Soldier Say No!

Building the Campaign to Defend GI Resisters

2011-07-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Is It Time To Call for Amnesty?

by Gerry Condon

This article was published in the June 2011 issue of ON WATCH, the newsletter of the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild. It continues the discussion of GI resistance in recent On Watch articles concerning AWOLs, the Coffeehouse movement and the case of Bradley Manning. Further articles and letters on the topic are welcome.

U.S. OCCUPATIONS WINDING DOWN?

Ten years after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, nearly 100,000 U.S. troops remain there, with a roughly equal number of “contractors,” or mercenaries. The Taliban insurgency has grown, along with broad, diverse resistance to the U.S./NATO occupation, and large majorities of people in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Europe think it is time for all foreign troops to leave. In Canada, popular opposition has forced the hawkish Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, to pledge that all Canadian combat troops will soon be withdrawn. The same goes for Britain, where another Conservative prime minister has promised to withdraw British troops. Similar pressures are being felt by all the European governments that have contributed troops to the occupation of Afghanistan.

Responding to strong public opposition to the costly U.S. occupation of Iraq, President Obama, who campaigned for the presidency on a platform of ending the U.S. war there, has committed himself to withdraw all but a small residual force from Iraq by the end of 2011. However, sustained insurgencies in both Afghanistan and Iraq are giving the U.S. security establishment pause – and/or an excuse – to extend the timetable for withdrawal. Furthermore, the construction of large permanent U.S. military bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan have raised doubts about the ultimate intentions of the U.S. Nonetheless, a variety of external and internal pressures – including the pending U.S. presidential election in 2012 – may lead to an actual winding down of both U.S. occupations.In the wake of the U.S. assassination of Osama bin Laden, 52% of adults in the U.S. believe it is time to pull out of Afghanistan, per a June 8, 2011 BBC World News America poll (35% believe the US should stay according to exiting plans, but only 14% are confident that U.S. policies in Afghanistan will be successful, per the same poll).

The White House and Pentagon are now involved in a very public debate about just how fast to draw down troops. President Obama has pledged to begin a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan beginning in July of this year (2011), with all troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2014. The President is said to be considering deeper cuts, but Defense Secretary Gates is publicly calling for a more gradual reduction, so as not to lose the very tenuous gains that the U.S. military is claiming.

TOLL ON TROOPS: 6,400 DEAD; 40,000 WOUNDED; 330,000 VETERANS WITH PTSD

These unpopular U.S. occupations have taken a heavy toll on the U.S. military, particularly on the largely working class men and women who have been sent to fight against entrenched resistance movements. Over 6,400 U.S. troops have been killed and well over 40,000 have been wounded, many with critical, life-altering losses of multiple limbs, eye-sight, and hearing, as well as serious brain damage.

These numbers do not include hundreds of thousands of active duty GIs and veterans who suffer from the psychological trauma of the violence of war and/or undetected brain injuries from the explosion of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), the weapon of choice of anti-occupation resistance fighters. According to the RAND Corporation, over 330,000 veterans of the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from seri-ous Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Roughly an equal number suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), with a large number suffering from a combination of the two, many of whose symptoms are similar. It is widely understood that neither the U.S. military nor the Veterans Administration is providing adequate care to these wounded troops and veterans, and that the social conse-quences of alcohol and drug abuse, broken families, violence and suicide are rampant.

RESISTANCE IN THE MILITARY

Acts of antiwar resistance within the military have been widespread, if not necessarily reaching the levels that were seen during the Vietnam War. The military has been careful to hide this resistance and much of it also covert in its nature, so it may well be years before we know its extent. What we do know from talking to veterans of these occupations is that many GIs, after experiencing the vio-lence and futility of war, have sought to minimize their contact with the armed resistance by refusing to carry out dangerous missions, by refusing to kill innocent civilians, by refusing to go “outside the wire” (leaving the relative safety of their fortified bases), and by purposefully carrying out safe patrols, what soldiers in Vietnam called “search and avoid” missions. The primary motivation of the GIs in these occupations – why they fight and why they avoid fighting – is often stated as getting them-selves and their buddies home safe.

Returning veterans, disgusted by U.S. military operations in Iraq and Af-ghanistan, have been organizing to oppose these occupations and to help address the unmet needs of active duty GIs and veterans. In 2004, some of these veterans founded Iraq Veterans Against the War, with assistance from Veterans For Peace and others. GI coffeehouses have been established near several military bases, most notably Fort Lewis, Washington (Coffee Strong) and Fort Hood, Texas (Under the Hood), two of the largest Army bases from which tens of thousands of troops have de-ployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq Veterans Against the War is now conducting Operation Recovery, a “campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops.”

Many GI’s, having witnessed the horrible violence of modern warfare, including the routine killing of civil-ians – men, women and children – have declared themselves to be Conscientious Objectors and sought discharges or re-classification to non-combat duties. Many other GIs have sought medical discharges due to their PTSD or other physical injuries. The U.S. military, desperate for warm bodies to staff multiple occupations, has been very stingy about granting such discharges, leading many GIs to leave the military of their own volition and without official permission (AWOL from the Army: “Away Without Official Leave,” UA from the Marines: “Unauthorized Absence”).

Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, tens of thousands of U.S. troops have gone AWOL or UA. This has been the most visible and quantifiable form of resistance. While perhaps the majority of these AWOL troops have returned to military con-trol, it is safe to say that thousands remain at large and in legal jeopardy.

Thousands of AWOL troops are liv-ing “underground” in the United States, some of them quite openly. Generally speaking, the policy of the Army and the Marines is not to aggressively pursue them. Many have been captured after being stopped by the police for routine traffic viola-tions, and many more have chosen to turn themselves in to the military to get their situations resolved. The first choice of the Army and Marines has been to re-integrate returning AWOL’s into their units and to return them to war. If that is not feasible, the military’s second choice has been to administratively discharge the returning AWOL’s with punitive “other than honorable” discharges.
But returning AWOL GIs who left the military when facing orders to deploy or re-deploy to war, or who have spoken publicly against the occupations, have been court-martialed for desertion and refusing orders, and given prison sentences ranging from six months to two years.

U.S. WAR RESISTERS SEEK SANCTUARY IN CANADA

Beginning with the January 2004 arri-val in Toronto of conscientious objector Jeremy Hinzman, hundreds of AWOL troops have fled to Canada. A popular campaign calling on the Canadian government to grant sanctuary to Iraq war resisters has won majority popular support among Canadians (64%). But the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which is particularly hostile to U.S. war resisters, has refused to do so. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has publicly called them “phony refugees.” The Conservative government has succeeded in deporting several war resisters back to the U.S., where they have been court-martialed for desertion and imprisoned for up to two years.

The War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto estimates that be-tween 200 and 300 GIs, mostly young men and a few young women, are currently seeking sanctuary in Canada. More than fifty have applied for political asylum. None has yet to win this status, but their legal appeals continue, including attempts to re-main in Canada on “humanitarian and compassionate” grounds. In the meantime, a number of the war re-sisters are successfully immigrating to Canada via marriage.

The Conservative government of Canada has now won three consecutive national elections, and recently achieved a majority government for the first time, leading to fears of accelerated attempts to deport U.S. war resisters. However, the New Democratic Party (NDP), which has given solid support to U.S. war resisters, tripled its seats in the Parliament in the recent election, and has for the first time become the official opposition. It is hoped that the NDP will be an effective counter-balance to the Conservatives and will continue to fight effectively for sanctuary for U.S. war resisters, but the Conservative majority will be in power for the next four years.

While the Conservatives have been unfriendly to U.S. war resisters, the Canadian people have been providing them with sanctuary. The War Resisters Support Campaign has provided the resisters with material support, including housing and modest weekly allowances, as well as legal, political and moral support. Many war resisters have been empowered to speak out publicly against the wars and on behalf of their own sanctuary. As mentioned above, some resisters have been able to gain residency through marriage. Others have found at least a temporary haven in Canada – several months or years when they were neither at war nor in prison. This has been especially valuable to those who are raising young families.

Many of the resisters are combat veterans – they were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and went AWOL only after being ordered back to war. Thus, many war resisters are also suffering from PTSD.

Rodney Watson, an African American veteran of the Iraq occupation, was ordered deported from Canada in September 2009. In an extraordinary act of resistance, he sought sanctuary in the First United Church in downtown Vancouver, BC, where he has been living, along with his wife and young son, for almost two years. Rodney, who converses online with his many Canadian and U.S. supporters, can be contacted at his Facebook page, War Resister in Sanctuary.

It should be mentioned that the Canadian sanctuary campaign is specifically for Iraq war resisters, and not for GIs who refused to deploy to Afghanistan. This reflects the political reality in Canada, which still has its own troops in Afghanistan, despite the steady opposition of most of the Canadian people. Nonetheless, several Afghanistan war resisters are known to be living in Canada, and legal help is available to them as well.

MORE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR GI RESISTERS

Many U.S. peace groups have provided legal and political support to war resisters, especially AWOL GIs and those seeking discharge from the military. Oakland, California-based Courage To Resist has done an outstanding job publicizing the struggles of GI resisters and providing them with political and material support (see www.couragetoresist.org).

Courage To Resist is currently spearheading a remarkable campaign in support of Bradley Manning, an Army intelligence analyst who is accused of releasing classified information to Wikileaks. Manning is charged with releasing an Army video showing U.S. soldiers in an Apache helicopter gunning down unarmed civilians, including two Reuters reporters and two young children, in Baghdad, Iraq. The infamous Collateral Murder video has been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube. Army prosecutors have also charged Manning with releasing U.S. military diaries of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations, and thousands of cables from U.S. embassies around the world.

Many thousands of individuals in the U.S. and around the world have contributed funds for the legal and political defense of Bradley Manning, and also have demonstrated their support in the streets. Veterans For Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War have rallied in support of Manning. Civil disobedience actions at the White House and at the Marine Corps Brig at Quantico, Virginia, were instrumental in Manning’s transfer from Quantico, where he had endured near-torturous conditions. Manning is now being held at the military prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, where his treat-ment is reported to be more humane.

The charges against Manning include “Aiding the Enemy,” a capital offense that can be punished by life in prison or even the death penalty. His court martial is expected to take place in December of this year, by which time he will already have been imprisoned for 19 months.

For information on how you can join the campaign to support Bradley Manning, contact the Bradley Manning Support Network at www.bradleymanning.org.

Less dramatic but also very impressive is the longstanding counseling support that the GI Rights Hotline has provided to GIs who are AWOL, who wish to be discharged from the military, or who have other griev-ances with the military – such as sexual harassment and assault. Leading groups in this effort include the Center on Conscience and War, the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild and the War Resisters League, among many others
.
Legal resources for returning or captured AWOL GIs are scarce, however, or prohibitively expensive. There is a great need for qualified lawyers who are willing to work for not much more than their expenses. There is also a great need for a more muscular political campaign to support GIs who are facing court martial. As more AWOL GIs return from Canada or surface from underground in the U.S., the current level of legal and political support will need to be substantially increased.

TIME TO CALL FOR AMNESTY?

As President Nixon began to withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam in 1972 and 1973, a campaign was launched calling for unconditional amnesty for all Vietnam war resisters, including draft resisters, deserters, veterans with less-than-honorable discharges and all those who had been arrested for pro-testing against the war. National and local peace groups, churches, civil liberties organizations and veterans groups (e.g. Vietnam Veterans Against the War), joined together to form a broad coalition, the National Council for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty (NCUUA).

After several years of persistent organizing, the amnesty campaigners won widespread support, including from mainstream, grassroots Democrats. In 1976, Jimmy Carter ran for president on a platform of pardon-ing draft resisters, and he fulfilled this pledge as his very first act as president in January 1977. President Carter then ordered the military to establish a program that would allow AWOL GI’s to voluntarily return to military control and to be discharged in an atmosphere of leniency. Carter even ordered a case-by-case review of Vietnam-era less-than-honorable discharges.

While Carter’s program fell far short of the movement’s demand for “universal, unconditional amnesty,” it was still a remarkable achievement that allowed many resisters to legalize their status and normalize their lives. Might this be the right time for the peace movement to launch a similar campaign?

Because there is no draft, and the lives of middle class sons and daughters are not on the line, we would expect less support for amnesty from middle class America and the Democratic Party. We could probably expect a less broad and less muscular campaign. Nonetheless, the Vietnam amnesty movement and the Carter pardon are strong precedents for us to call upon, and many progressive organizations would likely rally to the cause.

An amnesty campaign could bring further awareness of the plight of our GI resisters and more legal and political resources would become available to them. It would also provide a contextual framework for all the work that is being done on behalf of GI resisters.

Different political approaches would probably exist side by side, as they did during the Vietnam amnesty move-ment. Some of us would take the moral high ground and argue that it is right – and legal – to resist an unjust war, as thousands of GIs have done. While others would say it is time to get these wars behind us and to reconcile the nation. But we would all be calling for an end to the punishment of war resisters. This could create a climate once again of treating returning AWOLs leniently, with or without an order from the president to do so.

Much more discussion is needed of this and other possible approaches to supporting our GI resisters. We can also tap into the impressively broad support that is being manifested for Bradley Manning, the accused Wikileaks whistleblower. We can appeal to people to show the same concern, to take the same kind of political action, and to give the same kind of generous contributions.

We must also continue reaching out to active duty service members, reservists, and National Guard troops with much needed information and support. Nobody can do this better than veterans, especially recent veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations.
Arguably, we could send no stronger message to would-be GI resisters than to mount a campaign for amnesty for all those who are currently in jeopardy for resisting unjust wars and occupations.

In 1968, Gerry Condon refused Army orders to deploy to Vietnam, for which he was court-martialed and sentenced to 10 years in prison and a Dishonorable Discharge. But Gerry was able to escape from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and leave the U.S. For six years he lived in Sweden and Canada, where he organized against the war and for amnesty for all war resisters. Gerry is an active member of Veterans For Peace and co-chair of its GI Resistance Working Group. He serves on the steering committee of the Bradley Manning Support Network.

Ottawa moves to make Canada less inviting to U.S. military deserters - Winnipeg Free Press

2010-08-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest outrage from Stephen Harper's Conservative, pro-war, anti-immigrant government in Canada.

Ottawa moves to make Canada less inviting to U.S. military deserters - Winnipeg Free Press

Fateful Day for U.S. War Resisters in Canada

2010-05-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

by Gerry Condon

Tuesday, May 25, was a very important day for the 200 U.S. war resisters who are seeking sanctuary in Canada. The case of Jeremy Hinzman, the first to do so, was argued in Canada’s Federal Court of Appeals. The outcome may decide the fate of Jeremy, his wife Nga Nguyen and their two young children. The court's decision, expected to take several months, may also determine the fate of other young men and women who are facing deportation to the U.S., followed by courts martial and imprisonment.

Also on Tuesday, May 25,, the Canadian Parliament held a debate on a bill that would allow Iraq War resisters to remain in Canada. The House of Commons is expected to vote on the bill, C-440, in September.
According to several polls, nearly two-thirds of Canadians want their government to allow U.S. war resisters to have legal status in Canada. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, does not agree. The Conservative government has already deported several war resisters and is aggressively pursuing the deportation of others.

Last weekend, USA Today published an excellent article on U.S. war resisters in Canada, including Vietnam War resisters. It is very much worth reading. There is also a short video on the USA Today website.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-05-23-war-resisters_N.htm?csp=hf

Vietnam war resisters and Iraq war resisters toast one another

at Grossman's Tavern in Toronto.

YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR WAR RESISTERS IN CANADA

The War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada is a national network of churches, labor unions, activists and artists, including Vietnam War resisters who are now Canadian citizens. The War Resisters Support Campaign has been supporting our war resisters ever since early 2004, when Jeremy Hinzman arrived in Toronto.

The Campaign is very much in need of donations at this moment, so that they can continue their legal defense of war resisters facing deportation. We recommend that you send them a note at this time thanking them for taking care of U.S. war resisters. And give them a donation while you are at it. It is very much needed and will be very well spent. Please visit their website and make a donation today.

For more information on Rodney Watson, an Iraq War Resister who has taken refuge in a church in Vancovuer, British Columbia, you can visit the website of the Vancouver War Resisters Support Campaign,

Check out Rodney Watson's interview with me below on this blog.

GI Resister Marc Hall Is a Free Man!

2010-04-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

VFP and IVAW helped to anchor successful campaign

GI resister Marc Hall is now a free man. Under pressure from his supporters, the U.S. Army has backed down from their plans to give him a kangaroo court martial in Iraq. Instead they have granted him a discharge. Marc Hall is known as the GI “rapper” who recorded a song against the Army’s “Stop-Loss” policy last July. But his real troubles began in December when he filed a formal complaint with the Army’s Inspector General about the poor quality of the Army’s evaluation and treatment of his PTSD. Five days later, the Army arrested the Iraq veteran and charged him with 11 counts of violating the good order of the Army (Article 134), including “threatening violence against fellow soldiers.”

The GI resister support group Courage To Resist found him a lawyer near his base, Fort Stewart, Georgia, and the Army sent him 8,000 miles away to a prison in Kuwait. Marc’s mother worked with Courage To Resist and members of VFP and IVAW to form the Family and Friends of Marc Hall, which rallied political support and raised funds to send a lawyer and doctor to the Middle East.

The presiding military officer at Marc Hall’s arraignment (Article 32 hearing), threw out 5 of the 11 charges against Hall, finding them totally without basis or evidence to support them. She recommended that Spc. Hall be given a Special Court Martial, which can give a maximum sentence of 1 year in prison and a Bad Conduct Discharge. But the Army command, clearly wanting to make an example of Marc Hall, insisted it would give him a General Court Martial. Marc Hall was facing a sentence of up to 6 years in prison and a Dishonorable Discharge. Finally, though, the Army appears to have come to its senses.

Veterans For Peace played a significant role in supporting Marc Hall. When VFP called for emails to be sent to the Army on behalf of Spc. Hall, 643 members of VFP did so. One hundred and ten VFP members forwarded the action alert to friends, and 113 contacted newspapers on behalf of Hall. Iraq Veterans Against the War also mobilized its members in support of Marc Hall.

VFP members Russell Brown, of Buffalo, New York, and Gerry Condon, of Seattle, Washington, participated in weekly strategy sessions of the Family and Friends of Marc Hall, along with Jeff Paterson, a VFP member who heads up Courage To Resist. Courage To Resist raised and spent $7,100 for Marc Hall’s defense fund, and has another $1,500 of outstanding expenses at this time.

Marc Hall’s lawyer, David Gespass, who is president of the National Lawyers Guild, will now work to get Hall’s Other Than Honorable discharge upgraded, and to insure that Hall, who saw 14 months of combat in Iraq, will get treatment for his PTSD from the Veterans Administration.

Veterans For Peace has supported GI resisters for several years, and will soon be launching a GI Resistance Working Group, in order to provide timely information to VFP members about how they can support GI resisters in their time of need.

Read Dahr Jamail’s excellent article on the Marc Hall case at http://www.couragetoresist.org/, and find out about another GI resister, Eric Jasinsky, whom the Army has jailed with untreated PTSD.

Iraq Vets: Coverage of Atrocities is Too Little, Too Late

2010-04-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

by Dahr Jamail

The WikiLeaks video footage from Iraq taken from an Apache helicopter in July 2007 showing soldiers killing 12 people and wounding two children has caused an explosion of media coverage. But many Iraq vets feel it is too little and too late.

