There never was a good war or a bad peace. ~Ben Franklin
Truth in Recruiting | Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
Truth in Recruiting
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
lead story:
ACLU Files Suit to Allow Counter-Recruiting in Public Schools
--peace group had reached an agreement with school board to table peace career options in the high schools twice a semester
page one:
Letter of support for 100 Israeli Youth Currently Refusing to Join the Military.
--what business is it of ours? Our own refuseniks are signing the letter.
video from Israel:
Israeli Soldiers Refuse to Serve in Gaza Occupation and/or Bombardment of Civilians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
--transcript provided here, from the translation provided in the sub-titles
--translated from the Hebrew, interviews with members of Courage to Refuse
quote:
"I was in the military for four years as a combat officer. I was in Gaza. I was in Lebanon. I commanded ambushes, I commanded on posts, I fought terrorists, I was hit by mortars, I got shot at, and I did all the scary things you do in the military, and I say this here wholeheartedly: To refuse, I needed more courage. Because in all these things I did in the military, I was surrounded with a group of men that did the same thing, I was in such a herd atmosphere that these things seemed natural. So I say here wholeheartedly that it took me more courage to refuse than to do all of things I did in the military. I call on all soldiers, pilots, officers and anyone else who takes part in this war, to look for that courage inside."
~Noam Livne, active-duty war resister, Israeli Defense Force
related stories: antiwar marches worldwde
100,000 people protest in London against the Israeli invasion of Gaza (Palestine)
100,000 people protest in Madrid against the Israeli air-strikes against civilians in Gaza
3,000 people protest in Chicago against Israeli war crimes in Gaza
1,000 people protest in Hong Kong aaginst Israeli crimes against peace and crimes against humanity
from the film archives:
Paul Baumer becomes a War Resister
--quote from the book/film, "All Quiet on the Western Front," translated from the German original Nicht Neues Im Western
--In part because of his experience in playing the part of Paul Baumer in film, the actor Lew Ayres became a conscientious objector during the Second World War.
page two:
under the rubrics: Court Cases, Victims' Rights, and U.S. Military Offenders/Mercenaries
End of Legal Immunity Spells Accountability for U.S. Mercenaries Killing-for-Hire in Iraq
--some American mercenaries will be sent home
US Soldier, Charged with Murder, Referred to Court-Martial in Deaths of 4 Iraqis in 2007
Cold War Vets Sue Government Over Unwitting Participation in Military Experiments
--experiments were hazardous to their health, and they participated without their knowledge or consent
follow up: violence against women in the military
Worries about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), prompted U.S. military to set up sex trade camps, during Korean War
--former South Korean prostitutes are seeking compensation and an apology
quote:
“Our government was one big pimp for the U.S. military,”
~one of the women forced into sex slave trade, Kim Ae-ran, 58, said in a recent interview about the South Korean government's complicity with U.S. military "R&R"
backpage:
France Finally Agrees to Pay Damages to Unwitting Nuclear Test Victims
• Radiation illnesses must be recognized - government minister says
• Veterans are relieved finally to find an end to the 40-year wall of silence
quote:
"We were guinea pigs."
~Michel Verger, president of the French veterans' pressure group, Aven
facts:
35% of the soldiers exposed to radiation had one or two cancers and one in five were infertile.
Confirmed: U.S. Air Force Falls Short for Third Time in a Row
--All three missile bases with deployed land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are in trouble
--Minot, Malstrom, and now Warren, have failed their security tests.
upcoming event: alternatives to military enlistment
Film addresses the Peace Corps and VISTA: "American Idealist: Sgt. Shriver"
--The film will premiere nationally on PBS, during primetime, on January 21, 2009.
--An early-release screening is planned in Tulsa, at Circle Cinema, on Friday, Jan 16th, 2009
Ten excellent reasons not to join the military:
file the above story under:
j.. You Have Other Choices
Epitaph for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting":
Army sends "Dear John Doe" letter to families of 7,000 war dead
file under S.N.A.F.U.
file under military machine grinds the meat
lead story
ACLU files suit to allow counter-recruiting
By Mitch Weiss - The Associated Press
Jan 7, 2009
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against a rural North Carolina school system that barred a peace activist from talking to high school students about alternatives to joining the military.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, says the Wilkes County school district and its superintendent violated the First Amendment by preventing Sally Ferrell from distributing pamphlets and other materials that warn students to think twice before joining the military.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ferrell and Bill Towe, director of N.C. Peace Action.
“We’ve tried to find another alternative to bringing this lawsuit,” Katherine Parker, legal director of the ACLU’s North Carolina chapter, said Tuesday. “They just will not compromise.”
The legal group is asking a judge to issue an injunction to allow Ferrell, a member of N.C. Peace Action, to distribute the materials and give her the same access to students as military recruiters who are allowed in the schools.
No court date has been set, but Superintendent Stephen Laws said Tuesday the district “won’t back down.”
“It’s sad that it’s gotten to this point,” he said.
He said the lawsuit could become a test case for other districts looking to ban peace activists from schools.
“Why should we let a peace action group talk to students if they’re going to make disparaging remarks about the military?” he said. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.”
The case began in early 2005 when Ferrell, 63, a Quaker and longtime peace activist, became involved in the counter recruiting movement.
In recent years, thousands of people like Ferrell have joined dozens of counter recruiting groups. They say military recruiters have given students misleading information and often target high schools in poor and rural areas where options for graduating students are limited. And after years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — and more than 4,600 soldiers killed and 64,000 wounded in both wars — the activists want students to know they have other prospects.
Most schools have allowed counter recruiters. So Ferrell was optimistic when she began collecting materials from anti-war groups. In March 2005, she asked the district for permission to talk to students.
“Why rip apart the military because you don’t like it?” Laws said. “It’s wrong. I’m not going to allow that in my schools.”
Ferrell eventually turned to the ACLU and after two years, the group reached an agreement with the board in which Ferrell would be allowed in the high schools twice a semester.
She set up a “peace table” in hallways, where she handed out material and talked to students about AmeriCorps and other alternatives to the military. But by December 2007, Laws said he’d had enough. A principal had complained to him about some of the materials and Laws told Ferrell her message was no longer welcomed.
“When she was allowed back in school, it was to talk about Americorps, Peace Corps, those kinds of entities,” Laws said. “That’s what she said she was going to do. And when it turned out that she didn’t do that — that she was disparaging the military — we had to say no.”
Ferrell said Tuesday she discussed those career options with students. But she also told them what to expect if they enlisted — and what to watch out for when talking to military recruiters.
“I don’t think he (Laws) was ever interested in letting us speak to students. He was just looking for excuses,” she said.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_counterrecruiting_0...
Letter of Support for Israeli War Resisters, from U.S. War Resisters
The letter is from U.S. military servicepeople who have refused to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was written for the day of international solidarity with Israeli military objectors, December 18.
The letter (list of signatories follows below):
We are U.S. military servicemembers and veterans who have refused or are currently refusing to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We stand in solidarity with the Israeli Shministim (Hebrew for 12th graders) who are also resisting military service. About 100 Israeli high school students have signed an open letter declaring their refusal to serve in the Israeli army and their opposition to "Israeli occupation and oppression policy in the occupied territories and the territories of Israel." In Israel, military service is mandatory for all graduating high school seniors, and resisters face the possibility of years in prison.
We have also refused to participate in unjust acts of military aggression, and many of us have gone to prison or currently live with that possibility as a result. We believe that resistance to unjust war is a bold assertion of humanity in the face of overwhelming violence.
