into more than 100 public interest groups advocating solutions. His organizations have helped establish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and enact the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and countless other pieces of important consumer legislation. Because of Ralph Nader we drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer environments. Nader graduated from Princeton University and received an LL.B from the Harvard School of Law.
About Matt Gonzalez
Matt Gonzalez was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2000 representing San Francisco’s fifth council district. From 2003 to 2005 he served as Board of Supervisors President. A former public defender, Gonzalez is managing partner of Gonzalez & Leigh, a 7-attorney practice in San Francisco that represents individuals and organizations in mediation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings before state and federal regulatory bodies. Gonzalez graduated from Columbia University and received a JD from Stanford Law School.
For more information on the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, visit VoteNader.org
robin long
angela giles