In contrast to most of the coverage that favors the military's stated position of forgiving the soldiers responsible and citing that they followed the Rules of Engagement (ROE), Iraq war veterans who have spoken to the media previously about atrocities carried out against innocent Iraqis have largely been ignored by the mainstream media in the United States.

GI Resistance - Then and Now

2010-04-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this story and discussion on the Daily Kos, with a link to a great newsletter by the Washington Peace Center.

Berkeley Calls for War Resister Amnesty

2010-04-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 30, 2010

Berkeley City Council Recommends Universal And Unconditional Amnesty For
Iraq, Afghanistan, And Pakistan War Military Resisters And Veterans

Contact: Bob Meola (510) 644-1102 ; bob@couragetoresist .org

On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, the Berkeley (California) City Council passed Resolution No. 64,803 N.S. recommending "Universal and Unconditional Amnesty for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan War Military Resisters and Veterans Who Acted In Opposition to the War for Matters of Conscience." It was adapted, with some changes, from the original resolution passed by the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission on November 2, 2009.

The resolution recommends that all military personnel, serving since October 7, 2001, be granted Universal and Unconditional Amnesty amounting to forgiveness for all convictions or pending charges of desertion or Absence Without Leave (AWOL) or Unauthorized Absence (UA) if such leave or absence is determined to be caused by matters of personal conscience in opposition to the illegal wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan and/or Pakistan.

It also recommends that military personnel who have been convicted of charges stemming from their exercise of free speech regarding their opposition to the wars in Iraq and /or Pakistan since October 7, 2001 be granted amnesty for those convictions.

And it supports granting amnesty for all veterans with less than honorable discharges for absence offenses determined to be due to personal conscience regarding opposition to the wars commencing on or after October 7, 2001 and that those veterans have their discharges automatically upgraded to honorable discharges or to general under honorable conditions and that those veterans be granted all benefits otherwise due to them.

This is the first time the subject of Universal Unconditional Amnesty has been brought up since President Jimmy Carter granted Unconditional Amnesty amounting to "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to draft resisters following the Vietnam War. Universal Unconditional Amnesty had been the demand of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Berkeley's resolution called for copies of it to be sent to President Obama, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and Congressperson Barbara Lee.

Bob Meola, Berkeley Peace and Justice Commissioner and immediate past Commission Chairperson, who wrote the original draft of the resolution, stated,

"I hope this resolution will serve as a model and inspire cities and towns across the United States to pass similar resolutions and ignite a movement which will result in Universal and Unconditional Amnesty for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan war resisters and veterans. The troops who have had the courage to resist have been traumatized enough. They have followed their consciences and deserve healing and support and appreciation from people everywhere. The GI Resistance movement is growing. Its members are heroes and sheroes and should be treated as heroes as they are welcomed backinto civilian society."

Berkeley has been a sanctuary city for conscientious objectors since 1991. In 2007, it became a sanctuary city for military resisters to immoral and illegal wars, even if those resisters were not traditional conscientious objectors, and for draft registration resisters and for draft resisters if the draft should be reinstituted. May 15th is International Conscientious Objectors Day. In 2007, Berkeley also proclaimed May 15th of every year as Berkeley CO and War Resisters Day.

Iraq Veteran Finds Sanctuary In Canadian Church

2009-12-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Rodney Watson Tells Why He Would Not Be
"Stop-Lossed" Back to Iraq

by Gerry Condon

Rodney Watson is one of the bravest and nicest men I have had the pleasure of meeting. He is an African American from Kansas City, Kansas. He is a very religious young man, 32 years old. His dream was to one day have his own restaurant. In 2004, when an Army recruiter told him he would be trained as a cook, he signed up for a three year hitch.

When Watson was deployed to Iraq in October 2005, his superiors told him he would be supervising the dining facility. Instead, he was given an M16 rifle and told to search for explosives on the perimeter of his base in Mosul.

The Army had not trained Watson to inspect or detonate explosives, so he was unhappy with this assignment. But this was not all that was bothering him. He was appalled at the blatant racism of some of his fellow soldiers in Iraq. He saw U.S. soldiers spitting upon and kicking the Koran and beating Iraqi, even civilians. “I had to sit there and watch it,” he told the Vancouver Courier, “and my hands were tied.” He did not report the abuses. “I didn’t want to be labeled a snitch – not with people walking around with machine guns.”

Watson finished his twelve-month tour of duty in October 2006 and returned home, only to be told he would be going right back to Iraq. His three-year contract with the Army would have ended in the spring of 2007, but the Army was unilaterally extending it so that he could complete another tour of Iraq. Rodney Watson was being “stop-lossed.”

On a two-week leave, Watson pondered his situation and decided he would not be a slave to the U.S. Army or cannon fodder for the war in Iraq. Instead, he left a goodbye note in his father’s bible and made his way to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. The Army has since charged him with desertion.

With the aid of the War Resisters Support Campaign in Vancouver, Rodney Watson sought sanctuary in Canada as a political refugee who would be persecuted for his beliefs if he were forced to return to the U.S. Despite widespread support in Canada for U.S. war resisters, Watson was denied refugee status and the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered him deported.

The Canadian people have been much more welcoming than the Canadian government. So Rodney spoke with the Ric Matthews, the pastor of the First United Church in downtown Vancouver, a progressive congregation that opens its doors every night to homeless people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets.

Canadian churches have a long tradition of granting sanctuary to refugees who are rejected by the politicized refugee board but who truly do face persecution in their homelands. Two U.S. war resisters who have been deported from Canada, Robin Long and Clifford Cornell, were court-martialed by the U.S. Army, convicted of desertion, and sentenced, to 15 months and 12 months in prison, respectively, as well as dishonorable discharges.

Pastor Matthews spoke with his congregation and they agreed to provide Watson with sanctuary, the first time a Canadian church has done so for a U.S. war resister. Since mid-September, Watson has been living in a custodial apartment in the church, where he has received a steady flow of supporters, journalists, and even Members of Parliament. So far the Canadian government has respected his church sanctuary.

Last week Gerard Kennedy, a Liberal MP from Toronto, flew to Vancouver to meet with Watson. Kennedy has introduced a bill in the House of Commons that would grant sanctuary to U.S. war resisters who would not fight in the illegal U.S. war and occupation of Iraq. If his bill passes, it will be legally binding, unlike two similar parliamentary motions that the Conservative government has chosen to ignore.

Watson’s Canadian fiance and their one-year old son are joining him for the holidays and beyond.

I have had the good fortune of visiting Rodney Watson several times in Vancouver, and I spoke with him recently to see how he is doing. Although many Canadians know his story, very few people in the U.S. are aware of the stand that Rodney Watson is taking on behalf of all war resisters. I asked Rodney if he would elaborate his story for an American audience and he graciously agreed to do so.

Rodney, as an African American man, you certainly recognize racist behavior when you see it. How were you affected by the racism you witnessed in Iraq?

"The racism I witnessed in Iraq was something that really angered me – the mistreatment and abuse that some racist soldiers or civilian contractors would afflict upon the Iraqi civilians. The Army is full of good soldiers but, as we all know, there are some that just don't deserve to wear the uniform because of their racial hatred.

At the same time as I was witnessing these crimes in Iraq, my fellow Americans were still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina – mostly poor black people. As I watched the military spend millions of U.S. dollars in a country that had no weapons of mass destruction, people back home were begging for help after the storm from a government that moved very slowly to aid those in need.

I now wish that President Obama, being African American, will help the youth that are killing each other every day in the streets of America and concentrate on helping the American people that are in need of jobs, housing, food, and health care. Because I think these problems are more important right now than WAR!

I pray that God will direct the steps of the President and change his mind on certain issues and for him to use the Love and popularity he has received to rebuild America instead of “nation building” in the Middle East.

What part of your story are the media not telling?

The media is not telling the story of the racism that I witnessed directly. There was a soldier in my unit in Iraq who was caught dealing drugs to an undercover military C.I.D. agent and the result was that every BLACK soldier in my unit had to report to a formation to be questioned and finger printed by the FBI. Why didn't they just detain him when the deal went down instead of treating all the Black men in my unit like potential CRIMINALS!!!!!!!!!

What would you like to say to the American people?

My message of PEACE to the people of the U.S. is that we can achieve Peace if we truly reach out to our enemies with diplomacy and stop fighting, instead of risking the lives of these Brave Men and Women to fight low level fighters who attack and then run and hide.

To take the notion that America is ONE NATION UNDER GOD seriously and rebuild the U.S. into a land of equal treatment among all of the different races of America with Love and true unity. In all honesty, the KKK are Terrorist. Those who would kill their fellow man over money or drugs are Terrorist. The people in power who sit in their big fancy houses and just watch black youth kill each other are Terrorist. What I'm saying is that we have a lot of problems in our own country that are of a GREAT EMERGENCY. The people are crying out for HELP!!!

Do you have a message for your fellow soldiers?

My message to the soldiers is that I pray for your safety, even the ones who might think I'm some kind of coward or traitor. I pray that the Lord of Lords and King of Kings Jesus Christ will keep you all under his protection and your families as well. It has been an honor to serve along side of most of you that I have encountered in the Army. And I know the bad apples will have to answer to God one day. Even the ones in high places who led us into battle based on lies will answer to God almighty for their LIES. Last but not least I pray that the Lamb of God will put an end to wars that you all are involved in, for JESUS is the Prince of Peace and not The Prince of War!!

What kind of support are you receiving and what are your immediate needs?

I have the basics here living in Sanctuary, but if any creative minds can and want to help me, I would highly appreciate it. I have a son who is one-year-old. He and his mother are my heart and soul and they are put before any of my needs. It is hard for me to ask for help when I know there are many people in the U.S. who are in greater need than I. But if there are those who wish to give a helping hand, I would be ever so grateful.

What would you like for Christmas?

All I want for Christmas is to turn on the T.V. after helping my son open his gifts, to be joined together by his mother on the sofa with maybe some hot cocoa, and see President Obama say that he changed his mind and that he is bringing our men and women HOME!!!!!!

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I signed up for three years in the Army and served over two-and-a-half years and completed a one-year tour in Iraq. When I returned to Ft. Hood, Texas my unit was informed that we were to redeploy again to Iraq or Afghanistan within four months. I must say that I was upset about risking my life again for a war I did not understand or agree with, especially after seeing the things I saw over in Iraq. I am not a coward, I would not have a problem fighting a war against anyone who is a direct threat to our borders or who could harm my family or fellow Americans. I would be on the front lines for that.

My prayers go out to the soldier who is now imprisoned for a rap song that he made that expresses his anger about being stop-lossed, because just like him, I signed up for three years and I left before the military could stop-loss me. I feel his pain because while at Ft. Hood I would see young men and women whose dreams of being civilians again were stolen from them when they were ordered to redeploy. Some took it with stride while many others talked about suicide because they wanted out that badly.

I have laid down my sword and I have taken up my cross. Now my fight is for Love, Peace, and Freedom. I no longer walk by sight but by Faith and I Know God is the only one who can truly Judge me."

Rodney Watson is one courageous man, indeed. But none of us can make it alone. He and all the war resisters need and deserve our active support. By supporting war resisters we can also speed the end of the illegal wars and occupations being pursued by the U.S. government and military and their corporate sponsors. And we begin to heal the wounds of war that are affecting our entire society.

Please send Rodney Watson a Christmas or New Years card and maybe a gift for his son.

His mailing address is: Rodney Watson, c/o First United Church, 320 East Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6A 1P4, CANADA. You can also say hi to Rodney on his Facebook page, War Resister in Sanctuary.

The War Resisters Support Campaign is providing legal, moral and material support for Rodney Watson, even as they continue to mobilize political support for the estimated 300 U.S. war resisters in Canada. Please consider making a special holiday donation toward their vital work on behalf of our war resisters.

Checks can be made out to the War Resisters Support Campaign and mailed to: 1143 E Pender St. Vancouver BC V6A 1W6.

Or you can donate online at http://www.vancouverwarresisters.org/

____________________________________________________________________________________

Gerry Condon is a writer and activist based in Seattle, Washington, where he directs Project Safe Haven, a war resister advocacy project, and serves as president of the Seattle area chapter of Veterans For Peace. In 1968, he refused Army orders to deploy to the Vietnam War and fled to Canada and Sweden, where he spent six years organizing against the war and for amnesty for all war resisters. Gerry Condon can be reached by email at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com.

We Won't Go Back

2009-06-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

___________________________________

By Maggie Gilmour, Toronto Life

To avoid serving in Iraq, 300 American soldiers have left their homes and families and fled to Canada, 75 of them to Toronto. Many assumed they’d get a visa, settle down and live a normal life. But the federal government has rejected their refugee claims and ordered them deported. Some go into hiding; others wait for appeals and judicial reviews of their cases. In the meantime, they’ve put down roots, taking temp jobs and raising children, nostalgic for a time when Canada was a haven for conscientious objectors.

See Full Story

http://www.torontolife.com/features/we-wont-go-back/

Canada Reconsiders Iraq War Veteran's Plea For Political Asylum

2009-06-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Like other U.S. war resisters seeking sanctuary in Canada, Joshua Key was wrongfully denied refugee status. But in his case, a Federal Court agreed with him and ordered the Immigration and Refugee Board to give him a new hearing. The hearing took place this Wednesday in Toronto.

With Canadian author Lawrence Hill, Joshua wrote a best-selling book, The Deserters Tale, in which he details the systematic abuse of Iraqi civilians by the U.S. military.

http://www.groveatlantic.com/grove/bin/wc.dll?groveproc~genauth~5230

Follow this link to a detailed report on Joshua Key's new refugee hearing, written by Laura Kaminker, "L-Girl," in her award-winning blog, "We Move To Canada."

http://wmtc.blogspot.com/2009/06/joshua-key-irb-hearing-part-one.html

You Can Help to Free Lt. Ehren Watada

2009-04-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

End the U.S. Army’s Prosecution of Lt. Ehren Watada

The Justice Department Can Say No to Army’s Legal Appeal

In June 2006, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada refused orders to Iraq on the grounds that the war was illegal and immoral. His court martial in February 2007 ended in an Army-contrived mistrial. In October 2007, the Army attempt to have a second court martial was stopped by a Federal judge who ruled that a second court martial would be double jeopardy. But the Army has not allowed Lt. Watada to leave military service. Instead, they have notified the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit of their plans to appeal the double jeopardy ruling. The Army has also threatened to revive old charges stemming from Lt. Watada’s speech in Seattle to the 2006 convention of Veterans For Peace.

Justice Department to Decide If Army Will Appeal Double Jeopardy Ruling

The U.S. Solicitor General’s office in the Department of Justice will soon decide whether the Army can go ahead with its plans to appeal Federal Court rulings in Lt. Watada’s favor.

A campaign of public pressure is being called by Lt. Watada’s supporters in the peace movement. The ad hoc campaign is being spearheaded by two Vietnam War resisters, Mike Wong and Gerry Condon, who are active members of Veterans for Peace in San Francisco and Seattle. The Call to Action is being issued in the name of Asian Americans for Peace and Justice, formerly the Watada Support Committee, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Project Safe Haven, a war resister support group.

We are sending out this email alert to all our contacts and organizations - including Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, United For Peace and Justice, ANSWER, Code Pink, American Friends Service Committee and others. We ask you all to phone, write, and email Solicitor General Elena Kagan and Deputy Attorney General Neal Katyal immediately.

1. Ask the Solicitor General: Tell the Army to drop the appeal and any other charges against Lt. Watada, and to release him from the Army with an honorable discharge.

If we all act quickly, we can flood the Solicitor General’s office with hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails, which could tip the balance in Ehren Watada’s favor.

Solicitor General Elena Kagan, 202-514-2201
Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal, 202-514-2206

Send letters to: U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530.

E-mails to

AskDOJ@usdoj.gov will reach the Solicitor General and Attorney General Eric Holder.

A sample letter is included below. Feel free to edit as you wish, or to write your own.

It is possible that both the Solicitor General and her Deputy may be open to our plea. Please be respectful and polite in all your communications with these Obama appointees.

2. Please forward this alert to all activists, friends, and organizations you know that would be supportive. If you are involved in an organization, please ask that it forward this alert to its entire membership..

3. We will approach the friendliest of our allies in Congress and ask them to make inquiries to the Justice Department. If you or your organization has contact with any members of Congress, please email Gerry Condon at

projectsafehaven@hotmail.com so we can coordinate our Congressional outreach.

4. Various groups may also wish to mount demonstrations, press conferences, lobby, or use other means of peaceful political pressure. You may also call for an end to the persecution of all war resisters.

Mike Wong, Vice President, SF Bay Area Veterans For Peace; Asian Americans for Peace and Justice

Gerry Condon, Greater Seattle Veterans For Peace; Project Safe Haven

Sample letter:

Date

Solicitor General Elena Kagan

Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Solicitor General Kagan and Deputy Solicitor General Katyal,

I am writing to urge you to direct the U.S. Army to drop its appeal and any other charges in the case of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, and to release him from the Army with an Honorable Discharge. Lt. Watada was the first Army officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq, because he believes the U.S. war in Iraq is illegal and immoral, and that orders to participate in it are therefore also illegal and immoral.

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehren_Watada).

Lt. Watada’s Army court martial in February 2007 ended in a mistrial that was illegally construed by the Army judge, Lt. Col. John Head. When the Army then attempted a second court martial in October 2007, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle halted the proceedings on double jeopardy grounds. Judge Settle had just been appointed to his position by George W. Bush and was a former Army JAG lawyer. I urge you to uphold U.S. and international law by directing the Army to end its prolonged prosecution of Lt. Ehren Watada. Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,
Mike Wong

For more background on Lt. Ehren Watada, go to info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehren_Watada.

For updates on the Campaign to Free Ehren Watada, go to www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com

or you can:

Email Mike Wong at mlwong@jps.net

Email Gerry Condon at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com

or call Gerry at 206-499-1220.

The Contract

2009-03-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

by Robin Long
from inside the Miramar Brig

March 12, 2009

IN 2004, when military resister Jeremy Hinzman applied for refugee status in Canada, the Conservative government stepped in to his Refugee hearing and stated evidence challenging the legality of the War in Iraq can’t be used in his case. However, the U.N Handbook for Refugee’s and the Nuremburg Principles states: a soldier of an Army that is involved in an illegal war of aggression has a higher international duty to refuse service. Said soldier also has the right to seek refugee protection in any country that is signatory to the Geneva Convention. By refusing to allow him- and by precedent ALL other claimants the right to use that argument, they closed the door on that legal avenue for refugee protection.

THE US invasion of Iraq was clearly an illegal war of aggression. The US was not under attack, or the immanent threat of attack from the nation of Iraq, nor was the war approved by the UN Security Council. By taking the stance it did, the Canadian Government implicitly condoned the invasion & continuing occupation of Iraq. Is that what Canadians want? A majority of Americans want it to end and have come to realize it a mistake, at best. Canadians have long known it to be wrong. Why is the minority Conservative government still holding on to the idea, and still deporting war resisters? Why are they separating families and aiding in the imprisonment of morally strong men and women?