The Global War on Terror, like the Israeli occupation, is propped up by racism and dehumanization and sets the stage for never-ending war and occupation. We are inspired by the brave refusal of our brothers and sisters in Israel to take part in these destructive policies, and we want to let them know today, December 18th – the day of international solidarity with the Shministim – that they have our deepest respect and support.
In Solidarity,
Stephanie Atkinson
Specialist, US Army Reserve. Went AWOL to resist October 1990 deployment to Iraq. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Chris Capps-Schubert
Specialist, US Army, communications. Went AWOL March 2007 to resist Iraq redeployment. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Eugene Cherry
Specialist, US Army, medic. Went AWOL June 2005 to resist Iraq redeployment, later won honorable discharge.
Matthis Chiroux
Sergeant, US Army, journalist. Currently refusing Inactive Ready Reserve recall.
James Circello
Sergeant, US Army, airborne infantry. Went AWOL April 2007 following Iraq deployment. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Carl Davison
US Army, security. Refused Iraq deployment in 2008. Served one month in the brig.
Matthew Edwards
US Marines. Resisted deployment to Iraq March 2003.
Stephen Funk
Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps, logistic support. Went AWOL February 2003 to resist Iraq deployment. Served six months in the brig.
Andrew Gorby
Second Lieutenant, US Army, infantry. Discharged May 2007 as a conscientious objector.
Patrick Hart
Sergeant, US Army. Went AWOL in 2005 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Ryan Johnson
Private First Class, US Army. Went AWOL June 2005 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Dale Landry
Airman, US Air Force. Went AWOL in 2004 following Afghanistan deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Benjamin Lewis
US Marine Corps, mortar man. After two Iraq deployments, now refusing Inactive Ready Reserve recall.
Robin Long
US Army. Went AWOL to resisted Iraq deployment. Deported from Canada March 2008. Currently serving 14 month sentence in military stockade.
Christopher Magaoay
Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps. Went AWOL in 2006 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Camilo Mejia
Staff Sergeant, Army National Guard. Refused to redeploy to Iraq in 2004. Served nine months in the stockade.
Geoff Millard
Sergeant, Army National Guard. Went AWOL after a deployment to Iraq 2004-2005.
Brandon Neely
US Army, military police. Refused recall from the Inactive Ready Reserve in 2007.
Perry O'Brien
US Army, medic. Discharged as a conscientious objector November 2004 following Afghanistan deployment.
Jeff Paterson
Corporal, US Marine Corps, artillery control. Refused Desert Storm deployment August 1990. Served two months pre-trial confinement. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Chanan Suarezdiaz
Hospital Corpsman, Third Class, US Navy. Discharged following 2004 Iraq deployment.
Hart Viges
US Army, airborne mortar man. Discharged as a conscientious objector following 2003 Iraq deployment.
Dean Walcott
US Marine Corps, military police. Went AWOL in 2007 following Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
David Wiggins MD
Captain, US Army, doctor. Resigned commission near the Iraq border during Desert Storm 1991.
Steve Yoczik
Private, US Army. Went AWOL November 2006 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
For more information about the Israeli resisters, please visit: http://december18th.org/
crossposted: http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/649/1/
Israel Social TV presents:
Israelis Soldiers refuse to serve in Gaza!
Israelis protest against the war in Gaza, Tel Aviv January 8th 2009.
www.TV.social.org.il (independent media)
הטלוויזיה החברתית מציגה:
סרבנות עזה 2009
הפגנת חיילי מילואים נגד המלחמה בעזה, ראיונות עם מפגינים המעידים כי יסרבו להתגייס למלחמה בעזה. ההפגנה התקיימה מול הקריה ב - 8/1/2009.
Link to movie on Social TV Web Site:
http://www.tv.social.org.il/medini/stv-aza-refuseniks-8-1-09.htm
http://www.tv.social.org.il/eng/stv-aza-refuseniks-8-1-09-eng.htm
also on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
Transcript of video interview with IDF conscientious objectors and active-duty war resisters, from Israel, where forced military conscription (the draft) still exists:
Noa Kaufman, UTA student, Refused military service in 2002:
"In 2002 I refused to be inducted into the [Israeli] army. I didn't want to be in any non-combat roles, because I refuse to serve the occupation [of Palestine] in any way. I don't think there is a way to serve in a military the entire purpose of which is to occupy another people. Not even in supposed social roles intended for women. I wanted to join the new refuseniks who refuse to fight in Gaza. I think that the refuseniks' power is tremendous. We must say that we don't agree to commit these crimes, not in our name. We will not commit war crimes, we will not bomb children, nor drive people out of their houses."
Noam Livne, reserve officer, member of Courage to Refuse, a refuseniks movement. He was imprisoned in 2001 for refusing to serve in the occupied territories:
"Last Saturday I received a reserve notice to show up the following morning for service. I refused. I got there and told my commander that I refuse. The military now has to decide what to do with me. I am on hold. At any moment they can call me for trial. I've already packed a bag at home with books and everything you need to sit in jail."
Eric Diamant, reserve soldier, member of Courage to Refuse:
"This week I spoke to my brigade commander. He called to say that there are no [call up] notices yet but 'I wanted to see what your availability is.' I told him that if I am inducted I will probably refuse."
Racheli Merhav, demonstrator:
"I am in this protest to give courage to more soldiers and draftees to refuse. I am here to give courage to more mothers and fathers to tell their children who are required to serve in the [Israeli] military by law, to pay attention to what it is that they are called to fight for. "
David Zonsheine, reserve officer, member of Courage to Refuse. He was imprisoned in 2002 for refusing to serve in the occupied territories:
"This protest is different in the demographic that came [compared to other anti-war demonstrations in Israel this week]. It is unusual and a little more moderate. And the reserve soldiers who are here along with the others sound a call which speaks to the soldiers who consider their way while more traditional leftist calls appeal to them less. I call on combat soldiers who are in Gaza today and reserve soldiers around Gaza who are training to go in, that what they have to do is refuse -- especially those who feel that they are wrong, who feel that they are making a mistake, who feel that their commitment, loyalty, and will to contribute is being used [by the Israeli right-wing militarists]. I call on them to refuse. Say no. It has a price, not an easy one to pay, especially the personal price, but this is the right thing to do."
Noa Kaufman:
"I think that the brainwashing in this country, that begins in kindergarten, works and proves itself especially in a time of war. At 18 you go to the army with the rest of your friends. You are told that you are a hero, there are fundraisers for you, the entire nation is behind you, so yes, people go to the army, but it is a mistake, and at the end, they get it. It is apparent in the quantity of reserve draft refusers."
Noam Livne:
"I hear about more and more people who refuse. They are at different stages: some await trial; some still contemplate their way; I get phone calls about it, and if this war continues, I am sure that there will be more refuseniks."
Racheli Merhav:
"You need a lot of courage to step out of line and say 'Sorry, enough, this I don't do, in this I won't participate, this is not being done in my name.' "
Noam Livne:
"I was in the military for four years as a combat officer. I was in Gaza. I was in Lebanon. I commanded ambushes, I commanded on posts, I fought terrorists, I was hit by mortars, I got shot at, and I did all the scary things you do in the military, and I say this here wholeheartedly: To refuse, I needed more courage. Because in all these things I did in the military, I was surrounded with a group of men that did the same thing, I was in such a herd atmosphere that these things seemed natural. So I say here wholeheartedly that it took me more courage to refuse than to do all of things I did in the military. I call on all soldiers, pilots, officers and anyone else who takes part in this war, to look for that courage inside."
Racheli Merhav:
"I think that in the name of the law [of Israel enforcing the draft], soldiers today have to take part in something that they won't be able to bear, if they return from this war alive."
Machael Sfard, lawyer, expert on international humanitarian law:
"Intentional shooting and attacks on civilians is illegal and forbidden. The refusal [to serve] is not merely moral but rather a legal obligation when it comes to illegal commands."
Johnathan Shapira, reserve pilot, refusenik:
"I was an operational fighter pilot and captain of Blackhawks. About five years ago, we wrote The Combatants' Letter, in which we refused to participate in the [Israeli] air force's and IDF's war crimes in the occupied territories. People tell me things like: 'Empathy or compassion is a civilian word that I leave at home before I go on active duty" and this is how they can bomb a school, they can bomb the Muslim university in Gaza. I suddenly realized how all kind of horrible things happened throughout history to our people, to other people. Nice and good individuals turn into war criminals of an incredible degree. It isn't possible to bomb and kill civilians in quantities, and expect that everything will go on as usual and we will go on talking to our friends and families, be somewhat leftist and somewhat rightist, watch Erets Nehederet (sketch tv show) and put the girl to sleep. It won't just go on forever."
Noam Livne:
"Proportionally speaking 600 dead in Gaza is like 3,000 dead in Israel. If there were 3,000 dead in Israel and tens of thousands wounded, what would have happened to the people here? what kind of hatred would it have sown? what kind of reaction would it have triggered? Mentally, politically, any way you look at it. What these bombs do is establish years of struggle, years of blood, years of suffering, and eventually all of these rockets fall back at Sderot, and other cities of the south, because it is impossible to build Sderot's security on the suffering of Gaza."
David Zonsheine:
"The true courage in society is the courage to object, This courage comes from a very difficult place where everyone says one thing and you do the other, because you alone believe in it. This is true courage. And for anyone who thinks that you don't need courage to refuse, I suggest to simply try it, and see what happens."
translation from the Hebrew by: Ohal Grietzer
video & edit: Ehud Shem Tov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
transcription provided by TPF
from film archives: War resistance among draftees in WWI
Movie speech from "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Paul Baumer: I can't tell you anything you don't know. We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed. Sometimes we are. That's all.
Professor Kantorek: No, no, Paul.
Paul Baumer: I've been there! I know what it's like.
Professor Kantorek: That's not what one dwells on, Paul.
Paul Baumer: I heard you in here reciting that same old stuff, making more iron men, more young heroes. You still think it's beautiful and sweet to die for your country, don't you? We used to think you knew. The first bombardment taught us better. It's dirty and painful to die for your country. When it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all. There are millions out there dying for their country, and what good is it?
for the videoclip online: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechallquieton...
movie trivia:
In part because of his experience in playing the part of Paul Baumer, the actor Lew Ayres became a conscientious objector during the Second World War.
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
page 2 : Court Cases
End of Immunity Worries U.S. Mercenaries in Iraq
By James Risen
November 30, 2008
WASHINGTON — The thousands of American contractors in Iraq who have been above Iraqi law since the war began are suddenly facing a new era in which their United States passports will no longer protect them from arrest and imprisonment.
When the Iraqi government ratified an agreement last week setting new terms for a continued American presence in Iraq, private contractors working for the Pentagon faced the inevitability that they would be stripped of their immunity from Iraqi law. That immunity had been granted by the Coalition Provisional Authority before a postwar Iraqi government was established.
Now that the contractors’ legal protection is to lapse, officials in the defense contracting industry are trying to come to grips with how their operations will change in Iraq, how many of their American employees will be sent home, and whether the weak and often corrupt Iraqi judicial system will become an impediment to recruiting Western workers.
“I think it will depend on the first case, and whether it is handled in a responsible fashion, or whether someone is left in an Iraqi jail without recourse. If that happens, word will get around, and that could have a chilling effect on recruiting,” said one official close to the contracting industry who was not authorized to speak on the record about the issue.
More than 170,000 contractors now work for the military and other American agencies in Iraq, more than the total number of American troops in the country. Only about 17 percent of the contractors are Americans. The proportion of Americans could drop quickly with the loss of legal immunity.
A major question is whether under the pact the Iraqi government will be able to prosecute Americans for past crimes. The Iraqi government’s insistence on an end to legal immunity for contractors was fueled largely by the shootings of Iraqi citizens by guards working for private security firms, in Sept 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/middleeast/01contractors.html?
US soldier, charged with murder, referred to court-martial in deaths of 4 Iraqis in 2007
AP News
Jan 07, 2009
A U.S. soldier charged with murder in the deaths of four bound and blindfolded Iraqis will be court-martialed, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.
Sgt. John E. Hatley was charged in September with one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of obstruction of justice in the killing of four Iraqi men who were found bound, blindfolded, shot and dumped in a Baghdad canal in April 2007.
So far, six of seven soldiers implicated in the case have faced a military court judge.
All the soldiers involved were with the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, which is now part of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade.
Hatley also faces additional charges of murder for a separate incident in January 2007. The Army has not provided details of that incident.
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/01/07/us-soldier-referred-to-court-mar...
Vets sue CIA, Defense over military experiments
Cold War vets sue government over alleged harms from participating in military experiments
Paul Elias, AP News
Jan 07, 2009
Six veterans who claim they were unwittingly exposed to dangerous chemicals and germs during government-sponsored Cold War experiments have sued the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies.
The organization Vietnam Veterans of America is also part of the lawsuit, which seeks class action status on behalf of all participants who were allegedly exposed to unhealthful experiments without their knowledge.
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/01/07/vets-sue-cia-defense-over-milita...
follow up: violence and coercion of women in the military
Former prostitutes accuse South Koreans and the United States military of taking a direct hand in the sex trade
--from the 1960s through the 1980s, Korean authorities and the U.S. military worked together to build a testing and treatment system to ensure that prostitutes were disease-free for American troops.
By Choe Sang-Hun
Published: January 7, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea — The United States military, scholars say, became involved in attempts to regulate the trade in so-called camp towns surrounding the bases because of worries about sexually transmitted diseases.
In one of the most incendiary claims, some women say that the American military police and South Korean officials regularly raided clubs from the 1960s through the 1980s looking for women who were thought to be spreading the diseases. They picked out the women using the number tags the women say the brothels forced them to wear so the soldiers could more easily identify their sex partners.
The Korean police would then detain the prostitutes who were thought to be ill, the women said, locking them up under guard in so-called monkey houses, where the windows had bars. There, the prostitutes were forced to take medications until they were well.
The women, who are seeking compensation and an apology, have compared themselves to the so-called comfort women who have won widespread public sympathy for being forced into prostitution by the Japanese during World War II. Whether prostitutes by choice, need or coercion, the women say, they were all victims of government policies.
Both Mr. Kim and Ms. Moon back the women’s assertions that the control of venereal disease was a driving factor for the two governments.
Ms. Moon, a Wellesley College professor, said that the minutes of meetings between American military officials and Korean bureaucrats in the 1970s showed the lengths the two countries went to prevent epidemics. The minutes included recommendations to “isolate” women who were sick and ensure that they received treatment, government efforts to register prostitutes and require them to carry medical certification and a 1976 report about joint raids to apprehend prostitutes who were unregistered or failed to attend medical checkups.
These days, camp towns still exist, but as the Korean economy took off, women from the Philippines began replacing them.
Many former prostitutes live in the camp towns, isolated from mainstream society, which shuns them. Most are poor. Some are haunted by the memories of the mixed-race children they put up for adoption overseas.