IN JUNE 2007, Canada’s Parliament voted on a non- binding resolution to allow war resisters and their families permanent resident status. That vote passed, and in agreement with that vote, a poll of Canadian opinion showed overwhelming support for the resolution. In defiance of parliaments intent and the will of the people, the Conservative minority government, led by Prime Minister Steven Harper and Immigration Minister Diane Finley ignored the bill. The Government stated: All refugee claimants are given a fair chance to plead their case before the Refugee Board, and special treatment to these Iraq resisters were unfair to other claimants. Further, they stated that we are not legitimate claimants because we are from the US, and that the US has a fair and transparent justice system, and that we wouldn’t be singled out for being political.

ON JULY 14th, 2008, in my final attempt to stay in Canada, where my son and community is, Federal Judge Ann Mactavish stated that I didn’t prove I would be treated harshly by the US military for being a politically outspoken opponent to the War in Iraq and Bush Administration policy. She predicted my punishment would be minimal, 30 days in the brig, perhaps. She then cleared the way for my deportation/extradition. She noted only10% of these cases go to Court Martial.

A MONTH later, I was tried in a Court Martial presided over by a judge, a Colonel in the US Army, who has President Bush in her chain-of-command. (She was later appointed by Bush to oversee trials at Guantanamo Bay, no doubt because of her political credentials.

THE ONLY aggravating evidence the Prosecution presented was a 6 minute video of me stating, among other things, that I believed my President lied to me. A political statement. The fact that this was found admissible in court for the charge of Desertion is beyond me. There were no character witnesses brought against me. The ONLY factors the Prosecution wanted shown in determining my sentence was the fact I was political and exercising my freedom of speech in criticizing my Commander-in-Chief.

IT SEEMS like a conflict of interest to have a judge determine my fate when she has to ultimately answer to the President, while I was claiming that same President was a domestic enemy, who used any reason, and manufactured reasons, to invade and wreak havoc in Iraq.

THE JUDGE came back with 30 months- that’s two and a half years for not showing up for work that I believed to be morally objectionable, criminal, and its by far the harshest sentence given to a resister/deserter of the Iraq War.

I was saved from that by a plea bargain that got me 15 months. I STILL get a Dishonorable Discharge (DD). A DD will keep me from many fields of employment, from any Government position to the civilian world. It will make getting home loans all the harder. This is a FELONY CONVICTION- which will make it very hard, perhaps impossible to return to Canada to be with my young family. It is the worst grade of discharge there is.

PEOPLE THAT committed far worse crimes have been getting off with lighter sentences than me. 1st Infantry Division soldier Spec. Belmor Ramos was sentenced to only 7 months after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder- 4 Iraqi men. I refused to participate in killings, he stood guard while others executed four unidentified Iraqi men, afterwards dumping their bodies in a Baghdad canal on ’07. During his court martial Ramos admitted his guilt, stating: “I wanted them dead. I had no legal justification to do this.”

WHERE IS THE JUSTICE? The system is neither fair nor impartial. Can it really be transparent when you don’t know who is influencing the judge from up the chain of command? Do you see how the military justice system works? – Condone killings with light sentences, but God forbid someone should call President Bush a liar and a war monger. A persons words and political opinion must be far more damaging to the good order of the military if they are anti war and critical of the President, than a soldiers criminal actions in an occupied foreign nation…..

PEOPLE HAVE used the argument that I signed a contract, quite often. I’d like to quote from a letter one o the Founders of our United States wrote to General Washington concerning his thoughts on contracts in April, 1793: “When performance, for instance, becomes impossible, non performance is not immoral. So if performance becomes destructive to the Party, the law of self-preservation overrules the laws of obligations to others. For the reality of these principals I appeal to the true fountains of evidence: the head and heart of every rational honest man.”- Thomas Jefferson. For me to continue in my military contract would have been destructive to me as a person with my views, morals and ideals. Let alone the Iraqi’s, who have died in the hundreds of thousands ….

THE CONTRACT I signed was to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to obey the LAWFUL orders of the President and those officers over me. I did not sign to be a strong arm for corporate interests or oil. The so called Liberation of Iraq has turned into nothing more than a constant and protracted struggle by the people of Iraq, against forces, seen and unseen, that are trying to impose their will on them in a public war for private power and profit. True freedom is the ultimate expression and condition of a people to control their OWN destiny, not the manufactured variety being offered here. True democracy is not found at the point of a gun. It rises up from within the mass of the people.

IT WASN’T about WMD’s, or we would have found some. It wasn’t about “regime change” or we would have been in Darfur, or Indonesia, or a dozen other countries. It wasn’t about 9/11 because they were from Saudi Arabia. It dosn’t say anywhere in my contract that I would be going to foreign soil, half way around the world, to invade a country that was of no threat to the United States.

TO RISK MY LIFE, not in defending the people or Constitution of the United States but creating more enemies for them by being in an occupying force. Iraq, however unhappy under our former ally/client Hussein, was never a real threat. The destabilized nation of Iraq has become a breeding ground and awesome recruiting tool for Al Queda. It has cost the American people an enormous price. Im not talking just te trillion dollar financial burden, but the human cost of the war. The deaths of so many of our brave youth, the missing limbs, the PTSD, the suicides. The invasion has made far more enemies for the United States and made the world a far more dangerous place.

THE ORDER to go to Iraq was not a lawful one. It violates our Constitution. Article IV states that ANY treaty the US is signatory to shall be the supreme law of the land. Last time I checked, the US is signatory to the Geneva Conventions. There are certain laws in that treaty for declaring war, last time I checked, “regime change” wasn’t one of them. A country must be under attack or immanent treat of attack. Neither was true in the case of Iraq. President Bush had no right to interpret the Constitution as he saw fit, on the grounds it was a new world after 9/11, and the 107th Congress had no right to pass HJ Res. 114, which “allowed” the President to invade Iraq. The Constitution was being ignored by the whole lot of them and they were derelict in their duty to uphold it.

THE STAND that the Conservative government of Canada has taken has separated a family, an act totally un-Canadian. I have a young son, a Canadian citizen, and a Canadian partner with MS, left to raise our son while I’m locked in a brig for refusing to participate in a war Canada , in 2003, under a different Government, wouldn’t send troops to. Back then, they saw the holes in Bush’s “intelligence”. By deporting me, and not giving me a chance to leave willingly, I have been barred from entering Canada for at least 10 years. My flesh and blood is there!

THE CONSERVATIVES are destroying Canada’s tradition of being a refuge from militarism and an asylum from injustices that goes back to the times of slavery. Are they truly representing the people? Who are they working for, really?

THE DAYS of Bush have ended. This new Obama administration has a different view and a different policy. Its now time for Mr Harper to change his view. He should listen to Parliament and the solid majority of his citizens!

PLEASE SUPPORT the movement to allow War Resisters to stay in Canada and pardon the ones in the US. I ask anyone who reads this: please!

HELP ME return to Canada to be with my partner and son. I want only to live in peace and be in his life.

STOP THE WAR.

Peace, love, light,
Robin Long
Incarcerated Prisoner of the US Military
PO BOX 452136, San Diego, CA, 92145

Army Charges Cliff Cornell with Desertion

2009-03-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

AWOL GI Was Denied Sanctuary in Canada

The U.S. Army has charged war resister Clifford Cornell with desertion. Specialist Cornell, 28, surrendered himself to authorities at Fort Stewart, Georgia on February 17, after being denied refugee status in Canada. The Arkansas native left Fort Stewart four years ago, when his artillery unit was ordered to Iraq. According to family and friends, Cornell did not want to kill civilians, and said that Army trainers told him he must shoot any Iraqi who came near his vehicle.

Cornell’s attorney and supporters believe the Army’s charges are excessive. “Cliff Cornell is a conscientious objector who voluntarily turned himself in to Army authorities,” said attorney James Branum.. “The Army is engaging in overkill in order to make an example of my client.”

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson disputed Spc. Cornell's claims that he would have been expected to kill civilians. ''Indiscriminately shooting people is not what the Army does,” Larson told the New York Times. “That's not how we train and not how we fight.” The Army is leaning toward trying Cornell in a General Court Martial, which could sentence him to years in prison.

“This is outrageous,” said Jeff Paterson of Courage To Resist, a war resister support group that has established a legal defense fund for Cornell. “The U.S. war against the Iraqi people remains illegal today, just as when George Bush and Dick Cheney started it,” said Paterson. “President Obama should bring all our troops home now. And he should grant amnesty to Cliff Cornell and hundreds of GI’s who refused to take part in an occupation that has killed untold tens of thousands of men, women and children.”

U.S. war resisters in Canada were distressed to hear of the serious charges against Cornell, as were many Canadians who have been pressing their government to provide sanctuary to the war resisters. “Cliff Cornell is a very gentle man who made many friends in Canada,” said Michelle Robidoux of the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto. “Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is absolutely wrong to claim that war resisters do not face persecution in the United States.”

A large majority of Canadians, 64% according to several polls, want to provide a safe haven for soldiers who refused to fight in the Iraq War, just as Canada itself refused to do. Most Members of Parliament also support the resisters. In June of last year, the House of Commons passed a motion calling on their government to provide sanctuary to “conscientious objectors who refuse to fight in wars not sanctioned by the United Nations.” But the minority Conservative government ignored the non-binding motion and began to deport war resisters.

War resister Robin Long was the first to be deported last July, and is now serving a 15-month prison sentence in the Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig near San Diego. Cliff Cornell was being threatened with deportation when he left Canada. Several other AWOL soldiers and their families are appealing their deportation orders in Canada’s Federal Courts.

“Cliff Cornell should not be the one who is going to jail,” said Gerry Condon of Veterans For Peace. “He had the guts to follow his conscience, and unlike President Bush, he obeyed international law.”

An estimated 250 U.S. war resisters are now living in Canada, and AWOL GI’s continue to arrive there. “You can still apply for refugee status and expect to remain legally in Canada for at least one year,” said Condon. “It may not be easy, but it beats going to war or going to jail.”

CONTACT:

James Branum, GI Right Lawyer, 866-933-2769, www.girightslawyer.com

Jeff Paterson, Courage To Resist, 415-279-9697, www.couragetoresist.org

Michelle Robidoux, War Resisters Support Campaign, 416-856-5008, www.resisters.ca

Gerry Condon, Veterans For Peace, 206-499-1220, www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com

A "People's Amnesty" for War Resisters

2009-02-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

by Gerry Condon

Last week the Customs and Border Police in Blaine arrested a young American who was returning home from Canada. Cliff Cornell, 28, was arrested because he is AWOL from the U.S. Army. He fled to Canada four years ago after realizing he had been lied to when he joined the military. The Army recruiter lied to him when he said he would never be deployed overseas. And President Bush lied to him when he said Iraq was connected to the terror of 9-11. The next thing Cornell knew, he had orders to deploy to Iraq and “shoot to kill anyone who gets near your vehicle.”

In 2002, Cliff Cornell raised his right hand and swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution. He swore to defend the U.S. from all enemies, foreign and domestic. He didn’t swear to invade other peoples’ countries on behalf of Exxon Mobil or Halliburton. “He signed a contract,” some people declaim emphatically. But it was President Bush who broke that contract when he lied to the American people about why he was sending their sons and daughters into harm’s way. And it is Cliff Cornell who is being punished.

After spending the night in the Whatcom County Jail, Cornell was released on his own recognizance on Thursday . He then hopped on a Greyhound bus for a sleepless, three-day ride across the U.S. On Tuesday, he surrendered himself to Army authorities at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Cornell hopes the Army will just discharge him “for the good of the service,” as they do to many returning AWOLs. But Cliff Cornell has been a vocal opponent of the Iraq War. The Army will likely court-martial and imprison him, as it did Robin Long, another Iraq War resister who was deported from Canada in July. Long was convicted of desertion and is serving a 15-month prison sentence.

The American people became disenchanted with the U.S. war in Iraq a long time ago. Almost everyone knows the war was based on lies. Candidate Obama called it a “dumb war” and promised to end it promptly. But the dictates of empire may see U.S. troops fighting and dying in Iraq for years to come. President Obama will attempt to manage a gradual draw-down of U.S. troops in Iraq, while simultaneously escalating the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Obama inherited these twin wars from George Bush, but they could easily drag down his own presidency.

President Obama should immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, mercenaries and contractors from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Both wars are unjust and un-winnable. Both wars target civilians with weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. military is torturing prisoners and violating human rights in both wars. And the vast majority of the people in both countries want U.S. troops to leave.

Uncle Sam has also failed on a massive scale to care for his own soldiers who have been physically and psychologically wounded, and are now caught up in an epidemic of suicide, murder and spousal abuse. President Obama must act to ensure adequate medical care and benefits for all veterans.

President Obama should also do the right thing by those troops who refused to be part of this madness. With the stroke of a pen, he can grant amnesty to Cliff Cornell and thousands of young men and women who are fugitives from injustice. Presidents Ford and Carter granted measures of pardon and leniency to Vietnam draft resisters and deserters. President Obama can do the same.

And the American people should not be lulled into passivity by the changing of the guard at the White House. We must continue to demand that our leaders end these horrible wars immediately. Not one more day of war will undo the damage we have already done.

There will be no amnesty until the troops come home. In the meantime, we must provide sanctuary for war resisters in our own communities. The people of Bellingham, Washington, near the U.S.-Canada border, are providing a perfect example. Their proposed Sanctuary City ordinance would not only welcome war resisters to Bellingham, it would bar the use of city resources for the apprehension of GIs who refuse to fight. See http://www.sanctuary-city.org/. Similar efforts are taking place in several cities around the country, including Portland, Oregon. Ithaca, New York has already declared itself a Sanctuary City for soldiers who are speaking out against war.

Veterans For Peace is one of several organizations that are helping war resisters find housing, jobs, and treatment for PTSD. Many of these young GI’s are suffering from the wounds of war; they do not need to return to the scene of the crime. We owe them our understanding and our help.

President Obama may not be ready to act, but We The People can show compassion for our young soldiers of conscience. George Bush may never have to answer for his treason or the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. But Cliff Cornell should not be the one who is imprisoned.
__________________________________________

You can contribute to Cliff Cornell's legal defense fund at http://www.couragetoresist.org/.

Gerry Condon lived in Sweden and Canada for six years after refusing Army orders to deploy to the U.S. war against the people of Vietnam. He now lives in Seattle and serves as director of Project Safe Haven, a war resister advocacy group.

President Obama: Grant Amnesty to All War Resisters

2009-01-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

War Resister Group Calls on Obama to Grant Amnesty
http://www.fsrn.org/headlines

Free Speech Radio News
Headlines for Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Headlines
· Length: 5:20 minutes (4.89 MB)
· Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

* Israel Out of Gaza, Investigates Use of White Phosphorous
* UK Unemployment Rate Hits 12 Year High
* Mexican Tycoon Bails out NY Times
* Supreme Court Declines to Review Online Porn Law
* War Resister Group Calls on Obama to Grant Amnesty

On Barack Obama's first day in office, a war resisters support group based in Seattle is calling on the president to grant amnesty to US soldiers who refuse to fight in Iraq.

Mark Taylor-Canfield has more from Seattle.

Hundreds of US soldiers have relocated to Canada, Europe or LatinAmerica after choosing not to serve in the US war and occupation in Iraq. Many of the soldiers have gone into Canada by crossing the border between Washington State and British Columbia, which also served as a point of entry for conscientious objectors escaping toCanada during the US war in Vietnam.

Now Project Safe Haven is calling on President Barack Obama to grant immediate amnesty to all US war resisters who have refused to serve in Iraq.

The group is also calling for the immediate withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq and an end to the war in Afghanistan. Other demands include reparations for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan and full benefits and healthcare for US military veterans.

According to Project Safe Haven organizer Gerry Condon, the petition was circulated among national anti-war and veterans groups and was delivered to the President-elect's transition team.

This is Mark Taylor-Canfield for Free Speech Radio News in Seattle.

Click here for audio, http://www.fsrn.org/headlines

Coalition Government Would Not Deport U.S. War Resisters

2009-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

MPs Say Canada Should be a Refuge from Militarism

January 21, 2009

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Liberal and New Democrat MPs pledged Wednesday that U.S. war resisters would not be deported under a coalition government.

Five Americans could face deportation by the end of the month unless there's a last-minute court reprieve or an unexpected policy change by the federal government.

Liberal Mario Silva and New Democrat Olivia Chow said their parties would protect war resisters if Stephen Harper's government were to fall after next week's budget.

Silva invoked the words of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who during the Vietnam War said "Canada should be a refuge from militarism."

"To all those brave men and women who have in fact objected to (the Iraq) war we say, bravo. We say welcome, you should be here in Canada," Silva said at a news conference in Toronto, which was attended by several war resisters and their young families.

The House of Commons passed a motion last June 3 calling for a stop to deportations of war resisters and Silva urged the government to respect that vote.

One war resister, Robin Long, has been deported since the vote and was separated from his Canadian partner and infant son. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in the U.S.
New Democrat Olivia Chow said Canada must stop deporting war resisters and breaking up families.

"We are a nation of compassion and of peace," she said. "We really should not deport war resisters into American jails."

This week, Christopher Teske, 27, lost his last court bid to stay in the country and faces deportation within days.

Teske, who has been living in British Columbia for two years, said in a statement that he's proud of his decision not to take part in the war in Iraq and wishes he could stay in Canada permanently.

Writer Mary Jo Leddy, a member of the Order of Canada, said the trials in Nuremberg after the Second World War established that soldiers are responsible for their actions, and should be allowed to opt out of conflict if they don't believe in the mission.

"The argument that one must follow orders in all circumstances is no longer justified," she said.
"Following orders is no longer the ultimate test of patriotism."

Island Community Supports Cliff Cornell

2009-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Islanders off Coast of British Columbia Show Love for War Resister

Chris Teske Faces Deportation on Inauguration Day

2009-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

1.19.2009

Chris Teske, a war resister who lives in BC, is scheduled to be thrown out of Canada and sent back to the US tomorrow. Chris and his lawyer will be in federal court today, asking for a stay of deportation.

Here's Chris's story in his own words.

January 4th, 2009

Hello,My name is Christopher John Teske. I am a former paratrooper and infantryman in the United States Army. I enlisted prior to the September 11th attacks on the world trade center for patriotic reasons and to fund the completion of my college education.

As I finished my training as a soldier, my country was attacked on September 11th, 2001. I was deeply upset that that civilians were specifically targeted. Shortly after the events of 9/11 I volunteered for combat assignment and was immediately deployed to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division.

While there I took part in the largest ground offensive of the war: "Operation Anaconda". When I returned from my deployment I was deeply troubled with the morality of armed conflict. I was also not convinced that the US Military's objectives and long term goals in Afghanistan were transparent, honest, or even attainable. Before I was able to personally sort out my feelings I was redeployed to Afghanistan, this time to the Waziristan Region to conduct counter insurgency operations.

Deciding to return to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty was the hardest decision of my life. And now, in retrospect was wrong. I based my decision to deploy based on fear. I failed to listen to my conscience because I was scared of what the Army would do to me if I did not follow orders.Ultimately, I was more scared of official punishment than I was of losing my life in combat. I have always paid deeply for that decision. I am haunted by that decision.