Jeon, 71, who agreed to talk only if she was identified by just her surname, said she was an 18-year-old war orphan in 1956 when hunger drove her to Dongduchon, a camp town near the border with North Korea. She had a son in the 1960s, but she became convinced that he would have a better future in the United States and gave him up for adoption when he was 13.
About 10 years ago, her son, now an American soldier, returned to visit. She told him to forget her.
“I failed as a mother,” said Ms. Jeon, who lives on welfare checks and the little cash she earns selling items she picks from other people’s trash. “I have no right to depend on him now.”
“The more I think about my life, the more I think women like me were the biggest sacrifice for my country’s alliance with the Americans,” she said. “Looking back, I think my body was not mine, but the [Korean] government’s and the U.S. military’s.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/world/asia/08korea.html?partner=r...
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
backpage
follow-up: nuclear exposures to military personnel
France finally agrees to pay damages to nuclear test victims
• Radiation illnesses must be recognised - minister
• Veterans' relief at end to 40-year wall of silence
by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
The Guardian (UK), November 27 2008
They often wore only army-regulation shorts and T-shirts to protect them from atomic explosions, and were stationed dangerously close to mushroom clouds or hosed-down contaminated equipment wearing just swimming trunks. The soldiers and civilians who worked on France's notorious nuclear tests in the Sahara desert and south Pacific have long fought for compensation for the cancer and long-term health effects they blame on the state's failure to protect them.
But for years France resisted, fighting veterans in the courts and building a wall of silence around the dangers of the controlled explosions.
Yesterday the French defence minister finally broke the taboo, saying a law would be introduced in January to compensate those suffering illnesses among the 150,000 army and civilians who worked on the tests in Algeria and French-owned Polynesian atolls.
Hervé Morin said France would draw up a list of health problems that could be linked to radiation exposure over the course of 210 tests from 1960 to 1996. He admitted that France lagged behind countries such as the US in failing to acknowledge long-term health effects, saying: "Today, we must recognise these victims."
"We were guinea pigs who have had no proper medical support," said Michel Verger, president of the veterans' pressure group, Aven. The group, which has about 3,000 members, surveyed more than 1,000 veterans and found 35% had one or two cancers and one in five were infertile. Verger said veterans suffered a range of illnesses, including cancers of the blood and cardiovascular problems, and their children and grandchildren were also suffering health complications.
More details: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/france-nuclear-tests-il...
related story: insecurity of U.S. nuclear arsenal
Confirmed: Air Force Falls Short in Third Nuke Test
By Noah Shachtman
December 15, 2008
Now, it's confirmed. The Air Force has indeed blown a third test of its nuclear handling capabilities, as Danger Room first reported over the weekend. In a memo, the Air Force confirmed that the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base "rated unsatisfactory" on its nuclear surety inspection. Testers found fault with the missile unit's "management and administration," as well as its "tools, tests, tie-down and handling equipment."
In recent years, critics charge, the Air Force has grown increasingly sloppy in how it maintains, protects, and operates its nuclear weapons. That's a nerve-wracking developing, when we're talking about weapons that could destroy an entire city. After a series of atomic mishaps, the Air Force's top civilian and uniformed leaders were sacked. A total of 15 leading officers (including six generals) were disciplined. Nuclear surety inspections are now being graded much more harshly.
Now, the tests are so harsh, none of the Air Force's nuclear wings seems able to pass them. As the Project on Government Oversight notes, "this is the third Air Force nuclear unit to fail an inspection this year, and moreover, it now means that all three missile bases with deployed land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) -- Minot, Malstrom, and now Warren -- have failed their security tests."
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/confirmed-air-f.html
upcoming event: TV broadcast
"American Idealist" will premiere nationally on PBS, during primetime, on January 21, 2008.
"American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver" depicts the early years of the Kennedy administration, when a young generation was inspired to public service through the Peace Corps and VISTA, two programs Shriver helped develop and manage. It was a period of intense social change and hopefulness to which the Obama campaign and pending administration has been compared.
What lessons for solving today's problems can we learn from man's life and the historic time he represents? The film is a bittersweet look at a time of upheaval, empowerment and social change that is sure to leave viewers with a renewed commitment to the continuing struggle for justice and peace.
Below is more info on the film from http://www.americanidealistmovie.org/index.htm
Peace Corps, VISTA, Community Action, Head Start, Legal Services for the Poor, Youth Corps, Job Corps, and more. Sargent Shriver invented a string of social initiatives that shaped an era and dared millions of young Americans to live out their ideals. Those who knew him—Bill Moyers, Andrew Young, political commentator Mark Shields, and so many others—have spoken of Shriver in the same breath as Martin Luther King, Jr., calling him a visionary of deep humanity who helped create a more just society.
American Idealist brings Shriver’s story to life in a new film premiering nationally on PBS, primetime January 21, 2008. A powerful 90-minute depiction of practical activism, it offers a hopeful vision of what this nation could be and could do, based on the experience of what it once did when pushed by the civil rights movement and guided by the War on Poverty. Beyond broadcast, a multi-media National Education and Outreach Campaign will extend the reach and impact of the program and its powerful themes for years to come.
Epitaph for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting":
Army sends "Dear John Doe" letter to families of war dead
from The Raw Story
7 Jan 2009 AFP
The US Army apologized Wednesday for mistakenly sending letters to 7,000 families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with the salutation "Dear John Doe."
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Army_sends_Dear_John_Doe_letter_to__01...
further information
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SOURCE ARTICLE LINKS ARE PROVIDED AS A CONVENIENCE TO OUR READERS AND ALLOW FOR VERIFICATION OF AUTHENTICITY. HOWEVER, AS ORIGINATING PAGES ARE OFTEN UPDATED BY THEIR ORIGINATING HOST SITES, THE VERSIONS POSTED MAY NOT MATCH THE VERSIONS OUR READERS VIEW WHEN CLICKING THE SOURCE ARTICLE LINKS, OR INDEED, THE WEBPAGES MAY NO LONGER EVEN EXIST.
who we are:
The website for the Tulsa Peace Fellowship is:
www.tulsapeacefellowship.org
TPF meets monthly @ Peace House in Tulsa
inside the Unitarian Universalist church at 1314 N. Greenwood Ave, in Tulsa, close to corner of Pine & Greenwood
just north of the OSU-Tulsa campus
If you have not already done so, please join the new social networking tool for TPF on Ning, in lieu of TPFtalks on yahoogroups, which has fallen into disuse Thank you! You can check out our new tool here: http://tulsapeacefellowship.ning.com/ (new for 2009)
Also still going strong: our announcement list on yahoo! tulsapeace@yahoogroups.com (since 2002)
Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for "tulsapeace"
Through its counter-recruitment task force, TPF is a member of the
National Network in Opposition to the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY)
On the web: http://www.nnomy.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=v...
Tulsa Peace Fellowship is non-partisan, and is open to 3rd parties, progressive Dems, libertarians, etc. TPF is the activist wing of the peace movement in Eastern Oklahoma "Waging Peace One Person at a Time".
If you enjoyed this news digest and/or found this update useful, please consider making a donation of time, money, or effort to the Tulsa Peace Fellowship. Details on tax status available.
info for TPF counter-recruitment-- contact by phone 918 906 0828
The next regular meeting of the Fellowship
is planned for Thursday, February 12, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM
--including members from other local non-partisan groups such as the Tulsa chapter of “Season for Non-Violence,” the Tulsa University chapter of Amnesty International, ImpeachOK1.org, TulsaTruth.org, the Center for Racial Justice in Tulsa, and the Tulsa Interfaith Allliance.
--including a meeting of the counter-recruitment campaign activists
Come join us! Especially parents and students in the Tulsa Public Schools system who are interested in countering the presence of military recruiters on school grounds.
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
lead story:
ACLU Files Suit to Allow Counter-Recruiting in Public Schools
--peace group had reached an agreement with school board to table peace career options in the high schools twice a semester
page one:
Letter of support for 100 Israeli Youth Currently Refusing to Join the Military.
--what business is it of ours? Our own refuseniks are signing the letter.
video from Israel:
Israeli Soldiers Refuse to Serve in Gaza Occupation and/or Bombardment of Civilians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
--transcript provided here, from the translation provided in the sub-titles
--translated from the Hebrew, interviews with members of Courage to Refuse
quote:
"I was in the military for four years as a combat officer. I was in Gaza. I was in Lebanon. I commanded ambushes, I commanded on posts, I fought terrorists, I was hit by mortars, I got shot at, and I did all the scary things you do in the military, and I say this here wholeheartedly: To refuse, I needed more courage. Because in all these things I did in the military, I was surrounded with a group of men that did the same thing, I was in such a herd atmosphere that these things seemed natural. So I say here wholeheartedly that it took me more courage to refuse than to do all of things I did in the military. I call on all soldiers, pilots, officers and anyone else who takes part in this war, to look for that courage inside."
~Noam Livne, active-duty war resister, Israeli Defense Force
related stories: antiwar marches worldwde
100,000 people protest in London against the Israeli invasion of Gaza (Palestine)
100,000 people protest in Madrid against the Israeli air-strikes against civilians in Gaza
3,000 people protest in Chicago against Israeli war crimes in Gaza
1,000 people protest in Hong Kong aaginst Israeli crimes against peace and crimes against humanity
from the film archives:
Paul Baumer becomes a War Resister
--quote from the book/film, "All Quiet on the Western Front," translated from the German original Nicht Neues Im Western
--In part because of his experience in playing the part of Paul Baumer in film, the actor Lew Ayres became a conscientious objector during the Second World War.
page two:
under the rubrics: Court Cases, Victims' Rights, and U.S. Military Offenders/Mercenaries
End of Legal Immunity Spells Accountability for U.S. Mercenaries Killing-for-Hire in Iraq
--some American mercenaries will be sent home
US Soldier, Charged with Murder, Referred to Court-Martial in Deaths of 4 Iraqis in 2007
Cold War Vets Sue Government Over Unwitting Participation in Military Experiments
--experiments were hazardous to their health, and they participated without their knowledge or consent
follow up: violence against women in the military
Worries about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), prompted U.S. military to set up sex trade camps, during Korean War
--former South Korean prostitutes are seeking compensation and an apology
quote:
“Our government was one big pimp for the U.S. military,”
~one of the women forced into sex slave trade, Kim Ae-ran, 58, said in a recent interview about the South Korean government's complicity with U.S. military "R&R"
backpage:
France Finally Agrees to Pay Damages to Unwitting Nuclear Test Victims
• Radiation illnesses must be recognized - government minister says
• Veterans are relieved finally to find an end to the 40-year wall of silence
quote:
"We were guinea pigs."
~Michel Verger, president of the French veterans' pressure group, Aven
facts:
35% of the soldiers exposed to radiation had one or two cancers and one in five were infertile.
Confirmed: U.S. Air Force Falls Short for Third Time in a Row
--All three missile bases with deployed land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are in trouble
--Minot, Malstrom, and now Warren, have failed their security tests.
upcoming event: alternatives to military enlistment
Film addresses the Peace Corps and VISTA: "American Idealist: Sgt. Shriver"
--The film will premiere nationally on PBS, during primetime, on January 21, 2009.
--An early-release screening is planned in Tulsa, at Circle Cinema, on Friday, Jan 16th, 2009
Ten excellent reasons not to join the military:
file the above story under:
j.. You Have Other Choices
Epitaph for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting":
Army sends "Dear John Doe" letter to families of 7,000 war dead
file under S.N.A.F.U.
file under military machine grinds the meat
lead story
ACLU files suit to allow counter-recruiting
By Mitch Weiss - The Associated Press
Jan 7, 2009
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against a rural North Carolina school system that barred a peace activist from talking to high school students about alternatives to joining the military.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, says the Wilkes County school district and its superintendent violated the First Amendment by preventing Sally Ferrell from distributing pamphlets and other materials that warn students to think twice before joining the military.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ferrell and Bill Towe, director of N.C. Peace Action.
“We’ve tried to find another alternative to bringing this lawsuit,” Katherine Parker, legal director of the ACLU’s North Carolina chapter, said Tuesday. “They just will not compromise.”
The legal group is asking a judge to issue an injunction to allow Ferrell, a member of N.C. Peace Action, to distribute the materials and give her the same access to students as military recruiters who are allowed in the schools.
No court date has been set, but Superintendent Stephen Laws said Tuesday the district “won’t back down.”
“It’s sad that it’s gotten to this point,” he said.
He said the lawsuit could become a test case for other districts looking to ban peace activists from schools.
“Why should we let a peace action group talk to students if they’re going to make disparaging remarks about the military?” he said. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.”
The case began in early 2005 when Ferrell, 63, a Quaker and longtime peace activist, became involved in the counter recruiting movement.
In recent years, thousands of people like Ferrell have joined dozens of counter recruiting groups. They say military recruiters have given students misleading information and often target high schools in poor and rural areas where options for graduating students are limited. And after years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — and more than 4,600 soldiers killed and 64,000 wounded in both wars — the activists want students to know they have other prospects.
Most schools have allowed counter recruiters. So Ferrell was optimistic when she began collecting materials from anti-war groups. In March 2005, she asked the district for permission to talk to students.
“Why rip apart the military because you don’t like it?” Laws said. “It’s wrong. I’m not going to allow that in my schools.”
Ferrell eventually turned to the ACLU and after two years, the group reached an agreement with the board in which Ferrell would be allowed in the high schools twice a semester.
She set up a “peace table” in hallways, where she handed out material and talked to students about AmeriCorps and other alternatives to the military. But by December 2007, Laws said he’d had enough. A principal had complained to him about some of the materials and Laws told Ferrell her message was no longer welcomed.
“When she was allowed back in school, it was to talk about Americorps, Peace Corps, those kinds of entities,” Laws said. “That’s what she said she was going to do. And when it turned out that she didn’t do that — that she was disparaging the military — we had to say no.”
Ferrell said Tuesday she discussed those career options with students. But she also told them what to expect if they enlisted — and what to watch out for when talking to military recruiters.
“I don’t think he (Laws) was ever interested in letting us speak to students. He was just looking for excuses,” she said.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_counterrecruiting_0...
Letter of Support for Israeli War Resisters, from U.S. War Resisters
The letter is from U.S. military servicepeople who have refused to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was written for the day of international solidarity with Israeli military objectors, December 18.
The letter (list of signatories follows below):
We are U.S. military servicemembers and veterans who have refused or are currently refusing to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We stand in solidarity with the Israeli Shministim (Hebrew for 12th graders) who are also resisting military service. About 100 Israeli high school students have signed an open letter declaring their refusal to serve in the Israeli army and their opposition to "Israeli occupation and oppression policy in the occupied territories and the territories of Israel." In Israel, military service is mandatory for all graduating high school seniors, and resisters face the possibility of years in prison.