After my second tour of duty, I was honorably discharged from the Military and tried to move on with my life. I continue to be haunted by my military experiences in Afghanistan. I am very guarded about discussing what has happened to me and what I have seen. For me it was a time best left forgotten. To make peace with myself I decided I would never repeat what I had been through with the Army and I would never try to harm anyone, anyone ever again.I was unaware that the Army had placed me into the "Inactive Ready Reserve" until two years after my discharge from Afghanistan, when they ordered me to report for a physical exam as I was to be reactivated for combat service, this time in Iraq. I had already made the personal decision to not participate in any armed conflict based on my personal belief that it is immoral.It soon became apparent that I was trapped in the Army, escape was impossible and my only intended purpose was to “engage and destroy the enemy”, IE: kill. Period.

At this point I made the only decision that seemed logical. I researched desertion and stumbled across the War Resisters here in Canada. In a sea of madness I made the only sane choice available. I deserted my unit and came to Canada.I have lived and worked in Canada for over 2 years now. I call the Kootenays my home. I came here to start fresh and make a new life for myself. I do not discuss my military past with anyone, most people I know or work with have no idea I am from the United States, was in the Military, or served in a War.

As I said, for me it was a time best left forgotten.However, it seems as hard as I try to forget the institution which enslaved me, they have not forgotten about me. I have been denied at every turn in my immigration process. I have now been ordered to leave Canada and I am about to be turned over to the American Government and in turn the US Army.I face a multitude of charges: The first is desertion max time 4 years. The second: failure to deploy with my unit to Iraq with a max time of 3 years. (All felony charges) And the last, is desertion in time of war. Which if they choose is punishable by death. I also face possible redeployment to Iraq.

I am proud of my decision to come to Canada. It is the first of my adult life which I can say that about. Looking back I would do it all over again. I believe it was the only correct choice I had at the time. I am proud I had the courage to follow my conscience.I am going to fight to protect the life I have started here in Canada. I love Canada and have found a certain peace in the mountains of the Kootenays that I have never before experienced in my life. I appreciate the support and understanding from all the Canadians I have met. Canada is my home and in these final days I intend to fight to maintain the legal right to remain here with the people that I love so much.I would appreciate anything that you can do to assist me in that endeavor.

Christopher John Teske
Former Specialist, US Army

Chris' friends and supporters are holding a pot-luck tonight, so they can be together when they get word that the deportation has been stayed. Local people have been very supportive, and Member of Parliament Alex Atamanenko (NDP, BC Southern Interior), a strong supporter of war resisters in Canada, has been speaking out on Chris' behalf.We'll be holding our breath all day. More later. Now please go write your letters!

Vietnam, Afghanistan, and GI Resistance

2009-01-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

RESIST HOW YOU WILL - BUT RESIST

One of the lessons of the Vietnam antiwar movement is this: ALL forms of resistance are valid. It’s okay to advocate one or another form of resistance, as long as you understand that ALL forms of resistance WILL take place. It is a big mistake to play one form of resistance off against another form of resistance. Resisting deployment orders and/or going AWOL, for example, should not be played off against joining the military to organize soldiers against the war. Even if one chooses to re-deploy to Iraq and document the war, some good may well come from that action.

We should especially try to avoid getting too moralistic about individual choices. There is no “pure” or “correct” form of resistance. There is only resistance. Furthermore, the various forms of resistance will form the whole of a multi-faceted resistance movement.

Having said that, I too have been concerned about a culture within the GI resistance movement that says it’s fine to remain part of the war machine. Should we be telling antiwar soldiers they can resist illegal wars while following military orders? Can soldiers resist war while protecting their military careers and their prospects in civilian life? Hmmm...

Resistance generally means taking some risks and dealing with some consequences. It means going AGAINST, not going WITH. In the context of soldiers of imperialism, it generally means withdrawing their participation from, and/or acting against military missions.

What can be more powerful than a soldier saying, “NO, I will NOT participate in this illegal slaughter and oppression of entire peoples.” To roughly paraphrase Arlo Guthrie in his epic anti-draft song, Alice’s Restaurant: If one person does, it, they’ll think he’s crazy, or a coward, or a hero. If two people do it together, they’ll think they are gay. And if three, four, five, twenty or one hundred people do it together, they’ll think it’s a movement. And that’s what it will be – a real resistance movement strong enough, along with the ferocious resistance of the Iraqis, the Afghans, and the Palestinians, to frighten the imperialists into pulling back.

The incoming administration is signaling a HUGE, LONG-TERM commitment to war and occupation in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries. This is a recipe for ongoing death and destruction on a massive scale. What would be a quicker, more effective way to pour water on this dubious mission than the public refusal of U.S. soldiers to deploy to that war? What a strategic victory that would be to build upon!

How many GIs are ready to publicly refuse to go to Afghanistan, individually or together? Maybe only a few at this point. But if they are encouraged, (de-) mobilized and supported, others will follow their example.

I hope I am not guilty of wishful thinking. I know I am impatient. But I think one of our biggest moral failings as an antiwar movement is that we have been way too patient. If organizations can help build the resistance, then we should build those organizations. But the main thing is to build the resistance.

Most of us are not in the shoes of the GIs or even in a position to take their pulse. So, clearly, we must be somewhat humble with our advice. But there are a number of ways that we can demonstrate our support for GI resistance. We can defend every GI resister in every way we can – with money, with publicity, with legal support, political support, and moral support. We can advocate for GIs who are seeking sanctuary in Canada, Germany and elsewhere. We can build communities of sanctuary in the United States that can shelter AWOL GI’s. We can build a political movement that demands amnesty for all war resisters. Soldiers should not be punished for following their own consciences and obeying international law.

Finally, we cannot expect anything approaching massive resistance within the military if there is no massive resistance taking place outside the military, among civilians who have fewer constraints upon them than GI’s, and, generally, less to lose. Are we willing to fully express our right to free speech? Are we willing to take risks for peace and justice? Only when thousands of us are demonstrating our own resistance on a regular basis, will that resistance be reflected within the military.

ALL of us have the responsibility to build an effective movement of resistance to war and imperialism. NONE of us has all the answers, yet TOGETHER we may succeed in building effective resistance. We have all, every one of us, erred by being too cautious. Now, perhaps, we will dare to be bold. The hour is getting late.

Canadian Council for Refugees Rebukes Immigration Minister's Prejudicial Remarks about U.S. War Resisters

2009-01-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/warresistersjan09.htm

january 19 - 24: let them stay week

2009-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

we move to canada: january 19 - 24: let them stay week

Kimberly Rivera and Family Ordered to Leave Canada

2009-01-07T16:34:00.001-08:00

War Resister Kimberley Rivera & Family ordered to leave CanadaKimberley Rivera, along with her husband and three young children, have been told that they must leave Canada by January 27 or face removal to the United States.Kimberley served in Iraq in 2006. In 2007 she refused redeployment and became the first female U.S. Iraq war resister to come to Canada. She lives now in Toronto with her husband Mario, son Christian (6 years), daughter Rebecca (4 years), and newborn Canadian daughter Katie (6 weeks). Her experience in Iraq was a huge awakening and convinced Kimberley that the war was immoral and that she could not participate in it.

"Coming to Canada began a new chapter filled with opportunities and hope for my family. I am just glad I get to be a mom again," said Rivera.Despite a June 2008 Parliamentary motion supporting war resisters, the Harper government continues its policy of deporting them. In July 2008, war resister Robin Long was deported from British Columbia and punished with 15 months in jail, separating him from his wife and infant son, and a felony conviction that will cause him lifelong hardship.

LET THEM STAY !!!

URGENT ACTION - please take a few minutes to show your support for Kimberly Rivera and the other war resisters threatened with deportation. Call or email Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Jason Kenney today and ask him to:

STOP deportation proceedings against U.S. Iraq war resister Kimberley Rivera and her family; and

IMPLEMENT the motion adopted by Canada's Parliament to allow U.S. Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Here are the numbers to call:

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney

Call 613.954.1064

MP Jason Kenney's Parliamentary office: 613.992.2235

Or email him at minister@cic.gc.ca or Kenney.j@parl.gc.ca

Please cc the opposition party critics if you email Jason Kenney:

Liberal party immigration critic Borys Wrzesnewskyj: wrzesnewskyj.b@parl.gc.ca

NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow: chow.o@parl.gc.ca

Bloc Québécois immigration critic Thierry St-Cyr: st-cyr.t@parl.gc.ca

And please also send a copy to the War Resisters Support Campaign, resisters@sympatico.ca

war resister update: matt lowell, kim rivera

2009-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

we move to canada: war resister update: matt lowell, kim rivera

Cliff Cornell's Deportation Delayed - more deportation dates in the new year

2008-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

we move to canada: war resister cliff cornell's deportation delayed - more deportation dates in the new year

news release from winnipeg: Stephen Harper Is a Hypocrite

2008-12-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

news release from winnipeg: stephen harper is a hypocrite

Some Things You Can Do to Help Stop Deportations of U.S. War Resisters in Canada

2008-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

we move to canada: some things you can do to help stop deportations of iraq war resisters

Support War Resisters Who Are Fighting for Sanctuary in Canada

2008-12-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Send Holiday Wishes to Canada's Immigration Minister
http://wmtc.blogspot.com/2008/12/send-holiday-wishes-to-jason-kenney.html

Support Israeli High School Students who Say NO to War and Occupation

2008-12-17T22:09:00.000-08:00

December 18 is the Day of Solidarity with Israeli War Resisters.

Go to their wonderful website and give your greetings.
http://december18th.org/

Dump Harper Government - Welcome War Resisters

2008-12-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

Good news for war resisters in Canada

2008-12-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

Good news for war resisters in Canada

war resister matt lowell has received a stay of deportation

2008-10-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

war resister matt lowell has received a stay of deportation

The Extraordinary Rendition of Robin Long

2008-10-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

How the Canadian Government Deported an
Iraq War Resister to Prison in the U.S.

by Gerry Condon

The Fourth of July, 2008, was a momentous day for U.S. war resisters in Canada. While their families in the U.S. were celebrating the Independence Day holiday, Iraq war resisters won an important legal victory – their first since they began arriving in Canada four-and-half years ago. A Federal Court ruled that Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) had wrongfully denied refugee status to Joshua Key, an Iraq veteran from Guthrie, Oklahoma. Key arrived in Canada four years ago with his wife and four children after deciding he could not return to the war.

While in Iraq, Joshua Key had participated in nearly 100 home invasions. As an Army engineer, Key’s job was to blow down the front doors of family homes with plastic explosives so that heavily armed soldiers could rush inside. In his best-selling book, The Deserter’s Tale, Joshua Key provides a detailed look at these home invasions. He also told the Refugee Board how U.S. soldiers would terrorize Iraqi families in these middle-of-the-night raids. The extremely loud explosions would shock the families out of their sleep. Terror-stricken women and children would watch in horror as all the family’s males who appeared 15 years or older were arrested and trucked off to uncertain fates in U.S. Army prisons. Soldiers then ransacked the homes and looted the families’ valuables.

Canadian Judge Rules U.S. Army’s Home Invasions Violate Geneva Conventions

Federal Court Justice Robert Barnes ruled that these raids were probable violations of the Geneva Conventions against the abuse of civilians during wartime. The Refugee Board was wrong, said Judge Barnes, to deny Joshua Key refugee status on the narrow grounds that the home invasions did not fit the legal definition of war crimes.

Military action that "systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates" either combatants or noncombatants should be taken into consideration in refugee claims, Barnes wrote. He ordered the Refugee Board to re-hear Joshua Key’s claim for refugee status in Canada.

"It's quite a statement," Key said. "It makes us feel good — probably everybody within this whole process."

Court Ruling May Help U.S. War Resisters in Canada

In turning down similar asylum claims, the Refugee Board has consistently held that the United States is a democracy, which affords absentee soldiers due process. However, the Court said that the board should hear evidence on whether deserters can rely on the American government to treat them fairly.

Key's lawyer, Jeffry House, said the ruling may help the cases others refugee claimants, particularly those who are veterans of the war in Iraq. "It's a huge victory for numerous soldiers who are here and maybe others who are thinking of coming here," House said.

About two hundred U.S. war resisters are estimated to be in Canada. Many of them remain “under the radar,” as do thousands of AWOL GI’s in the U.S. Nearly fifty war resisters are seeking to remain in Canada as refugees who would be persecuted for their political beliefs if returned to the United States.

Not All Was Well on the Fourth of July

While the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto was celebrating the good news on the Fourth of July, something ominous was occurring over two thousand miles away in Canada’s westernmost province. In the idyllic little town of Nelson, nestled in the Kootenay Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, Canadian immigration police were arresting Robin Long, another U.S. war resister. Agents of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) claimed that Long, a refugee claimant, had violated Canadian immigration laws by failing to report his change of address. Nelson police and the CBSA knew well that Robin Long was living in Nelson, where he had no fixed address, but was “couch surfing” at the homes of friends. The Immigration police told Long that he had been ordered deported. He would not be allowed to appeal.

Canadian Police Acted Illegally in Arresting War Resister

The rationale for Long’s arrest was suspect, as was its timing. Several recent Canadian polls had revealed that almost two-thirds of Canadians want U.S. war resisters to enjoy a safe haven in Canada. And on June 3rd, Canada’s House of Commons had passed a motion calling on the government to halt all deportation proceedings and allow war resisters to immigrate. Unfortunately, however, the motion was not legally binding, and the Conservative government seemed determined to defy the will of the Canadian people and Parliament.

The vote in the House of Commons was precipitated by a crisis, and the Iraq War resisters struggle to remain in Canada was coming to a head. Corey Glass, a veteran of the war in Iraq, had been ordered to leave Canada by July 10 or face deportation. War resisters and their supporters organized protest actions throughout Canada and the U.S. The War Resisters Support Campaign was able to claim a temporary victory on July 9 when a Federal Court granted Corey Glass a stay of his deportation in order to consider his request to appeal negative decisions against him. The Federal Court of Canada has since granted him “leave to appeal.”

One in the Hand Is Better than Two in the Bush

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who argued fruitlessly five years ago that Canada should join George Bush’s invasion of Iraq, was eager to deliver the first deportation of an Iraq War resister. The order to arrest Robin Long came from the top. It was Harper’s insurance policy. If he couldn’t deport Glass, he would deport Long.

While the Canada Border Services Agency shuttled Robin Long from one prison to another, keeping him isolated from friends and supporters, a last-ditch attempt to stop his deportation was mounted by Vancouver lawyer, Shepherd Moss. A hearing was scheduled in Federal Court in Vancouver for Monday morning, July 14. But Robin Long’s luck ran out when his case was assigned to Judge Anne McTavish, the author of damaging decisions against Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, the first two GIs to seek refugee status in Canada.

Canadian authorities had failed to inform Long of his pending deportation, thus denying him his right to appeal. But Judge McTavish refused to delay Long's deportation. The legal reasons for Corey Glass’s were not yet published and could potentially apply to Long. Such was the rush to deport a war resister, however, that Judge McTavish was willing to risk having opposing court decisions on the same issue, within a one week period.

“Here, we’ve got a deserter for you.”

Robin Long was not allowed to attend his own hearing and he was not informed of its outcome. Instead, on the morning of Tuesday, July 15, Canadian immigration police drove him to Canada’s border with the U.S. near Blaine, Washington, and loudly announced to their U.S. counterparts, “Here, we’ve got a deserter for you.”

Stephen Harper and the Bush Administration got what they wanted, international headlines trumpeting, “Canada Deports U.S. Deserter.”

The Canadian people learned about the deportation of Robin Long from sketchy media reports. The Canada Border Services Agency, citing “the Privacy Act,” refused to give the media any details. How was the deportation carried out? Where did it occur? Who handed Robin Long over to whom? Where was Long held in Canada? Where was he being held in the U.S.?

The Privacy Act, enacted to protect the privacy of individuals, was abused by the Conservative government in order to isolate Robin Long and keep Canadians in the dark. Why didn’t the Conservative government want Canadians to know the details of this deportation? The word “deportation” connotes an unfortunate but orderly and lawful procedure. What Canadian and U.S. authorities did to Robin Long was more like a “rendition,” an extralegal government-to-government kidnapping supposedly reserved for terror suspects. Canadians will be outraged when they hear the truth.

War Resister Assaulted and Threatened in Canadian Jails

Robin Long was arrested unlawfully on false grounds and for political reasons. He was held incommunicado. Over a ten-day period, he was transferred to three different Canadian jails. In the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, Long was assaulted twice by a group of prisoners who objected to his dreadlock hairstyle. Although he is short and slight, Long was able to fight off his attackers once, and a guard halted the second assault. But Long decided to cut his hair.

In the North Frasier Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, Long was forced to share a double-bunk with a violent murder suspect. After lying down in the top bunk, Long felt a sharp punch through the mattress. And he heard an angry voice below, “You better not fuckin’ sleep or I’ll fuckin’ slit your throat!” Long did not sleep that night. This is what happened in Canada to a nonviolent opponent of the U.S. war in Iraq.

After CBSA police rudely turned him over at the border, U.S. authorities confined Long in a makeshift cell for six hours without access to food, water or toilet. He was then transferred to the Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, a 30-minute drive south into Washington State. Long’s friends and supporters tried desperately to learn of his whereabouts. Only by calling around to all the jails in the region did the War Resisters Support Campaign manage to locate him.

Long's Spirits Are Lifted by Bellingham Activists

Upon learning that a war resister was jailed in their town, Bellingham peace activists went into action. The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center called for an evening vigil, along with Sanctuary City, a student-led effort to welcome war resisters to Bellingham. Instead of waiting for the evening vigil, some supporters headed straight to the jail. That afternoon Long was transferred again, before the scheduled vigil. But as he was being driven away from the jail, he spotted two people holding signs reading, “Free Robin Long,” and “Support War Resisters.” This was Long’s first indication that any supporters knew where he was. His spirits were lifted considerably.

Civilian police from Fort Lewis delivered Long to a jail in the tiny town of Buckley near Mt. Rainier. Under contract with Fort Lewis, the Buckley jail was holding several Army prisoners. Some were awaiting court martial on a variety of charges. One was serving a sentence for being AWOL. The Fort Lewis brig was closed down. Apparently, all the soldiers trained as prison guards are needed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Robin Long Looked Like a Prisoner at Guantanamo

With the help of attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild, this writer, an advocate for war resisters, was able to track Robin Long to the Buckley jail and arrange to see him. Long was brought out wearing an orange jumpsuit, not uncommon in U.S. jails, yet reminiscent of images from Guantanamo. Indeed, Robin Long was now a prisoner in George Bush’s “war on terror.”

We were the first visitors Robin Long had seen during his incarceration and abuse in six different jails in Canada and the U.S. He appeared frightened at first. We had not met before and he did not know what to expect. When he realized we were friends, Robin Long breathed a huge sigh of relief. For the first time in two weeks, he was able to let down his guard and show some emotion.

We visited with Robin Long for one hour in a cramped jail cell. He told us of the abuse he had suffered in Canadian jails and after his deportation to the U.S. Long knew he was headed for prison. But he told us he had no regrets – he would do it all over again if he had to. He was clear and strong in his opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq. He was very happy when we gave him a copy of Joshua Key’s book, The Deserter’s Tale. He had been eager to read it, he said.

Robin Long Cannot Return to Canada to Visit His Young Son

Robin Long’s primary concern was his relationship with his two-year-old son in Canada. The parting shot of CBSA police at the border had been: “You will not be allowed to return to Canada for ten years, and then only with special permission.” The thought of being separated indefinitely from his son hurt him a lot.

Long had been a vegetarian for long time. But he was forced to eat meat (or nothing) in both Canadian and U.S. jails. Vegetarian meals are provided only to prisoners who require them for religious or medical reasons, not to vegetarians-by-choice. The sudden change in Long’s diet left him constipated until, finally, a Buckley jailer got a laxative for him. Long said he and his fellow prisoners were receiving less than 1000 calories of food per day. He asked us to bring him apples, bananas and vitamin C when we returned the next day.

But before his visitors could with fruit, Long was transferred yet again. This time he was headed to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he would be court-martialed for desertion. Fort Carson, like Fort Lewis, was contracting out its incarceration function. So, on Friday, July 18, two weeks after his arrest in Nelson, British Columbia, Long arrived at his seventh jail, the notorious El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs.

The Swift Injustice of the U.S. Army

The Army moved with uncharacteristic speed to court martial Robin Long. Army prosecutors threatened Long with a three-year jail sentence if he did not make their job easy by pleading guilty to desertion. Convinced the Army’s threats were for real, Long and his lawyer, James Branum, decided to accept the plea bargain. In exchange for his guilty plea, Long would be imprisoned for no more than fifteen months, hopefully less. The court martial was scheduled for Friday, August 22.

The court martial was packed with Long’s supporters, including members from Iraq Veterans Against the War

Iraq, Veterans For Peace, and the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission. The courtroom was full. Fort Carson officials reportedly had removed chairs that are normally available to the public. Many supporters had to wait outside.

Army prosecutors played a taped interview of Robin Long expressing his antiwar views in Canada. Because Long had already pled guilty to desertion, there was no need to prove his intent. The prosecutors introduced Long’s public statements so that he would receive a substantial sentence, arguing that Long had "abandoned his duty, his honor and his country."

The presiding military judge, Col. Debra Boudreau, was sufficiently impressed. She sentenced Long to thirty months in prison and a Dishonorable Discharge, and expressed her disappointment that the plea bargain would limit him to serving only fifteen months.

When Long stepped out of the courtroom, he was who cheered on loudly, even while military police pushed his supporters across the street.

“It sets a very chilling precedent –

I hope the Canadian government recognizes that.”

“I think it was a long sentence but it was positive that he got his day in court and got to speak up and say what he believed,” said Long’s lawyer, James Branum. “His spirits were relatively good. Having two war resisters show up at his trial meant a lot to him.”

Matthis Chiroux, an Army journalist who refused orders to re-deploy to Iraq, testified on Long’s behalf, as did Ann Wright, a former U.S. Army colonel who resigned from her State Department job in 2003 to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Col. Wright expressed her disappointment at the steep verdict. “It sets a very chilling precedent that someone who is brought back gets the book thrown at them. I hope the Canadian government recognizes that.”

Robin Long Talks with Courage To Resist

After the court martial, Long taped a telephone interview with activists at Courage To Resist, which had rallied support for him and raised money for his legal expenses.

“All in all on the day of the trial, I had a very good day. I got to tell the Army and the world exactly as I felt. With my defense case – the testimony of Col. Ann Wright and the other witnesses – we basically got a say to a forum and an audience that normally wouldn’t hear the things we were saying – about the illegality of the war in Iraq and following your conscience and international law, a higher duty…. It felt really good to say those things and to let people know that they can say those things and follow their heart.

“I enjoyed all the support that was there – all of the people who came to see. It was kind of funny, when I was leaving they rushed me into a humvee. They had the military police escort in front and behind. They stopped traffic at all the intersections. And when I was leaving, a lot of the supporters were saluting me – that felt really good.

“I’m glad that it’s me, and not somebody else.”

Long told Courage To Resist that he is prepared for prison. “I’m thankful that in my life, the things I’ve chosen to do, I got the tools and the training to have inner peace. I’m thankful that it’s me and not somebody ewho wouldn’t have those tools to be in this position – I’m thankful that it’s me and not somebody else. I can do my time – live every day one day at a time.

“When I come out, I’ll start speaking for peace again and my words will be that much more powerful. I can talk now in the States… Hopefully, we can end this occupation – this war.”

But he was distressed about not being a able to see his friends and family in Canada. "I have a son I won't be able to see. It's kind of hard to think about that.”

Long reported having received nearly 300 letters “from all over the U.S., from Canada, from Great from Britain, from Germany, from South Africa, from Australia, from New Zealand, from the Philipines, and from Switzerland.”

Col. Ann Wright believes the outcome of the court martial would have been far worse if Long had not received such overwhelming support. “Once soldiers are returned to military control, it is in the best interest of everyone if there is support for war resisters.”

War Resisters Are Persecuted for Speaking Their Beliefs

Long’s fifteen-month jail sentence is the longest yet for a GI who went AWOL during the Iraq War. But it is identical to the 2005 sentence of Army Sgt. Kevin Benderman, a ten-year veteran who refused to deploy to Iraq and spoke publicly against the war.

Once they are captured or turn themselves in, most AWOL GIs are either: 1) re-integrated into their units and prepared to go to war, 2) given less-than-honorable discharges “for the good of the service,” or 3) given jail sentences of no more than a few months. But those who have publicly opposed the war, like the war resisters in Canada, have been much more likely to be court-martialed and given long prison sentences.

As Col. Ann Wright wrote recently for Truthout, even soldiers who have been convicted in the pre-medicated murder of civilians in Iraq are not punished as severely as outspoken war resisters:

On September 18, 2008, the US Army sentenced Specialist Belmor Ramos to seven months in prison, demotion to private and a dishonorable discharge for standing guard from a turret in a Humvee while three others in his unit, the First Infantry Division, bound, blindfolded, shot in the heads and dumped the bodies of four unidentified Iraqi men into a Baghdad canal … in retaliation for deaths in Ramos' unit. According to Associated Press reports, during the court-martial, Ramos admitted his guilt: "I wanted them dead. I had no legal justification or excuse to do this."

Dishonorable Discharge: A Life Sentence of Discrimination

The Dishonorable discharges that have been given to Robin Long, Kevin Benderman, Camilo Mejia and other war resisters are equivalent to felony convictions, and normally reserved for serious crimes. A Dishonorable discharge is a life sentence to discrimination in employment and many other areas of life. As with many countries, Canada bars entry to convicted felons, including veterans with Dishonorable discharges. Robin Long may never be allowed to visit his son in Canada. This will be his ongoing punishment for refusing to join in the aggressive U.S. war against the people of Iraq.

Canada’s Refugee Board members and Federal Court judges have erred seriously in determining that war resisters do not face persecution in the U.S. They are equally wrong when they assume that the U.S. military and judicial system will deal fairly with those who declare themselves to be Conscientious Objectors. Aside from being pressured by superior officers, Conscientious Objector applicants report being harassed, beaten and even sexually assaulted by fellow soldiers.

“Please don’t call me a Conscientious Objector,” said Jimmy Massey, a former Marine recruiter and Iraq veteran who came to oppose the war. “In the Marines, that’s like a death sentence.”

Next in Harper’s Sights: Jeremy Hinzman, Patrick Hart and Families

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government are now training their fire on Jeremy Hinzman, the first Iraq War resister to seek refugee status in Canada. Private Hinzman, his wife Nga Nguyen, and their 1-year-old son Liam arrived in Toronto in January 2004 after his 82nd Airborne unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was ordered to Iraq. Hinzman, a veteran of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, had offered to go to war in a non-combat role. But the Army staged a heavily biased hearing in the Afghanistan war zone, and wrongfully denied Hinzman’s request for Conscientious Objector status.

Hinzman’s wife recently gave birth to a baby girl, Meghan, who by virtue of being born in Canada, is a Canadian citizen. Liam Hinzman, now 6-years-old, knows only Canada, where he has lived since he was one. But Hinzman and his entire family were ordered to leave Canada by September 23 or face deportation.

Last Minute Reprieve for Jeremy Hinzman

One day before his government-imposed deadline for departing from Canada, Jeremy Hinzman received a reprieve. A Federal Court judge ruled he would face irreparable harm if he were deported before the Court was able to consider his request to appeal. But Hinzman’s situation remains dire, along with at least eight other Iraq War resisters in Canada.

Robin Long and Jeremy Hinzman have one thing in common: because they would not kill other human beings in what is clearly an imperialist war, they are being treated like criminals. Robin Long’s treatment at the hands of the Canadian and U.S. authorities should make it clear that war resisters are indeed being persecuted because of their political and religious beliefs.

If Canadian authorities deport Jeremy Hinzman, he will also be court-martialed and convicted of desertion. He will be taken away from his wife, Nga, and his young children, Liam and Meghan, to serve a lengthy prison sentence.

Iraq Veteran Ordered To Leave Canada by October 30

On Wednesday, October 8, former Sgt. Patrick Hart was told that he and his family will be deported to the U.S. if they do not leave Canada by October 30. Hart, who served nine years in the U.S. Army and took part in the invasion of Iraq, moved to Canada in 2005 with his wife, Jill, and son Rian. On the verge of another deployment to Iraq, he decided that he could not continue to take part in “an illegal and unwarranted military occupation.”

According to Michelle Robidoux of the War Resisters Support Campaign, Hart is asking officials to defer his deportation until January 1. “He’s got a son in Grade 1 who just started school,” Robidoux told the Toronto Star. “He wants him to finish the term.”

Several other war resisters in line to be deported are also parents. One of them, Kimberly Rivera, is the mother of two young children. Must these children be denied the loving presence of their mothers and fathers? Must they suffer because their parents refused to commit murder? What is wrong with this picture?

Will Federal Election Help War Resisters?

Stephen Harper does not seem concerned. Not about ignoring the wishes of two-thirds of Canadians and defying the will of Parliament. Not about taking fathers and mothers away from young children. Not about treating conscientious objectors like criminals.

Harper must be feeling downright cocky. He has dissolved the Parliament and called a Federal election. He must think that Canadians are not paying attention. But when they cast their votes on October 14, may they remember Harper’s shameful treatment of Iraq War resisters. Indeed, many Canadians believe it is time for the Harper government, like the Bush Administration it emulates, to exit stage right.

At the outset of the five-week national campaign, Harper’s Conservatives were polling fairly well against a divided opposition, and were hoping to return to power with a majority government. But in the final days before the election, Conservative support was being sapped by Canadian concerns about the worldwide economic crisis.

Regardless of who forms the next Canadian government, the legal and political struggle for sanctuary for war resisters will continue. But war resisters will certainly fare better if Harper and his Conservatives are ousted from power. It is Stephen Harper who is responsible for the extraordinary rendition of Robin Long. And it is Stephen Harper who seems determined to deport Jeremy Hinzman, Patrick Hart, and Kimberly Rivera.

But a large majority of Canadians want to end the painful limbo these young families have been forced to endure. They agree with former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who famously said, “Canada should be a refuge from militarism.” Hopefully, this will one day be the case. In the meantime, U.S. war resisters and their Canadian supporters are learning an age-old lesson: Power concedes nothing without a struggle.

ADDENDUM

“I feel as if I was a pawn, a gift from one regime to another (Harper to Bush).”

Robin Long Writes from Prison

from Courage To Resist website, http://www.couragetoresist.org/

September 21, 2008

I am locked up at The Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar, just North of San Diego. It’s quite a change from Nelson, British Columbia, where I have called home. I feel as if I have been torn away from my home, family and friends! I feel as if I was a pawn, a gift from one regime to another (Harper to Bush).

For my Canadian friends, and people I don’t know: Stop this! Fight this! Don’t let another conscientious objector, war resister, person of conscience and morals to be deported.

For my fellow Americans: Keep courageously driving on to stop this war and undo the mess that the last 8 years of Bush has brought to our great country. I have received many letters of support. We are strong! We can be an example. We can spread the word and mobilize and protest the atrocities.

It is easy for me to be locked up knowing I stood up for what is right! This is but a bump in the road. They will never grind me down! I will only come out stronger! And guess what? I can now protest from within this country!

Peace love light

Robin’s favorite quotes:

“A soldier is just a uniform following orders. A warrior is a person who stands up for what is right even in the face of adversity.”

“Those that can get you to believe absurdities, can get you to commit atrocities!” - Voltaire

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything” - Jimmi Hendrixx

“We can bomb the world into pieces, but we can’t bomb it into peace!” - Michael Franti

Write to Robin at

robinlong@couragetoresist.org
Courage To Resist will print and mail your message to Robin. If you wish to correspond with Robin directly, include your mailing address and ask him to add you to his "approved mail list". You can also contribute to Robin's brig account that he uses to pay for phone calls to friends and family.

last chance to yell at stephen harper

2008-10-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: last chance to yell at stephen harper

we move to canada: another war resister denied refuge, another deportation order in effect (more updated protest information)

2008-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

another war resister denied refuge, another deportation order in effect (more updated protest information)

we move to canada: let them stay: thursday, october 9: local demos

2008-10-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: let them stay: thursday, october 9: local demos

we move to canada: where stephen harper is today

2008-09-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: where stephen harper is today

we move to canada: tonight i saw jeremy hinzman smile

2008-09-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: tonight i saw jeremy hinzman smile

we move to canada: watch this space for news about jeremy hinzman

2008-09-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: watch this space for news about jeremy hinzman

When Refusing to Kill Has a Higher Sentence than Murder

2008-09-20T16:13:00.001-07:00

by Ann Wright

Read this important article by Col. Ann Wright.

And redouble your efforts to defend Jeremy Hinzman and all war resisters.

www.truthout.org/article/when-refusing-kill-has-a-higher-sentence-than-murder

we move to canada: saturday, september 13: national day of action in support of iraq war resisters in canada

2008-09-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: saturday, september 13: national day of action in support of iraq war resisters in canada

Robin Long is moved from Colorado to Miramar Naval Brig to do sentence

2008-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

By jmb | September 6, 2008

Robin Long, the US soldier to be forcibly deported (in all practical terms extradited) from Canada, after previously fleeing to Canada to resist war, has been moved from the Criminal Justice Center (aka El Paso County jail) in Colorado Springs, CO. He is now being held at the:

Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig in San Diego, CA

An aerial photo of the facility can be seen here

Robin would love mail from supporters. It can be sent to him at:

ROBIN LONG
PO BOX 452136
SAN DIEGO, CA 92145-2136

More info on mail, visitation, etc. can be found on the Miramar website

U.S. Saved Anbar By Destroying It

2008-09-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

How Bush spells "Success" in Iraq

www.uruknet.de/colonna-centrale-pagina.php?p=m47002&size=1&hd=0&l=x

End the Genocide!

Support War Resisters!

we move to canada: war resister seeks refuge from being forced to torture

2008-09-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: war resister seeks refuge from being forced to torture

War Resister Update

2008-09-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

International Radio Program Features U.S. War Resisters in Canada

In its weekly show on September 5, he radio program, Soundprint, produced by WAMU public radio in Washington, DC, focused on U.S. war resisters in Canada. The half-hour show, called Something’s Happening Here, was produced by Bob Carly of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It features interviews with Iraq War resister Jeremy Hinzman, war resister lawyer Jeffry House, Vietnam War resisters Bill King and his wife Kris, among others.

This show is quite interesting from a historical point of view and well worth listening to. But it is apparently an older documentary, surprisingly out-of-date. It makes no mention of the recent deportation of war resister Robin Long or the threatened deportation of Jeremy Hinzman and his family.

The Soundprint website includes links to books by Vietnam War resisters Dick Perrin and John Hagan. It also links to the website of the War Resisters Support Campaign. Links are also provided to websites purported to be those of Iraq War resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. However, this is does not appear to be Hinzman’s website, but rather a domain name up for sale. And in the case of Brandon Hughey’s old website, Google Ads has generously placed recruitment ads for the U.S. Army. Go figure….
http://www.soundprint.org/radio/display_show/ID/664/name/Something's+Happening+Here/

Good News for Corey Glass

Corey Glass, Iraq War veteran and resister, has married his Canadian sweetheart. And he has been given “leave to appeal” negative decisions made in his Pre-Removal Risk Assessment and the denial of his request to immigrate to Canada on “humanitarian and compassionate” grounds. Glass was on the verge of being deported from Canada in early July. It is hoped that Jeremy Hinzman and family, who have been ordered to leave Canada by September 23 or face deportation, will also be allowed to appeal negative decisions against them.
http://wmtc.blogspot.com/2008/09/good-war-resister-news.html

Stop the Deportations! -- Pan-Canadian Day of Action

In the meantime, the War Resisters Support Campaign is gearing up for a Pan-Canadian Day of Action on September 13, to press the Canadian government to respect the will of the Canadian people and Parliament by allowing U.S. war resisters to immigrate to Canada. To see the impressive list of participating cities, go to http://www.resisters.ca/september13.html.

Now is the time to do all we can to stop these pending deportations and to press the Canadian government to provide sanctuary for U.S. war resisters. There is plenty that people in both Canada and the U.S. can do. While the battle is in Canada, it is important that the Canadian government know that people in the U.S. support the war resisters and want an end to all deportation proceedings. See http://www.resisters.ca/actions.html

Screen War Resister Film Breaking Ranks

In conjunction with the Pan-Canadian Day or Action, filmmaker Michelle Mason is arranging showings of her award winning film, Breaking Ranks, an in-depth look at four Iraq War resisters in Canada, including Jeremy Hinzman who is now fighting the prospect of imminent deportation. September 14 showings of Breaking Ranks are taking place in cities across Canada. For more information, contact Michelle Mason at cypress-park@shaw.ca. If you would like to arrange a showing with a speaker in the U.S., contact Gerry Condon at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com.

Robin Long Speaks

Robin Long, the first (and hopefully the last) Iraq War resister to be deported by the Conservative government of Canada, has been sentenced to 15 months n a military prison and a Dishonorable Discharge. For more information, and to hear his post-sentencing interview with Courage To Resist, go to www.couragetoresist.org.

Will Pending Federal Election in Canada Help War Resisters?

The Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to dissolve the Parliament in the coming days, paving the way for a federal election in Canada. With 64% of the Canadian people wanting to provide sanctuary for U.S. war resisters, this could become a significant issue in the campaign, along with the fact that the Conservatives have defied the will of the Parliament.

But many Canadians consider the Liberal Party leadership to be weak, and the Conservatives have, unfortunately, gained some legitimacy as a credible ruling party. And, while left and liberal forces are divided among four parties, conservatives are now united in a single party. Political pundits in Canada think the outcome of the election is a toss-up. But the possibility of another minority Conservative government looms large. Hopefully this outcome, or worse – a Conservative majority government – can be averted. At any rate, now is the time for all those who support U.S. war resisters to be making a whole lot of noise.

Support for War Resisters is Growing in the U.S.

Support for war resisters in the United States is growing, due in no small part to the leadership of Courage To Resist, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans For Peace, and others. The Campus Antiwar Network carried a large banner reading Support War Resisters in a recent protest march at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyouttanowhere/2830969028/

This War Resister Update was compiled by Gerry Condon for Project Safe Haven, which is badly in need of funds in order to continue its work in support of war resisters. Please consider making a donation today.

Tax-deductible checks can be made out to Alliance for Global Justice (or AFGJ), with Project Safe Haven in the memo line, and mailed to Gerry Condon, 3233 Walnut Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116.