We have also refused to participate in unjust acts of military aggression, and many of us have gone to prison or currently live with that possibility as a result. We believe that resistance to unjust war is a bold assertion of humanity in the face of overwhelming violence.
The Global War on Terror, like the Israeli occupation, is propped up by racism and dehumanization and sets the stage for never-ending war and occupation. We are inspired by the brave refusal of our brothers and sisters in Israel to take part in these destructive policies, and we want to let them know today, December 18th – the day of international solidarity with the Shministim – that they have our deepest respect and support.
In Solidarity,
Stephanie Atkinson
Specialist, US Army Reserve. Went AWOL to resist October 1990 deployment to Iraq. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Chris Capps-Schubert
Specialist, US Army, communications. Went AWOL March 2007 to resist Iraq redeployment. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Eugene Cherry
Specialist, US Army, medic. Went AWOL June 2005 to resist Iraq redeployment, later won honorable discharge.
Matthis Chiroux
Sergeant, US Army, journalist. Currently refusing Inactive Ready Reserve recall.
James Circello
Sergeant, US Army, airborne infantry. Went AWOL April 2007 following Iraq deployment. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Carl Davison
US Army, security. Refused Iraq deployment in 2008. Served one month in the brig.
Matthew Edwards
US Marines. Resisted deployment to Iraq March 2003.
Stephen Funk
Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps, logistic support. Went AWOL February 2003 to resist Iraq deployment. Served six months in the brig.
Andrew Gorby
Second Lieutenant, US Army, infantry. Discharged May 2007 as a conscientious objector.
Patrick Hart
Sergeant, US Army. Went AWOL in 2005 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Ryan Johnson
Private First Class, US Army. Went AWOL June 2005 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Dale Landry
Airman, US Air Force. Went AWOL in 2004 following Afghanistan deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Benjamin Lewis
US Marine Corps, mortar man. After two Iraq deployments, now refusing Inactive Ready Reserve recall.
Robin Long
US Army. Went AWOL to resisted Iraq deployment. Deported from Canada March 2008. Currently serving 14 month sentence in military stockade.
Christopher Magaoay
Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps. Went AWOL in 2006 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
Camilo Mejia
Staff Sergeant, Army National Guard. Refused to redeploy to Iraq in 2004. Served nine months in the stockade.
Geoff Millard
Sergeant, Army National Guard. Went AWOL after a deployment to Iraq 2004-2005.
Brandon Neely
US Army, military police. Refused recall from the Inactive Ready Reserve in 2007.
Perry O'Brien
US Army, medic. Discharged as a conscientious objector November 2004 following Afghanistan deployment.
Jeff Paterson
Corporal, US Marine Corps, artillery control. Refused Desert Storm deployment August 1990. Served two months pre-trial confinement. Discharged in lieu of courts martial.
Chanan Suarezdiaz
Hospital Corpsman, Third Class, US Navy. Discharged following 2004 Iraq deployment.
Hart Viges
US Army, airborne mortar man. Discharged as a conscientious objector following 2003 Iraq deployment.
Dean Walcott
US Marine Corps, military police. Went AWOL in 2007 following Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
David Wiggins MD
Captain, US Army, doctor. Resigned commission near the Iraq border during Desert Storm 1991.
Steve Yoczik
Private, US Army. Went AWOL November 2006 to resist Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since.
For more information about the Israeli resisters, please visit: http://december18th.org/
crossposted: http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/649/1/
Israel Social TV presents:
Israelis Soldiers refuse to serve in Gaza!
Israelis protest against the war in Gaza, Tel Aviv January 8th 2009.
www.TV.social.org.il (independent media)
הטלוויזיה החברתית מציגה:
סרבנות עזה 2009
הפגנת חיילי מילואים נגד המלחמה בעזה, ראיונות עם מפגינים המעידים כי יסרבו להתגייס למלחמה בעזה. ההפגנה התקיימה מול הקריה ב - 8/1/2009.
Link to movie on Social TV Web Site:
http://www.tv.social.org.il/medini/stv-aza-refuseniks-8-1-09.htm
http://www.tv.social.org.il/eng/stv-aza-refuseniks-8-1-09-eng.htm
also on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
Transcript of video interview with IDF conscientious objectors and active-duty war resisters, from Israel, where forced military conscription (the draft) still exists:
Noa Kaufman, UTA student, Refused military service in 2002:
"In 2002 I refused to be inducted into the [Israeli] army. I didn't want to be in any non-combat roles, because I refuse to serve the occupation [of Palestine] in any way. I don't think there is a way to serve in a military the entire purpose of which is to occupy another people. Not even in supposed social roles intended for women. I wanted to join the new refuseniks who refuse to fight in Gaza. I think that the refuseniks' power is tremendous. We must say that we don't agree to commit these crimes, not in our name. We will not commit war crimes, we will not bomb children, nor drive people out of their houses."
Noam Livne, reserve officer, member of Courage to Refuse, a refuseniks movement. He was imprisoned in 2001 for refusing to serve in the occupied territories:
"Last Saturday I received a reserve notice to show up the following morning for service. I refused. I got there and told my commander that I refuse. The military now has to decide what to do with me. I am on hold. At any moment they can call me for trial. I've already packed a bag at home with books and everything you need to sit in jail."
Eric Diamant, reserve soldier, member of Courage to Refuse:
"This week I spoke to my brigade commander. He called to say that there are no [call up] notices yet but 'I wanted to see what your availability is.' I told him that if I am inducted I will probably refuse."
Racheli Merhav, demonstrator:
"I am in this protest to give courage to more soldiers and draftees to refuse. I am here to give courage to more mothers and fathers to tell their children who are required to serve in the [Israeli] military by law, to pay attention to what it is that they are called to fight for. "
David Zonsheine, reserve officer, member of Courage to Refuse. He was imprisoned in 2002 for refusing to serve in the occupied territories:
"This protest is different in the demographic that came [compared to other anti-war demonstrations in Israel this week]. It is unusual and a little more moderate. And the reserve soldiers who are here along with the others sound a call which speaks to the soldiers who consider their way while more traditional leftist calls appeal to them less. I call on combat soldiers who are in Gaza today and reserve soldiers around Gaza who are training to go in, that what they have to do is refuse -- especially those who feel that they are wrong, who feel that they are making a mistake, who feel that their commitment, loyalty, and will to contribute is being used [by the Israeli right-wing militarists]. I call on them to refuse. Say no. It has a price, not an easy one to pay, especially the personal price, but this is the right thing to do."
Noa Kaufman:
"I think that the brainwashing in this country, that begins in kindergarten, works and proves itself especially in a time of war. At 18 you go to the army with the rest of your friends. You are told that you are a hero, there are fundraisers for you, the entire nation is behind you, so yes, people go to the army, but it is a mistake, and at the end, they get it. It is apparent in the quantity of reserve draft refusers."
Noam Livne:
"I hear about more and more people who refuse. They are at different stages: some await trial; some still contemplate their way; I get phone calls about it, and if this war continues, I am sure that there will be more refuseniks."
Racheli Merhav:
"You need a lot of courage to step out of line and say 'Sorry, enough, this I don't do, in this I won't participate, this is not being done in my name.' "
Noam Livne:
"I was in the military for four years as a combat officer. I was in Gaza. I was in Lebanon. I commanded ambushes, I commanded on posts, I fought terrorists, I was hit by mortars, I got shot at, and I did all the scary things you do in the military, and I say this here wholeheartedly: To refuse, I needed more courage. Because in all these things I did in the military, I was surrounded with a group of men that did the same thing, I was in such a herd atmosphere that these things seemed natural. So I say here wholeheartedly that it took me more courage to refuse than to do all of things I did in the military. I call on all soldiers, pilots, officers and anyone else who takes part in this war, to look for that courage inside."