Or credit card donations can be made online at http://www.nicanet.org/?page_id=341. If you make a credit card donation, or decide to mail your check directly to AFGJ, please also notify Gerry Condon at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com.

If you have questions, please contact Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220.
_______________________________________________

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
projectsafehaven@hotmail.com, SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com

www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com

we move to canada: good war resister news!

2008-09-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: good war resister news!

War Resister Robin Long Speaks After Receiving 15 Month Jail Sentence

2008-08-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

A Courage To Resist Audio Interview with Robin Long

http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/615/1/

When Desertion is a Duty

2008-08-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

by William Grigg

http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2008/08/when-desertion-is-duty.html

we move to canada: act now to stop deportations of people of conscience

2008-08-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: act now to stop deportations of people of conscience

War Resister Deported from Canada Is Facing Three Years in Prison

2008-08-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

On July 15 of this year, Robin Long became the first Iraq War resister to be deported from Canada. He is currently imprisoned near Fort Carson, Colorado, where the U.S. Army plans to court-martial him for desertion.

For more information on his case and how you can support Robin Long, go to the website of Courage To Resist, couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/609/1/

To help stop deportation proceedings against other U.S. war resisters in Canada, please visit the website of the War Resisters Support Campaign, resisters.ca/index_en.html

we move to canada: "the solution is simple: heed the will of parliament and canadians"

2008-07-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: "the solution is simple: heed the will of parliament and canadians"

Burning Cane: Howard Zinn-- "Memo to Obama, McCain: No One Wins in a War"

2008-07-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Burning Cane: Howard Zinn-- "Memo to Obama, McCain: No One Wins in a War"

Emergency Protest of War Resister Deportation, Peace Arch Park, Tuesday, July 15, 9 am until ???

2008-07-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, we lost one today.

U.S. war resister Robin Long will be deported back to the U.S. tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15.

The same Federal judge who ruled against war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey would not grant Robin Long a stay of his deportation order, even though he was denied his legal right to appeal it.

Supporters in Washington state and British Columbia will gather at Peace Arch Park beginning at 9 am Tuesday morning.

The wire services will no doubt say this is the end of the road for U.S. war resisters in Canada. Already this week we have seen headlines such as “Canada no longer safe haven for deserters.” But that is not at all the case.

Two out of three Canadians want Canada to be a safe haven for war resisters. So does the Canadian parliament, which passed a motion on June 3 calling on the government to allow war resisters to immigrate to Canada. And on July 4, a Federal judge in Canada, citing the Geneva Conventions against the wartime abuse of civilians, ruled that the Refugee Board was wrong to deny refugee status to Iraq veteran Joshua Key.

Most importantly, U.S. war resisters will continue to come to Canada, where they will continue to be able to apply for refugee status and where they will continue to find support from the War Resisters Support Campaign (See their press release below in this email or go to www.resisters.ca).

The deportation of Robin Long, far from being the end of our struggle, will further isolate the minority Conservative government and force a change, in its policy toward war resisters or in the government itself, in the not too distant future.

Now is the time to UP THE STRUGGLE and express our outrage.

Project Safe Haven is joining with the War Resisters Support Campaign in Vancouver in calling on war resister supporters to gather at Peace Arch Park on the US-Canada border between Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14, beginning at 9 am.

This may well be the crossing where Robin Long will be handed over to U.S. authorities. Even if not, it is a perfect place for people from both sides of the border to gather in peace and express their solidarity with all who obey international law and refuse to be party to illegal wars and war crimes.

You do not need travel documents, or to go through the border crossing hassle. Just go to the parking lots on either side of the border and walk into this international park. If you cannot make it to Peace Arch Park tomorrow, please find another way to express your outrage to the Canadian government and your solidarity with war resisters. One way to do so would be to send donations to the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada (www.resisters.ca) or to Project Safe Haven in the U.S. (www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com).

This struggle will continue and we will win! Resisting an unjust war is the right thing to do.

for peace and justice,
Gerry Condon

(206) 499-1220
_______________________________________________
Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
projectsafehaven@hotmail.com, SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com
www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________

WAR RESISTERS SUPPORT CAMPAIGN
Mon., July 14, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canadian government’s single-minded determination
to deny legitimacy of conscientious objection denounced

Robin Long must leave Canada

Toronto/CNW – Today’s Federal Court decision refusing to prevent the removal ofconscientious objector Robin Long is a major disappointment for the majority of
Canadians, 64% of whom support sanctuary for U.S. soldiers seeking refuge here.
It is also at odds with the passage of June 3rd Parliamentary motion calling for the opportunity for conscientious objectors to apply for permanent resident status, and an end to all deportations.

“The federal government’s single-minded determination to deny the legitimacy of
conscientious objection to what is plainly an illegal war rife with human rights abuses is abhorrent. Robin himself has been harassed by authorities by being arrested for violating a deportation order of which neither he nor his counsel were ever advised,” says Lee Zaslofsky. spokesperson for the War Resisters Support Campaign.

“He’s been held in jail since July 4 and treated with disrespect by our government which seems intent on imposing American military law in Canada.”

Canadian Immigration authorities – who report to Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration Diane Finley – had kept secret a negative decision on Robin’s Pre-Removal Risk Assessment, making it impossible for his lawyer to file an appeal.

“We have received hundreds of messages of support for Robin,” says Bob Ages of the Vancouver War Resisters Support Campaign.

“We are calling on Canadians to take immediate action to tell the government that its attempts to overturn Canada’s longstanding tradition of sanctuary will be met with challenges everywhere.”

The War Resisters Support Campaign pledges to redouble its efforts on behalf of all conscientious objectors. It will follow Robin’s case, as will U.S. support organizations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Lee Zaslofsky, 416.598.1222/ 416.369-0864
Bob Ages, 604.760.6786.

-30-

Successful Actions for War Resisters

2008-07-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

Well, we had a great day overall! Thanks to the united efforts of many folks, we succeeded in mounting actions at the Canadian Embassy and Consulates in 14 U.S. cities! The reports from the various cities are still trickling in. There were reportedly 60 people at the vigil in New York, 50 in San Francisco, “50 some” in Chicago, and respectable showings elsewhere. There was significant media coverage of these vigils in both the U.S. and Canada. Veterans For Peace president Elliott Adams was interviewed on Canadian Broadcasting Corp. television this morning and CBC covered the vigil in Washington too. Associated Press showed up at several rallies. We had local TV and radio coverage here in Seattle, along with AP and Free Speech Radio News. And the beat goes on.

Thanks to the collaboration of Courage to Resist, Veterans For Peace and Project Safe Haven, these were easily the largest nationally coordinated actions in the U.S. on behalf of our war resisters in Canada.

And we gained another victory today! Corey Glass will not be deported anytime soon. A Federal Court in Canada granted him a stay of his deportation, at least for several months while his lawyers are given a chance to appeal earlier negative rulings.

This is related to the legal victory of Joshua Key on the 4th of July. According to the Federal Court, the regular abuse of Iraq civilians at the hands of the U.S. military are systematic violations of the Geneva Conventions, and should be a basis for granting refugee status. The mobilizations being coordinated between Canada and the U.S. are definitely creating positive momentum. And time seems to be on our side.

But now we are faced with another emergency! The police in Nelson, British Columbia are at it again, along with the Canada Border Services Agency. Yesterday, while all eyes were on Corey Glass, they arrested another U.S. war resister, Robin Long, for supposed violations immigration law. They threatened to deport Long immediately, but Canadian Immigration, under legal and political pressure, have given Long’s lawyer until Monday to file for a stay of deportation. Neither Robin Long nor his lawyer had been informed of plans to deport him, and thus he was denied his legal right to appeal.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080710.BCDEPORTATION10/TPStory/National

So vigilance and political pressure remains important. To counteract their apparent eagerness to hand a war resister over as a prize to George Bush, the minority Conservative government needs to know that people in the U.S. and Canada are still paying attention.

Tomorrow is a National Day of Action in Canada. There will be rallies in several Canadian cities, including Vancouver, from where Robin Long could be deported as early as Tuesday. And people will continue to barrage the government with phone calls and emails.

We in the U.S. can continue to generate phone calls and emails to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Immigration Minister Diane Finley (See alert and contact information from the War Resisters Support Campaign, below).

And those of us who did not actually send delegations in to meet with the Canadian Consuls should consider doing so by next Monday or Tuesday (and later too). The more Consulates that have to report to their government, the better. Consider broad-based delegations.

The letter sent by Canadian religious leaders might serve as a good model for religious leaders in the U.S. (See also below.)

Tomorrow morning I will be interviewed on CBC Radio in Vancouver for 15 minutes. They are most interested to know what kind of punishment awaits Robin Long if he is handed over to the U.S. Army. I will tell them that those AWOL resisters who are the most vocal, including those who go to Canada, are most likely to face persecution – harassment, court martial, imprisonment and less-than-honorable discharges. A bad discharge can be a life sentence of job discrimination, and keep someone from having access to healthcare, which means something to Canadians.

The question of what amounts to “persecution” will be the next legal and political battleground for Joshua Key, Corey Glass, Robin Long and nearly 200 U.S. war resisters in Canada. At least, until the government decides to follow the will of the Canadian people and Parliament...

By the way, there will probably be a federal election in Canada in the fall. The Liberal Party, who now are solidly on the record supporting war resisters, could form the next government.

Please check out the following alert and reports from the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada. Or go to their website, www.resisters.ca.

And keep on keepin’ on!

for peace and justice,
Gerry Condon

*******************************************************

Federal Court grants stay of removal to Corey Glass!

Robin Long still facing deportation on July 14th In another positive decision for U.S. war resisters in Canada, Corey Glass was granted a stay of removal by the Federal Courty today. While not reasons for the decision have been issued yet, it reinforces the positive decision in Joshua Key's asylum case issued on Friday, July 4th.However War Resister Robin Long is still being held in jail in Nelson, B.C. and is threatened with deportation to the United States on Monday, July 14th. (See press release)July 10th actions are planned across the country to stop the deportation proceedings against Robin Long and let all the war resisters stay!

This is a critical week in the campaign to win asylum for Iraq War resisters in Canada. In spite of a Parliamentary motion calling on the federal government to allow war resisters to stay; in spite of a positive court decision in Joshua Key's refugee case which calls into question the decisions made by the Immigration and Refugee Board in these cases; and in spite of overwhelming public opinion in support of permanent resident status for war resisters, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Diane Finley appear set to act against the wishes of Canadians and deport Robin Long.

Robin is the first of a growing number of Iraq war resisters facing removal proceedings. Every action taken between now and July 15th can make a big difference to the fate of Robin and all the other war resisters in Canada. Please take the time to make as many phone calls, send as many emails and write as many letters as you can, and then join an action on July 10th.

Let the government know that it is time they start representing the will of Canadians and stop acting as the enforcement arm of the Bush administration.

What you can do:

Call and email Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
613.992.4211
pm@pm.gc.ca

Call and email Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley.
613.996.4974
finley.d@parl.gc.ca
finled1@parl.gc.ca

If you're Canadian and your riding is represented by a Conservative MP, please contact her or him to express your support for war resisters. To find contact information, click here.

Write letters to your local newspaper. Demand that Diane Finley and Stephen Harper to respect the will of Parliament and Canadians and let the war resisters stay!

Join the protests on Thursday, July 10. Events will be taking place in cities across Canada. Watch our events page for an action in your area.

"Thank You Canada" from U.S. Veterans for Peace

TORONTO/CNW – The major U.S. organization representing 7,000 U.S. veterans has issued a public “Thank You” to the people of Canada and an appeal to the government on behalf of Corey Glass and other U.S. Iraq War conscientious objectors seeking refuge.Veterans for Peace (VFP) whose members fought in WW II, the Korean, Vietnam and Iraq wars says: “Thank you, Canada, for providing a safe haven for young American men and women who, although they were in the military, decided they could not in good conscience participate in the illegal and immoral U.S. war and occupation of Iraq.” Read the full press release

Appeal from Canada's faith communities to the government of Canada

Dear Prime Minister Harper and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley:
Re: Iraq War resister Corey Glass: July 10 deportation looming

We are writing to request your quick action to stop the deportation and removal proceedings against U.S. Iraq War conscientious objector Corey Glass who came to Canada seeking refuge.The federal government’s July 10 deportation order against Glass is still in effect, creating enormous stress, anxiety and turmoil for him and for all the conscientious objectors and their families who are hoping the government will be guided by the will of Parliament. This was expressed June 3rd with the passage of a landmark parliamentary motion that called on the Government of Canada to allow U.S. conscientious objectors who have left military service related to the illegal invasion of Iraq, and their immediate family members, the opportunity to apply to remain in Canada as permanent residents, and to immediately cease any removal or deportation actions that may have already commenced against such individuals. Read the full letter
_______________________________________________

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
projectsafehaven@hotmail.com, SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com
www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com

(206) 499-1220

Join the July 2 "Phone-In" for U.S. War Resisters in Canada

2008-07-01T00:47:00.000-07:00

Stop the Deportation of U.S. War Resisters in Canada!
Join with the War Resisters Support Campaign in their July 2 "Phone-In"

STOP THE DEPORTATION OF U.S. WAR RESISTER COREY GLASS

On July 2nd…

CALL CANADA'S IMMIGRATION MINISTER DIANE FINLEY!

Yes, calls from supporters in the U.S. are encouraged too!

U.S. Iraq War resister Corey Glass is still facing deportation on July 10th, despite the Parliament of Canada having voted in favour of a motion to let Corey and other U.S. war resisters stay.

The federal government and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration must respect the will of Parliament and implement the motion which calls on the government to “immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals.”

On July 2nd, the War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on all supporters to call Minister Diane Finley and ask her to:

• STOP deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all U.S. Iraq war resisters; and

• IMPLEMENT the motion adopted by Canada’s Parliament to allow U.S. Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Here are the numbers to call:Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley

613.996.4974

MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe):

519.426.3400

Or email her at:

minister@cic.gc.ca

finled1@parl.gc.ca

___________________________________________________________________

VETERANS FOR PEACE CALLS FOR JULY 9 VIGILS
AT CANADIAN CONSULATES

Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!

The struggle of AWOL GIs to gain sanctuary in Canada is coming to a head.

On June 3, the House of Commons passed a motion calling on the Canadian government to stop all deportation proceedings against U.S. war resisters and allow them to immigrate to Canada.But the minority Conservative government is ignoring the will of the Canadian Parliament. Iraq veteran and war resister Corey Glass has been told to leave Canada by July 10 or face deportation. The War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada is calling for urgent actions across Canada and the U.S.

*****************
VETERANS FOR PEACE has joined with Courage To Resist and Project Safe Haven to organize July 9 vigils and delegations to Canadian consular offices throughout the U.S.

There are Canadian consular offices in 22 U.S. cities.

*****************
VETERANS FOR PEACE is sending an Open Letter to the Canadian Government and People and is encouraging its 7,000 members to contact the Canadian government directly.

Join in the July 2 International Phone-In to the Canadian Immigration Minister.

The War Resisters Support Campaign is hoping for thousands of calls from both the Canada and the U.S. on Wednesday, July 2.

Write letters to the Canadian government. You can send your own letters or you can go online and Courage To Resist will do it for you. Either way, you can get the contact information at www.couragetoresist.org/canada.

*******************
Can you help organize a local action on July 9? Contact us ASAP!

Gerry Condon

Project Safe Haven / VFP 92

206-499-1220

projectsafehaven@hotmail.com

Jeff Paterson

Courage To Resist / VFP 69

510-488-3559

jeff@couragetoresist.org

Betsy Reznicek

Veterans For Peace National Office

314-725-6005

betsy@veteransforpeace.net

_________________________________________________________

GI resisters are refusing to fight in the illegal and immoral U.S. occupation of Iraq.
By supporting them, we will encourage others to follow their example.
Help spread the word. Send this Call to Action to your networks!
We can make a real difference by acting NOW!

dancewater: Response from Canada

2008-06-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

dancewater: Response from Canada

Anti-Warriors: Canada is wrong not to give asylum to U.S. war resisters

2008-06-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Anti-Warriors: Canada is wrong not to give asylum to U.S. war resisters

Soldiers: Know Your Rights!

2008-06-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan Hutto, Sr., The Nation Institute

The following is an excerpt from Anti-War Soldier: How to Dissent Within the Ranks of the Military, from Nation Books.

On November 9, 1969, the New York Times published an open appeal by 1,365 active-duty service members calling for an end to the Vietnam War and for no punishment for participating in the historic Vietnam Moratorium march. The petition of these soldiers, representing 80 bases and ships throughout the world, had a huge impact and helped establish the (limited) civil liberties and rights GIs have today. The members of the GI Movement risked their careers and personal security by signing this petition and participating in subsequent actions.

One of those signers was David Cortright, who went on to write Soldiers In Revolt, the definitive 1975 chronicle of the GI Movement. He was part of an activist group of GIs at Fort Hamilton, New York. Thirty-five of the 60 personnel in his company signed the petition and several traveled to Washington, D.C. for the historic march.

I contacted David to arrange for a community meeting with some of my civilian and active-duty colleagues in June 2006 in Norfolk, Virginia. Its success led us to ponder whether something similar could be organized around the Iraq War. We wanted to build a movement where service members could express their dissent in a legal, constructive way. I began researching the rights and responsibilities of active-duty service members. The most comprehensive source I found was the website for the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO), which was very helpful in determining the limits for GIs in petitioning their government for redress of grievances.

I also found an old leaflet from the Military Project, an organization based out of New York, which seeks to educate active-duty service members about their civil liberties and constitutional rights. The leaflet had several DOD directives that listed limited rights to express dissent:

DOD Directive 7050.6
Military Whistle-blower Protection Act

This Act is the foundation for the Appeal For Redress, our organization. It establishes that every soldier can communicate individually with a member of Congress and Inspector General (IG) without reprisal. Punishment constitutes a violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Failure to Obey Order or Regulation. Once a reprisal is initiated, the soldier can file a complaint with an IG and seek redress from his Commanding Officer (CO). If the CO fails to provide it, the military member has the right to file an Article 138 complaint against the CO seeking redress and restoration to the member of any rights, privileges, property or status to which the member would have been entitled had the wrong not occurred.

Guidelines for Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces

This directive explained how to conduct the redress campaign.

Distributing newspapers and/or publications: Soldiers can distribute newspapers, even ones critical of government at official outlets on base such as post exchanges and military libraries.

Publication of Underground Newspapers: A member of the military may write for an underground publication if it is done off duty and on nonmilitary equipment. Articles in the publication may not contain slanderous language that is punishable under federal law.

Participation in political demonstrations: Soldiers can participate in political demonstrations while off base, off duty, in the United States, out of uniform and not acting on behalf of the military. Military members cannot attend demonstrations where violence is likely to occur.

DOD directive 1344.10
Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty

Military members:

• may express their personal views on political and social issues.

• may make monetary contributions to a political organization.

• may attend political meetings, rallies, or conventions when not in uniform.

• may write a letter to a newspaper editor expressing personal views on public issues.

• are prohibited from making a contribution to and soliciting or receiving a contribution from another member of the armed forces or a civilian officer or employee of the United States to promote a political cause, including a political campaign.

• are prohibited from using contemptuous words against officeholders and government officials.