Racheli Merhav:
"I think that in the name of the law [of Israel enforcing the draft], soldiers today have to take part in something that they won't be able to bear, if they return from this war alive."
Machael Sfard, lawyer, expert on international humanitarian law:
"Intentional shooting and attacks on civilians is illegal and forbidden. The refusal [to serve] is not merely moral but rather a legal obligation when it comes to illegal commands."
Johnathan Shapira, reserve pilot, refusenik:
"I was an operational fighter pilot and captain of Blackhawks. About five years ago, we wrote The Combatants' Letter, in which we refused to participate in the [Israeli] air force's and IDF's war crimes in the occupied territories. People tell me things like: 'Empathy or compassion is a civilian word that I leave at home before I go on active duty" and this is how they can bomb a school, they can bomb the Muslim university in Gaza. I suddenly realized how all kind of horrible things happened throughout history to our people, to other people. Nice and good individuals turn into war criminals of an incredible degree. It isn't possible to bomb and kill civilians in quantities, and expect that everything will go on as usual and we will go on talking to our friends and families, be somewhat leftist and somewhat rightist, watch Erets Nehederet (sketch tv show) and put the girl to sleep. It won't just go on forever."
Noam Livne:
"Proportionally speaking 600 dead in Gaza is like 3,000 dead in Israel. If there were 3,000 dead in Israel and tens of thousands wounded, what would have happened to the people here? what kind of hatred would it have sown? what kind of reaction would it have triggered? Mentally, politically, any way you look at it. What these bombs do is establish years of struggle, years of blood, years of suffering, and eventually all of these rockets fall back at Sderot, and other cities of the south, because it is impossible to build Sderot's security on the suffering of Gaza."
David Zonsheine:
"The true courage in society is the courage to object, This courage comes from a very difficult place where everyone says one thing and you do the other, because you alone believe in it. This is true courage. And for anyone who thinks that you don't need courage to refuse, I suggest to simply try it, and see what happens."
translation from the Hebrew by: Ohal Grietzer
video & edit: Ehud Shem Tov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cMs0nai4JQ
transcription provided by TPF
from film archives: War resistance among draftees in WWI
Movie speech from "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Paul Baumer: I can't tell you anything you don't know. We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed. Sometimes we are. That's all.
Professor Kantorek: No, no, Paul.
Paul Baumer: I've been there! I know what it's like.
Professor Kantorek: That's not what one dwells on, Paul.
Paul Baumer: I heard you in here reciting that same old stuff, making more iron men, more young heroes. You still think it's beautiful and sweet to die for your country, don't you? We used to think you knew. The first bombardment taught us better. It's dirty and painful to die for your country. When it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all. There are millions out there dying for their country, and what good is it?
for the videoclip online: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechallquieton...
movie trivia:
In part because of his experience in playing the part of Paul Baumer, the actor Lew Ayres became a conscientious objector during the Second World War.
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
page 2 : Court Cases
End of Immunity Worries U.S. Mercenaries in Iraq
By James Risen
November 30, 2008
WASHINGTON — The thousands of American contractors in Iraq who have been above Iraqi law since the war began are suddenly facing a new era in which their United States passports will no longer protect them from arrest and imprisonment.
When the Iraqi government ratified an agreement last week setting new terms for a continued American presence in Iraq, private contractors working for the Pentagon faced the inevitability that they would be stripped of their immunity from Iraqi law. That immunity had been granted by the Coalition Provisional Authority before a postwar Iraqi government was established.
Now that the contractors’ legal protection is to lapse, officials in the defense contracting industry are trying to come to grips with how their operations will change in Iraq, how many of their American employees will be sent home, and whether the weak and often corrupt Iraqi judicial system will become an impediment to recruiting Western workers.
“I think it will depend on the first case, and whether it is handled in a responsible fashion, or whether someone is left in an Iraqi jail without recourse. If that happens, word will get around, and that could have a chilling effect on recruiting,” said one official close to the contracting industry who was not authorized to speak on the record about the issue.
More than 170,000 contractors now work for the military and other American agencies in Iraq, more than the total number of American troops in the country. Only about 17 percent of the contractors are Americans. The proportion of Americans could drop quickly with the loss of legal immunity.
A major question is whether under the pact the Iraqi government will be able to prosecute Americans for past crimes. The Iraqi government’s insistence on an end to legal immunity for contractors was fueled largely by the shootings of Iraqi citizens by guards working for private security firms, in Sept 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/middleeast/01contractors.html?
US soldier, charged with murder, referred to court-martial in deaths of 4 Iraqis in 2007
AP News
Jan 07, 2009
A U.S. soldier charged with murder in the deaths of four bound and blindfolded Iraqis will be court-martialed, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.
Sgt. John E. Hatley was charged in September with one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of obstruction of justice in the killing of four Iraqi men who were found bound, blindfolded, shot and dumped in a Baghdad canal in April 2007.
So far, six of seven soldiers implicated in the case have faced a military court judge.
All the soldiers involved were with the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, which is now part of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade.
Hatley also faces additional charges of murder for a separate incident in January 2007. The Army has not provided details of that incident.
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/01/07/us-soldier-referred-to-court-mar...
Vets sue CIA, Defense over military experiments
Cold War vets sue government over alleged harms from participating in military experiments
Paul Elias, AP News
Jan 07, 2009
Six veterans who claim they were unwittingly exposed to dangerous chemicals and germs during government-sponsored Cold War experiments have sued the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies.
The organization Vietnam Veterans of America is also part of the lawsuit, which seeks class action status on behalf of all participants who were allegedly exposed to unhealthful experiments without their knowledge.
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/01/07/vets-sue-cia-defense-over-milita...
follow up: violence and coercion of women in the military
Former prostitutes accuse South Koreans and the United States military of taking a direct hand in the sex trade
--from the 1960s through the 1980s, Korean authorities and the U.S. military worked together to build a testing and treatment system to ensure that prostitutes were disease-free for American troops.
By Choe Sang-Hun
Published: January 7, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea — The United States military, scholars say, became involved in attempts to regulate the trade in so-called camp towns surrounding the bases because of worries about sexually transmitted diseases.
In one of the most incendiary claims, some women say that the American military police and South Korean officials regularly raided clubs from the 1960s through the 1980s looking for women who were thought to be spreading the diseases. They picked out the women using the number tags the women say the brothels forced them to wear so the soldiers could more easily identify their sex partners.
The Korean police would then detain the prostitutes who were thought to be ill, the women said, locking them up under guard in so-called monkey houses, where the windows had bars. There, the prostitutes were forced to take medications until they were well.
The women, who are seeking compensation and an apology, have compared themselves to the so-called comfort women who have won widespread public sympathy for being forced into prostitution by the Japanese during World War II. Whether prostitutes by choice, need or coercion, the women say, they were all victims of government policies.
Both Mr. Kim and Ms. Moon back the women’s assertions that the control of venereal disease was a driving factor for the two governments.
Ms. Moon, a Wellesley College professor, said that the minutes of meetings between American military officials and Korean bureaucrats in the 1970s showed the lengths the two countries went to prevent epidemics. The minutes included recommendations to “isolate” women who were sick and ensure that they received treatment, government efforts to register prostitutes and require them to carry medical certification and a 1976 report about joint raids to apprehend prostitutes who were unregistered or failed to attend medical checkups.