DOD Directive 1354.01
DOD Policy on Organizations That Seek to Represent or Organize Members of the Armed Forces in Negotiation or Collective Bargaining

Military members may:

• join or maintain membership in any lawful organization or association not constituting a "military labor organization."

• present grievances concerning the terms or conditions of the service of such member in accordance with established military procedures.

• petition the Congress for redress of grievances.

The Strom Thurmond Anti-Union Law

In 1976 the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) was considering a union drive in the military. The drive was based on the recent GI Movement and the American Service Members Union (ASU), the first attempt to organize a service members union within the United States. At its height in 1970 the ASU had 15,000 members. Although it had all but disappeared by 1973, with GI activists being discharged and transferred in the thousands, the ASU was a bold example of the political potential of lower-ranking GIs (it was solely for lower-level troops).

Strom Thurmond led the charge to outlaw unionization and organizing within the military when he introduced S. 3079 during the 94th Congress. Before the bill was signed, the military made it law in October of 1977 through the establishment of DOD Directive 1354.1, prohibiting all forms of "collective job-related action" within the ranks and banning union solicitation on base. The directive prohibits soldiers from joining, maintaining or soliciting membership in a labor organization and from striking.

The Appeal for Redress, however, has shown that active-duty troops can express themselves legally to the government and civil society at large. Using the limited rights we have under the Military Whistle-blower Protection Act and DoD regulations, we mobilized more than 2,000 U.S military members in 10 countries to send appeals to their congressional members to end the Iraq War.

But there are limitations to our work.

Commanders do not legally have to recognize active-duty organizations.

Many soldiers are unaware of their political options.

Most fear potential reprisals for speaking out.

Not breaking any laws does not prevent retaliation by the brass.

Only the fear of mass action by enlisted men and women can prevent retaliation.

The Appeal for Redress is a model for a successful GI movement for the 21st century. Human Rights training in boot camp and the support of the veteran/civilian community are key to success.

Human rights training in boot camp. Boot camp is where service members must receive a firm grounding on all of their rights and responsibilities. They must be educated about their rights under Article 138 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and their right to seek out an IG to correct misconduct by the chain of command and to appeal to higher authority if the wrong has not been addressed. These complaints are sent to the General Court-Martial Convening Authority, comprised of general and/or flag officers. Unlike Equal Opportunity advisors, IGs are independent of the command structure, DoD civilians mandated by federal law to investigate and report to commanders on mission performance, discipline, efficiency and the morale of the armed forces. They do not have the authority to correct the wrong, but their findings carry weight with commanders.

Veteran and civilian support is imperative. The appeal's success was largely due to the support of major veteran peace organizations, which formed a task force that supported the troops in terms of supplies, contacts, legal support and overall coordination.

Civilian activists and community organizers were also instrumental. The Military Project, a civilian organization in New York City, provided key support in their publications. It is my hope that with the support of these peace activists, the appeal will develop into a permanent active-duty support network.

This network must work with influential, established nongovernmental organizations and members of Congress.

Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Amnesty International USA (AI) can be effective in helping GIs maintain, enhance, and become educated about their civil liberties. The ACLU can help publish manuals that educate GIs on their rights; the NAACP can help organize hearings with the Congressional Black Caucus addressing the surge in Nazis and white supremacists joining the military.

Former California Congressman Ron Dellums used his position on the House Armed Services Committee to investigate racism and other misconduct within the military in the wake of hate crimes committed by troops in the early nineties. This type of advocacy is needed today from Congress.

AI can help the GI movement by challenging the unionization ban using the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR). Countries such as South Africa, Belgium and Australia grant their troops unionization rights.

The history of social justice movements demonstrates that when all legal means are exhausted, those seeking relief will use unsanctioned strategies if the government fails to act. During the struggle for the abolition of slavery in the 1800s, the denial of Dred Scott's human rights in 1857 led to John Brown's raid in 1859. During the Vietnam era, the brutality of Chicago's police against antiwar demonstrators in 1968 led to a mass movement against the war. The Appeal For Redress gives our leaders the platform to address the concerns of GIs before they lose faith in their government.

Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto is a founding member of Appeal for Redress. He can be contacted at antiwarsoldier@fourthfreedom.org.

© 2008 The Nation Institute All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/87757/

Public Employees Union Presses Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Allow U.S. War Resisters to Remain in Canada

2008-06-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

James Clancy calls on minority Conservative government to respect the will of Parliament and stop the deportation of Corey Glass

Ottawa (9 June 2008) - The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is asking the Harper government to honour a House of Commons motion that clears U.S. Iraq war resisters and their families to live permanently in Canada.

The non-binding parliamentary motion was approved June 3 with support from all three opposition parties by a margin of 137 to 110. Conservative MPs opposed the motion and the minority government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has indicated it will ignore parliament on the issue.

The War Resisters Support Campaign, based in Toronto, estimates that as many as 200 American soldiers have come to Canada to avoid serving in Iraq. Many of those active in the campaign are resisters who were granted refuge in Canada during the Vietnam war in the 1960s and 1970s.In a letter to Harper, NUPGE president James Clancy urged Harper to intervene in the case of Corey Glass, who has been in Canada for the past two years. His application for citizenship on "humanitarian and compassionate" grounds was denied on May 21 and the Canadian Border Services Agency has ordered him to be deported on June 12.

"From all indications, your government is planning to ignore the democratic will of the House of Commons," Clancy wrote. "I am urging you and your government to reconsider this position. This is a matter of some urgency. The war resisters have taken a principled stand against participating in an illegal and disastrous war in Iraq. Their reasons echo those that Canada used when it, too, refused to participate in this war," Clancy said.

"Canada must continue to act to honour its own principles and maintain our status in the world community as a peace-building nation. We should quickly welcome the young men and women and their families who have come here to live in peace and who are already starting to contribute to our country's future," he said. Clancy urged Harper to "act now to make it possible" for the resisters to stay in Canada by:

● Stopping the deportation of people of conscience who have resisted an illegal war; and

● Supporting the democratic decision of the House of Commons and the will of the Canadian people.

National Union of Public and General Employees

More information:● War Resisters Support Campaign

we move to canada: more stories on war resisters

2008-06-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: more stories on war resisters

we move to canada: letter exchange on war resisters in toronto star

2008-06-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: letter exchange on war resisters in toronto star

Anti-Warriors: American Deserters, a Case of Canadian Conscience

2008-06-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Anti-Warriors: American Deserters, a Case of Canadian Conscience

we move to canada: corey glass safe for one more month, but our fight continues

2008-06-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: corey glass safe for one more month, but our fight continues

Anti-Warriors: Canada parliament supports U.S. war resisters

2008-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Anti-Warriors: Canada parliament supports U.S. war resisters

we move to canada: amnesty international statement in support of iraq war resisters in canada

2008-06-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

Amnesty International statement in support of Corey Glass and Iraq War resisters in Canada (we move to canada]

Big Victory for U.S. War Resisters in Canada!

2008-06-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today, the Canadian Parliament made a historic vote in favor of U.S. war resisters who are seeking a safe haven in Canada rather than fight in the illegal occupation of Iraq. The vote in the House of Commons was 137-110, with all the opposition parties - the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party - voting for the motion, and the ruling Conservative Party voting against.

The Parliament called on the minority Conservative government to create a program that will allow war resisters to immigrate to Canada, and it also called for a halt to all deportation proceedings.

This is a VERY BIG victory for war resisters in Canada and everywhere. It will strengthen our hand considerably.

But the struggle for sanctuary in Canada is far from over. The Conservative government, a staunch ally of the Bush administration, may choose to defy the will of the Canadian people by ignoring this advisory motion.

Corey Glass, an Iraq veteran and war resister, was recently ordered to leave Canada by June 12 or face deportation.

So even as we celebrate this victory, we must step up the pressure on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Diane Finley. [See action alert from War Resisters Support Campaign, below, along with their press release and a news article.]

Yes, it does help for the Canadian government to hear from many people in the U.S. who want them to provide sanctuary for our war resisters. Courage To Resist (www.couragetoresist.org) has generated thousands of letters from people in the U.S. to Canadian government and political leaders and these have clearly helped, as have the vigils and delegations to the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Canadian Consulates around the U.S.

Project Safe Haven, a network of Vietnam War resisters who are supporting war resisters today, is calling for people to contact Canadian representatives in the U.S. this week.

* THANK the Canadian people and their Parliament for supporting our war resisters.

* CALL on the Conservative government to follow the will of the Canadian people and implement this motion.

* DEMAND an end to deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other war resisters.

You can visit the Canadian Consulate in person.

In Seattle, we will have a Celebration outside of the Canadian Consulate, 1501 4th Ave. at Pike St., on Thursday, June 5, at noon. There will also be vigils and delegations in several other cities.

And you can call them, fax them, or email them.

Canadian Consular offices are in over 20 U.S. cities. Here are their addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. http://geo.international.gc.ca/can-am/washington/offices/default-en.asp

If you want to participate in visits to the Canadian Embassy or Consulates, please send an email to projectsafehaven@hotmail.com or call Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220.

If you are a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War or Veterans For Peace, you may want to get in touch with your local chapter or national office to let them know you want to participate, and to help organize these events.

U.S. war resisters and their wonderful Canadian supporters have won a historic victory. By acting decisively at this time, we in the U.S. can participate in this victory and help to make it an even bigger one.

Thank you for whatever you may be able to do at this time.

for peace and justice,

Gerry Condon

(206) 499-1220.

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven

SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com, projectsafehaven@hotmail.com

__________________________________________________________________________________ [The following Action Alert is from the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada, www.resisters.ca]

Canadian Parliament votes to let US war resisters stay

The Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion today, June 3, 2008, that calls on the Canadian government to make a program to allow US war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada and to cease all deportation and removal proceedings against US war resisters.

The next step is to write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Diane Finley, and prime minister Stephen Harper to ensure that they that the will of Parliament is implemented.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
phone 613.996.4974 fax 613.996.9749
email finley.d@parl.gc.ca and finled1@parl.gc.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
phone 613.992.4211 fax 613.941.6900
email pm@pm.gc.ca

we move to canada: war resisters visit minister finley

2008-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: war resisters visit minister finley

we move to canada: today: day of action in support of iraq war resisters in canada

2008-06-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: today: day of action in support of iraq war resisters in canada

we move to canada: "an issue of international law"

2008-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: "an issue of international law"

we move to canada: john hagan: let's provide a haven

2008-05-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: john hagan: let's provide a haven

we move to canada: big breaking news!! motion in support of u.s. war resisters being read right now!!

2008-05-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

we move to canada: big breaking news!! motion in support of u.s. war resisters being read right now!!

Anti-Warriors: U.S. deserter faces deportation from Canada

2008-05-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Anti-Warriors: U.S. deserter faces deportation from Canada

Random Thoughts on Supporting GI Resisters

2007-10-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

by Gerry Condon, Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven

Clinton, Obama and Edwards Would Leave Troops in Iraq (video)
http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/democrats-see-difficulty-with-iraq/20070926233209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

GI and Veteran Resisters Speak Out (video)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092807J.shtml

I wrote this memo last week and sent it out to several friends and contacts on my email list. I didn’t expect it to receive wide circulation but it has. So I have belatedly taken the time to correct some typos, to add information I received from the Military Law Task force of the National Lawyers Guild, and to acknowledge the excellent hard work of a number of organizations that are reaching out to GI’s and/or supporting war resisters (see final section). Thanks to all who have responded with positive feedback or further distributed my memo. Obviously, this is a conversation that interests many people. That in itself is a good sign.

-- Gerry Condon, October 1, 2007

Sometimes I am impatient, with myself and the antiwar movement of which I am a part. When will we get real about supporting GI resisters? I’m not just talking about the odd Conscientious Objector or AWOL soldier. I’m talking about building a support movement for GI resistance. I’m talking about reaching out to the troops and telling them they should not fight in an illegal, immoral war. I’m talking about challenging deeply embedded societal concepts concerning patriotism, fulfilling ones’ military “duty,” and being bound by the military “contract.”

I’ve been to meetings where counter-recruitment activists and war resister advocates have announced that their son or daughter will be deployed the following week to Iraq. And I ask myself: why are they not standing in their way, why are they allowing their children to be sent off to a war that they know is wrong? And I have talked to parents who se children have been killed in Iraq who say they didn’t agree with their children’s decision to enlist in the military but that they had tried to respect their right to make that decision, to respect that they were now adults (barely). Now they deeply regret that decision.

Sometimes I think we are running out of time to really build the kind of resistance movement, civilian and GI, that will be needed to end the Iraq War. But then I read that Hillary Clinton, the probable next president, will not promise to have the troops out of Iraq by the end of her first term. Neither will Barak Obama. Neither will John Edwards. (See the video clip above). Why? Because the president of the United States must be the executive director of U.S. imperialism. The Democrats want that Iraqi oil as much as the Republicans. Both parties are controlled by the uber-rich ruling class. Both parties believe that it is the U.S. destiny to dominate the world’s resources, markets and people. They debate strategy and tactics only.

Well, the Congress finally united this week to do something concerning the Iraq War. Both houses of Congress overwhelmingly condemned the anti-war ad of MoveOn.org that dared to challenge the credibility of General Petraeus, the latest shill for Bush’s failed war. The Senate vote was 72-25 and the House vote was 341-79. These are the kind of numbers that should be ending to the war and impeaching President Bush and his entire war cabinet. But that ain’t going to happen.

It would appear, then, that the antiwar movement has been focusing its precious energies in the wrong direction. Four years of focusing on the U.S. Congress has achieved no meaningful results. There is no democracy in Washington, DC. Arguably, those who have been doing counter-recruitment work have had more impact, although that is hard to measure. The Iraq War has been the greatest counter-recruiter of all. African Americans, in particular, are enlisting in historically low numbers.

David Zeiger did the world a great service when he made the film, Sir, No Sir! This film uncovered a profound historical truth that is hard for many people to comprehend: Widespread resistance within the military was the final nail in the coffin of the Vietnam War. Rap groups. Coffee houses. Black Power meetings. GI newspapers. “Search and avoid” missions. Massive desertions. Sabotage. Refusal to fight. Refusal to fly. Refusal to train. “Fragging” of gung ho officers and NCOs. Withholding of intelligence data. Deserter and draft resister exile bases in Europe and Canada. Campaigns to unionize and democratize the military.

These acts of GI rebellion and organizing were organic, both spontaneous and planned. The antiwar movement cannot will them into being. They also took place within the context of a political awakening in the U.S., the rise of anti-imperialist, socialist and Black Consciousness movements, and a “cultural revolution” of youth. In other words, they took place within a revolutionary climate. Perhaps that is what we are lacking now, more than anything.

GI resistance organizing must come from the GI’s themselves. However, it is somewhat unique in requiring lots of “outside” help from civilians. Some of this work must necessarily be clandestine, but much of it can be done in the open.

One can assume that any effective efforts at reaching out to GI’s or supporting their organizing will bring serious attention from various police and intelligence agencies. GI organizers will most likely be infiltrated by government agents, as will their civilian supporters. The government spies will be there to provide intelligence, to provoke disputes, to incite violence, to isolate and entrap leaders, and, in general, to attempt to undermine the resistance.

To my knowledge, not a single civilian was prosecuted during the Vietnam War for “aiding and abetting” AWOL GI’s or for stirring up resistance within the military. Why this is the case, I do not know. Perhaps government and military leaders did not want to bring attention to the GI resistance. There are certainly laws on the books they could use. In the age of Homeland Security, anything is possible. But until the government begins to aggressively pursue those who are supporting GI resisters, we should consider this activity to be relatively low risk.

There is a taboo in the antiwar movement against actually calling on the troops to resist. Only Iraq Veterans Against the War have begun to cross that line (see video above). What is behind this taboo? I believe there are a number of factors. One is fear of the perceived legal jeopardy. As I addressed above, this is somewhat of a myth. Nobody has been prosecuted for encouraging GI’s to resist, not during the Vietnam War and not since.

[Since I first wrote these Random Thoughts, friends at the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild have informed me of several Vietnam era prosecutions of civilians who were working with antiwar GI’s, not for aiding and abetting, but for various other trumped up state and local charges.]

Another part of the taboo against calling on the troops to resist is that many antiwar organizations, especially the larger and more established, are organized as nonprofit organizations (501c3) for purposes of receiving tax-deductible organizations. They fear they might lose their nonprofit status if they advocate actions the government would consider illegal. To my knowledge, this has not happened. But nonprofits’ boards of directors tend to be pretty conservative about such matters. Many of them also wrongfully believe that their nonprofit status will be jeopardized if they engage in any advocacy or support legislative proposals.

Then there are the moral and ethical concerns. Some activists say that civilians don’t have the right to tell GI’s what they should be doing. Others say we should not put the moral burden for ending the war upon the soldiers. These concerns are worth exploring.
To me, the most compelling concern is this: If we encourage GI’s to resist, are we going to be there for them when they do? If they are court-martialed, will we bring legal and political support? If they go to jail, will we remember them? If they go AWOL, will we help them? Can we provide them with housing and money? Can we help them get to a safe haven outside the U.S.? Can we provide them with sanctuary within the U.S.? These are the very capacities that some of us are working to develop.

Underlying many of these concerns, I believe, is a very profound question: If we ask GI’s to take the risks involved with resisting within the military, or going AWOL, are we willing to share those risks? Not everybody is in a position to do so. And relatively few people are committed enough to risk the potential disruption of their lives, up to and including political persecution and possible imprisonment. In other words, if we aren’t ready to put our lives on the line, how can we ask these young soldiers to do so?

Well, some of us are willing to put our lives on the line. But this is more easily said than done. Most activists have families, jobs, careers and recreational activities that are important to them. They may be struggling financially or with health concerns. It is hard enough to attend meetings or to go to demonstrations. Even relatively tame civil disobedience actions will give many people pause. This is understandable, but should it mean that we do not call on GI’s to resist?

I do believe it is important for those of us who encourage GI resistance, directly or indirectly, to be prepared to come to the aid of those who heed our call. On the other hand, I do not believe that GI’s face any greater risk from resisting the war than they do from being part of the war. GI resisters do not generally risk their lives, their limbs, brain damage, PTSD, their ability to love their families, etc. But all of these horrible things are epidemic among those who go to war.

What does a GI actually risk by resisting? A lot. Persecution by military superiors. Disapproval and rejection by fellow GI’s. Disapproval and rejection by some family members. Self-doubt and loss of self-esteem. Jail time. The stigma of a less-than-honorable discharge. The inability to support their family. Jeopardy to educational and career goals.

And AWOL soldiers risk the trauma of prolonged separation from their families (but the war does that too). Those who leave the country may not be able to return without facing prosecution. And they face an uncertain future in their new country. There is plenty of stress and trauma, for sure. But how does that compare to the risks and trauma and moral consequences of going to war? GI’s who refuse, in one way or another, to go to war, are actually decreasing the risks to themselves – physically, psychologically and morally.

I believe it is time for the antiwar movement to relocate to the gates of every military base in this country, and abroad. Democracy has failed in Washington. Seventy percent of the U.S. people want the troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. But the Congress says no way. And the leading presidential candidates of both parties say no way. In this election cycle, the antiwar movement should not spend one ounce of its energy backing any candidate who is not credibly committed to ending the war and giving Iraq back to the Iraqis.