These days, camp towns still exist, but as the Korean economy took off, women from the Philippines began replacing them.
Many former prostitutes live in the camp towns, isolated from mainstream society, which shuns them. Most are poor. Some are haunted by the memories of the mixed-race children they put up for adoption overseas.
Jeon, 71, who agreed to talk only if she was identified by just her surname, said she was an 18-year-old war orphan in 1956 when hunger drove her to Dongduchon, a camp town near the border with North Korea. She had a son in the 1960s, but she became convinced that he would have a better future in the United States and gave him up for adoption when he was 13.
About 10 years ago, her son, now an American soldier, returned to visit. She told him to forget her.
“I failed as a mother,” said Ms. Jeon, who lives on welfare checks and the little cash she earns selling items she picks from other people’s trash. “I have no right to depend on him now.”
“The more I think about my life, the more I think women like me were the biggest sacrifice for my country’s alliance with the Americans,” she said. “Looking back, I think my body was not mine, but the [Korean] government’s and the U.S. military’s.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/world/asia/08korea.html?partner=r...
Tulsa Peace Fellowship's counter-recruitment update/digest for January 2009
backpage
follow-up: nuclear exposures to military personnel
France finally agrees to pay damages to nuclear test victims
• Radiation illnesses must be recognised - minister
• Veterans' relief at end to 40-year wall of silence
by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
The Guardian (UK), November 27 2008
They often wore only army-regulation shorts and T-shirts to protect them from atomic explosions, and were stationed dangerously close to mushroom clouds or hosed-down contaminated equipment wearing just swimming trunks. The soldiers and civilians who worked on France's notorious nuclear tests in the Sahara desert and south Pacific have long fought for compensation for the cancer and long-term health effects they blame on the state's failure to protect them.
But for years France resisted, fighting veterans in the courts and building a wall of silence around the dangers of the controlled explosions.
Yesterday the French defence minister finally broke the taboo, saying a law would be introduced in January to compensate those suffering illnesses among the 150,000 army and civilians who worked on the tests in Algeria and French-owned Polynesian atolls.
Hervé Morin said France would draw up a list of health problems that could be linked to radiation exposure over the course of 210 tests from 1960 to 1996. He admitted that France lagged behind countries such as the US in failing to acknowledge long-term health effects, saying: "Today, we must recognise these victims."
"We were guinea pigs who have had no proper medical support," said Michel Verger, president of the veterans' pressure group, Aven. The group, which has about 3,000 members, surveyed more than 1,000 veterans and found 35% had one or two cancers and one in five were infertile. Verger said veterans suffered a range of illnesses, including cancers of the blood and cardiovascular problems, and their children and grandchildren were also suffering health complications.
More details: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/france-nuclear-tests-il...
related story: insecurity of U.S. nuclear arsenal
Confirmed: Air Force Falls Short in Third Nuke Test
By Noah Shachtman
December 15, 2008
Now, it's confirmed. The Air Force has indeed blown a third test of its nuclear handling capabilities, as Danger Room first reported over the weekend. In a memo, the Air Force confirmed that the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base "rated unsatisfactory" on its nuclear surety inspection. Testers found fault with the missile unit's "management and administration," as well as its "tools, tests, tie-down and handling equipment."
In recent years, critics charge, the Air Force has grown increasingly sloppy in how it maintains, protects, and operates its nuclear weapons. That's a nerve-wracking developing, when we're talking about weapons that could destroy an entire city. After a series of atomic mishaps, the Air Force's top civilian and uniformed leaders were sacked. A total of 15 leading officers (including six generals) were disciplined. Nuclear surety inspections are now being graded much more harshly.
Now, the tests are so harsh, none of the Air Force's nuclear wings seems able to pass them. As the Project on Government Oversight notes, "this is the third Air Force nuclear unit to fail an inspection this year, and moreover, it now means that all three missile bases with deployed land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) -- Minot, Malstrom, and now Warren -- have failed their security tests."
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/confirmed-air-f.html
upcoming event: TV broadcast
"American Idealist" will premiere nationally on PBS, during primetime, on January 21, 2008.
"American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver" depicts the early years of the Kennedy administration, when a young generation was inspired to public service through the Peace Corps and VISTA, two programs Shriver helped develop and manage. It was a period of intense social change and hopefulness to which the Obama campaign and pending administration has been compared.
What lessons for solving today's problems can we learn from man's life and the historic time he represents? The film is a bittersweet look at a time of upheaval, empowerment and social change that is sure to leave viewers with a renewed commitment to the continuing struggle for justice and peace.
Below is more info on the film from http://www.americanidealistmovie.org/index.htm
Peace Corps, VISTA, Community Action, Head Start, Legal Services for the Poor, Youth Corps, Job Corps, and more. Sargent Shriver invented a string of social initiatives that shaped an era and dared millions of young Americans to live out their ideals. Those who knew him—Bill Moyers, Andrew Young, political commentator Mark Shields, and so many others—have spoken of Shriver in the same breath as Martin Luther King, Jr., calling him a visionary of deep humanity who helped create a more just society.
American Idealist brings Shriver’s story to life in a new film premiering nationally on PBS, primetime January 21, 2008. A powerful 90-minute depiction of practical activism, it offers a hopeful vision of what this nation could be and could do, based on the experience of what it once did when pushed by the civil rights movement and guided by the War on Poverty. Beyond broadcast, a multi-media National Education and Outreach Campaign will extend the reach and impact of the program and its powerful themes for years to come.
Epitaph for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting":
Army sends "Dear John Doe" letter to families of war dead
from The Raw Story
7 Jan 2009 AFP
The US Army apologized Wednesday for mistakenly sending letters to 7,000 families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with the salutation "Dear John Doe."
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Army_sends_Dear_John_Doe_letter_to__01...
further information
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who we are:
The website for the Tulsa Peace Fellowship is:
www.tulsapeacefellowship.org
TPF meets monthly @ Peace House in Tulsa
inside the Unitarian Universalist church at 1314 N. Greenwood Ave, in Tulsa, close to corner of Pine & Greenwood
just north of the OSU-Tulsa campus
If you have not already done so, please join the new social networking tool for TPF on Ning, in lieu of TPFtalks on yahoogroups, which has fallen into disuse Thank you! You can check out our new tool here: http://tulsapeacefellowship.ning.com/ (new for 2009)
Also still going strong: our announcement list on yahoo! tulsapeace@yahoogroups.com (since 2002)
Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for "tulsapeace"
Through its counter-recruitment task force, TPF is a member of the
National Network in Opposition to the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY)
On the web: http://www.nnomy.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=v...
Tulsa Peace Fellowship is non-partisan, and is open to 3rd parties, progressive Dems, libertarians, etc. TPF is the activist wing of the peace movement in Eastern Oklahoma "Waging Peace One Person at a Time".
If you enjoyed this news digest and/or found this update useful, please consider making a donation of time, money, or effort to the Tulsa Peace Fellowship. Details on tax status available.
info for TPF counter-recruitment-- contact by phone 918 906 0828
The next regular meeting of the Fellowship
is planned for Thursday, February 12, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM
--including members from other local non-partisan groups such as the Tulsa chapter of “Season for Non-Violence,” the Tulsa University chapter of Amnesty International, ImpeachOK1.org, TulsaTruth.org, the Center for Racial Justice in Tulsa, and the Tulsa Interfaith Allliance.
--including a meeting of the counter-recruitment campaign activists
Come join us! Especially parents and students in the Tulsa Public Schools system who are interested in countering the presence of military recruiters on school grounds.
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