Instead of wasting our energy on the politicians, we in the antiwar movement should take democracy into our own hands. The slogan “Troops Out Now” should be directed at the troops themselves. We should encourage and assist our citizen soldiers to vote with their feet. As Bertold Brecht famously suggested, the war machine cannot function if the troops won’t fight. Even the drones and the robots require humans to direct and repair them.

This is somewhat of a revolutionary proposal. But it now appears that nothing short of a revolutionary movement will bring an end to the Iraq War. Nothing less than a revolutionary movement will prevent the next war. And nothing less than a revolutionary movement will finally put an end to the global warring that is a central component of U.S. imperialism.

I’m not saying we need to build a revolutionary party or prepare ourselves for armed revolution. But we need to think like revolutionaries and act like revolutionaries. We need to shed the illusion that we can end the cycle of U.S. war mongering though polite discourse with our congresswoman. We have to internalize the fact that we are, in fact, at war with our own government and system. We have to be willing to take risks. And we have to be willing to ask others to take risks, especially when it is in their own interests.

When we ask GI’s to take the risk of resisting, we will not be putting an unethical burden upon them. We will probably be saving their lives. And, yes, we must be there for them too. We must share the risks. Maybe we’ll be saving our lives too.

This is the context I see for supporting “war resisters.” Our goal should be to empower the soldiers to play their historical role in the worldwide movement to end to U.S. militarism. Not everyone will agree with me. But activists from many different perspectives and organizations can still provide war resisters with valuable support, be it counseling on their legal options, money, housing, transportation, political support, or helping them to make their voices heard.

It is one thing to oppose a war, it is another to actually resist it. Even many peace activists oppose actions that might violate the law. They consider it reckless to call for GI resistance, or even to tell GI’s they can go to Canada. What’s up with that? It’s time to change the paradigm.

Another thing that is holding us back is that hardly anybody really knows how to do this work. Few people have any relevant experience. And the mostly middle class and over-40 peace movement does not know how to talk to the poor and working class youth of today’s “volunteer” military. But it’s high time we started learning. By trial and error. For those of us in the Northwest, what better laboratory than Fort Lewis, one of the largest Army bases providing troops to the Iraq War. The local papers announce the deaths of Washington state GI’s almost daily. Where are we?

To be fair, there are groups in the antiwar movement who have been reaching out to GI’s and/or providing various kinds of support to war resisters. For example, Courage To Resist has publicized the cases of many war resisters and raised money for them online. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War have been traveling to various military bases and talking one-on-one with GI’s. Citizen Soldier helped to establish the Different Drummer Internet Café, the first GI coffeehouse of this era, at Fort Drum, near Syracuse, New York. Not coincidentally, the first active duty chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War has been established at Fort Drum. The GI Rights Hotline has been providing much needed counseling to thousands of GI’s who are considering their options. The GI Special has been providing Iraq War news and views from the perspective of the GI’s.

In Canada, the War Resisters Support Campaign is providing housing and basic needs to U.S. war resisters while leading a campaign to press the Canadian government to allow them to stay. These groups deserve credit for their excellent work. I encourage people to check them out and to consider joining or supporting their work.

Courage To Resist, www.couragetoresist.org
Iraq Veterans Against the War, www.ivaw.org
Veterans For Peace, www.vfp.org
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, www.vvaw.org
Military Families Speak Out, www.mfso.org
Guerrero Azteca, www.guerreroazteca.org
Citizen Soldier, www.citizen-soldier.org
Different Drummer Internet Café, www.differentdrummercafe.org
Ehren Watada support campaign, www.thankyoult.org
Catholic Worker/Jonah House, http://www.jonahhouse.org/refuse.htm
GI Rights Hotline, www.girightshotline.org
Military Law Task Force (NLG), http://www.nlgmltf.org
GI Special, http://www.williambowles.info/gispecial/2006/index.html
Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven, www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com

In Canada: War Resisters Support Campaign, www.resisters.ca

Many groups have also rallied around GI resisters facing court martials, such as Camilo Mejia (now co-chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War), Pablo Paredes (now working with the GI Rights Hotline), Kevin Benderman, who with his wife Monica, has just published a book about their experiences, Letters from the Fort Lewis Stockade.), and Ehren Watada, whose court martial at Fort Lewis, Washington has been re-scheduled for October 9. The excellent work of these organizations is a strong base upon which to build a movement supporting mass GI resistance to the U.S. wars against the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Gerry Condon

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com, projectsafehaven@hotmail.com

www.SoldierSayNo.blogspot.com
(206) 499-1220

Canadian Police Arrest Kyle Snyder at Request of U.S. Army

2007-04-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Maleah Friesen, Carleen Pickard, Kyle Snyder and Gerry Condon at

Protest Against School of Americas, Fort Benning, Georgia, November 2006

by Gerry Condon, Project Safe Haven

On Friday, February 23, police in Nelson, British Columbia entered the home of U.S. war resister Kyle Snyder without a search warrant or permission to enter. They had no warrant for Snyder’s arrest, but arrested him anyway. Treating him like a violent criminal, they did not even allow him dress into his clothes. They took him off to jail barefoot and wearing only boxer shorts and a bathrobe.

Kyle’s roommates, U.S. war resisters Ryan and Jenna Johnson, frantically started calling everyone they could think of, including the offices of MPs Alex Atamanenko and Bill Siksay, who intervened on his behalf. After Kyle was confined for six hours, Citizenship and Immigration Canada ordered Nelson police to release him.

Later that Friday evening, Joci Peri, an official at Citizenship and Immigration Canada in Vancouver, told Kyle that the U.S. Army had requested his arrest and deportation. What actually happened? Many serious questions remain unanswered.

Who ordered whom to arrest Kyle Snyder?
The current posture of the Nelson City Police seems aimed at keeping the people of Nelson from learning the truth about the arrest of Kyle Snyder. The initial article on the arrest in the Nelson Daily News (2/23/07) quotes NCP Chief Dan Maluta as saying the following:
“We got an order for detention which was our authority to hold that subject until he was dealt with by CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency]” Chief Maluta added that the order was issued by CBSA the same day police acted.

Technically speaking, the Chief’s carefully chosen words may be true. But is a detention order the same as an arrest warrant? And did the Canadian Border Services Agency request Kyle Snyder’s apprehension? Apparently not. A spokesperson for CBSA told several reporters that CBSA was called first by Nelson police, not the other way around. Then did the Nelson police call CBSA before or after apprehending Kyle Snyder?

It is now clear that the actions of the Nelson police were not prompted by either CBSA or Citizenship and Immigration Canada, who told them there was no legal basis for holding Kyle Snyder and ordered him released.

On Friday, March 2, the Nelson Daily News reported that:

Although Nelson City Police initially said officers acted on a detention order issued by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Chief Maluta acknowledged Thursday that was not their original “source.” “We received information that this fellow was living in Nelson and may be illegally in Canada. We notified CBSA who said yes, we believe he is illegally in Canada and arrestable under the Immigration Act. So he was arrested and became the subject of the detention order which I mentioned previously,” said Maluta. When asked for his source, Maluta was mum. “I’m not at liberty to disclose how we found he was in Nelson because we don’t do that. We don’t disclose our sources,” he said.
Maluta would also not comment when the Nelson Daily News asked police if the source was from a Canadian or U.S. government body or agency or if it was a Canadian or American source. “I will neither confirm nor deny,” he said, before explaining why he could not reveal the source. “We want them to come forward so I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize [that] in the interest of law enforcement and in the interest of public safety.”

Maluta also said that there is no sovereignty issue involved with having accepted information from the police source.

“It does not affect Canadian sovereignty or the integrity of this police department to accept information on subjects who might be under investigation in Canada from outside sources whether that be the FBI, Interpol, U.S. Intelligence, Mexican police, whoever,” he said.

Chief Maluta is careful not to deny that it was a call from the U.S. Army that prompted Nelson police to arrest Kyle Snyder. But he won’t admit it either. This will not do. If it is standard operating procedure, as Maluta indicates, for the Nelson police to receive information from police sources outside of Canada, then why can’t he just say “yes, we received a call from the U.S. Army.” Why would the U.S. Army need to be a protected source?

The Nelson City Police Must Be Held Accountable
It is important to get to the bottom of this situation. The Nelson City Police must be accountable to Nelson taxpayers. And appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that such abuses do not occur again.

In this vein, there are several pieces of information that are of critical importance:

1) Did the Nelson police in fact arrest Kyle Snyder at the behest of the U.S. Army, as Kyle was told by Citizenship and Immigration Canada?
2) If so, what was the basis for the arrest?
3) Is it standard operating procedure for Canadian police to do the U.S. military’s bidding?
4) Is it legal for them to do so?

Several knowledgeable Canadian authorities have said it would be inappropriate if not illegal for the U.S. Army to directly contact a local Canadian police force. And it would be inappropriate if not illegal for a local Canadian police force to act at the request of the U.S. Army.

Growing Presence of U.S. Police Agents in Canada
If indeed, such contacts between the U.S. military and local police forces are routine, then the Canadian people have a right to know that. As MP Alex Atamanenko said at a community meeting last Wednesday in Nelson (quoted in the Nelson Daily News, 3/2/07):

“This could just be the tip of the iceberg. If in fact it’s true, why is a foreign police force or a foreign army allowed to contact our people and get them to arrest people in our country? That’s wrong. It’s an infringement on our sovereignty. It’s a whole issue that we have to look at step by step and try to get some answers from this government and change the policy.”

There is, in fact, a growing presence of U.S. police agents within Canada and a disturbing trend toward further “integration” of U.S. and Canadian police functions. See Mike Howell’s recent article in the Vancouver Courier. http://www.vancourier.com/issues07/023207/news/023207nn1.html

Not included in the article is Mike Howell’s interview with Scott Collins of U.S. Diplomatic Security, in which Collins says that one of the functions of his agency is to work with Canadian authorities to apprehend U.S. military deserters and return them to the U.S!

Scott Collins even told the Vancouver Courier that such apprehensions take place “quite frequently.” What would have happened if Kyle had been alone when he was arrested? What would have happened if Ryan and Jenna Johnson had not known to call supportive MPs?

Illegal Arresting Procedures
There are several other aspects of Kyle Snyder’s arrest that deserve scrutiny. Nelson police had neither an arrest warrant nor a warrant to search Snyder’s home. They were not given permission to enter his home, but entered it anyway, illegally. And, as has been much discussed, they arrested Kyle, handcuffing his arms behind his back while he was in his boxer shorts, bathrobe and bare feet, and refusing his request to dress. Kyle was allowed to put on some clothes about a half hour later, after being booked and being in his cell for some time. But he remained in bare feet on the cold cement floor of his cell for six hours.

In the initial Nelson Daily News article (2/28/07), Chief Maluta had the following to say about the arresting procedure:

“It’s against our policy to allow an arrested individual to go back into their residence and put on clothes and things of that nature because it’s patently unsafe to do that. You never bring a suspect or an arrested person back into their residence to put on clothing or retrieve anything. Never.”

But Kyle was not arrested outside his home. He was arrested illegally inside his home. He was still inside his home when he asked to put on some clothes. Is this indeed the standard operating procedure for Canadian police when arresting a nonviolent suspect?

Being AWOL Is Not an Extraditable Offense
Nelson police told Kyle he was being arrested under the Immigration Act. They also told him there was a warrant out for his arrest in the United States. Did they know that the warrant is for being AWOL from the U.S. Army? Did they know that being on unauthorized absence from another country’s military is NOT a crime in Canada? Did they know that it is also not an extraditable offense? Do they know that now? If not, somebody should show them the following:

Extradition Act
PART 2: EXTRADITION FROM CANADA

Reasons for Refusal

When order not to be made

46. (1) The Minister shall refuse to make a surrender order if the Minister is satisfied that

a).....

(b) the conduct in respect of which extradition is sought is a military offence that is not also an offence under criminal law; or

(c) the conduct in respect of which extradition is sought is a political offence or an offence of a political character.

In fact, every police agency in Canada needs to be educated about this section of Canada’s Extradiction Act. It is my understanding that MPs Alex Atamanenko (B.C. Southern Interior) and Bill Siksay (Burnaby, BC) are discussing how to pursue this goal at the federal level.

Iraq War Resisters Deserve a Safe Haven in Canada
Finally, we need to put this whole disturbing incident into its proper context. The U.S. Army, the same army that called the Nelson police, is currently pursuing an illegal war of aggression against the sovereign nation of Iraq. Well over a half million Iraqi men, women and children have been needlessly murdered, according to credible estimates.

The international community has repeatedly condemned the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq. And the American people have rejected it. According to recent polls, 6 of 10 Americans believe the war to be a mistake, and 6 of 10 Americans want to bring U.S. troops home. Only 13% of Americans support the current escalation of the war.

Those soldiers who refuse to participate in this bloodbath are, in fact, obeying international law. They deserve a safe haven in Canada. It is easy to understand why the U.S. Army does not want this to be so. But why would Canadian police act in support of this illegal U.S. war? It is time for the Canadian government to do the right thing and grant sanctuary to U.S. war resisters. Only a clearly articulated sanctuary policy will ensure that what happened to Kyle Snyder will never again happen to anyone else.

Gerry Condon went AWOL from the U.S. Army in 1969 after refusing to deploy to Vietnam. He lived for 3 years in Sweden and 3 years in Canada before returning to the U.S. to fight for amnesty for all war resisters. He now serves as Director of Project Safe Haven and has been working with U.S. war resisters in Canada for the last 3 years. He can be reached at ProjectSafeHaven@hotmail.com.

Kyle Snyder Returns to Canada

2007-02-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

Kyle Snyder has returned to Canada. Together with his Canadian fiancé, Maleah Friesen, he has moved to the quaint little town of Nelson, nestled in the Kootenay Mountains of southeastern British Columbia. There they have joined another war resister couple, Ryan and Jenna Johnson from California. Now the four of them are urgently seeking funds so they can rent a 2-bedroom apartment together. (see below, “Kyle Thanks You for Your Continuing Support”)

That’s right. AWOL war resister Kyle Snyder is home safe in Canada after surviving several attempts to arrest him while he traveled in the United States. As Kyle explains it:

“I didn’t leave Canada in order to go to jail – just the opposite.
I returned to the U.S. because the Army said they would discharge me
with no jail time. But the Army lied to me – again.”

Kyle Snyder came to Canada in April 2005 while on leave from the Iraq War. For a year and a half, he was the most outspoken U.S. war resister in British Columbia. He lived in Vancouver, BC and also in a small town near Edmonton, Alberta, where he met his fiancé.

Kyle says it was always his intention to return to Canada. “I love Canada and I love the Canadian people,” he says. “In fact, my fiancé is Canadian and we are eager to begin a life together. Despite our best hopes, it became apparent that we could not do that in the United States without being pursued or imprisoned.”

Snyder also points to the Canadian government’s ambivalence toward U.S. war resisters as influencing his decision to turn himself into Army authorities at Fort Knox, Kentucky. “It’s pretty tough when you face persecution in your home country, but your new country will not say how long you will be able to stay,” laments Snyder. [For more information see below, “The Uphill Struggle of U.S. War Resisters in Canada.”]

Bring the Troops Home
“The really big problem is the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq,” says Snyder. “I want to see my fellow GI’s home from Iraq as soon as possible,” he says.

“My unit, the 94th Engineers, should be rebuilding in New Orleans,
not returning a third time to Iraq.”

Snyder to Army: Drop all the Charges - Let Ehren Watada Resign
Kyle Snyder is calling on all peace-loving people in the U.S. and Canada to send letters in support of Lt. Ehren Watada, the first U.S. military officer to refuse to deploy to the Iraq War. Lt. Watada is being court-martialed at Fort Lewis, Washington, beginning on February 5.

“Ehren Watada is my hero,” says Snyder. “He is a true American hero who is standing up for what is right. Our national leaders have failed us, so we must support GI’s who are obeying international law.”

Support Lt. Ehren Watada
http://www.thankyoult.org/

Put pressure on those who can influence the outcome of Lt. Watada's court martial by demanding the military drop all charges and accept Lt. Watada's resignation.

Don't delay – Ehren’s court martial trial begins on February 5, 2007.

Write President Bush and U.S. Army.
Click here! http://ga0.org/campaign/write_bush/navb88t67

Kyle Thanks You for Your Continuing Support
Kyle Snyder is extremely thankful for all the wonderful support he received from so many people as he traveled from late October through early January to Louisville, Chicago, Fort Benning, Georgia, New Orleans, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle and Bellingham.

“There are lots of great people in the U.S. and I will never forget them, especially the Vietnam veterans and the Iraq veterans who showed me so much love and support,” he says.

“People in the U.S. were very generous,” says Kyle. “It was their donations of money at our various public meetings that allowed me to keep moving in the U.S., to avoid arrest, and, finally, to return to Canada,” says Snyder. “I will never forget that.”

“Even though I am back in Canada, I still need your support.
I am trying to make a new start here, but I have almost no funds at all.
So I am asking all my wonderful supporters in the U.S. to consider making
one more donation to help me get on my feet.”

Aside from pulling together funds for first and last month’s rent, Kyle needs to raise $2,000 for upcoming legal fees and marriage-related fees.

Interested donors can make out checks to Kyle Snyder and mail them to him at:
Kyle Snyder, 310-A Victoria St., Nelson, BC, V1L 4K4, CANADA.

Tax-deductible donations for Kyle Snyder can also be made online through Courage To Resist, http://www.couragetoresist.org/, an excellent resource for action alerts in support of GI resisters.

“Thank you all so much,” says Kyle. “It means a lot to me to know that I am not alone.”

Ask the Canadian Government to Welcome War Resisters

Kyle Snyder is also calling on people in both the U.S. and Canada to press the Canadian government to create a sanctuary policy for U.S. war resisters, one that will ease their immigration to Canada. “It’s the right and necessary thing to do,” he said.

Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
You may send comments to the Honourable Diane Finley at Minister@cic.gc.ca.

Or write to:

The Honourable Diane Finley, P.C., M.P.Citizenship and Immigration CanadaOttawa, Ontario K1A 1L1 CANADA

Canada’s Prime Minister

You can send your comments to Prime Minister Stephen Harper by e-mail to pm@pm.gc.ca or
write or fax the Prime Minister’s office at:

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2 CANADA

Fax: 613-941-6900

The Uphill Struggle of U.S. War Resisters in Canada
Canadian immigration lawyers estimate there are about 200 AWOL U.S. war resisters currently living in Canada. About thirty of them have applied for political refugee status, a long, uphill legal battle with heavy political overtones. Canada has rarely, if ever, granted refugee status to those fleeing persecution in the U.S.

But it is the very act of applying for refugee status that allows AWOL GI’s to remain legally in Canada. Once they apply for refugee status, they are protected by Canadian refugee law until their case is finally decided. Because of a significant backlog of refugee cases, the first Iraq War resisters to arrive in Canada waited a year or more for their refugee hearing. After initially being denied refugee status, several war resisters have appealed in Canada’s federal courts, a process that promises to go on for several years, and will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court of Canada. Many resisters are still waiting for their initial refugee hearing.

In the meantime, these U.S. war resisters are residing legally in Canada. After a few months they receive work permits so they can work legally too. They and their families have access to Canada’s social assistance and universal healthcare systems.

Even if the war resisters are ultimately denied refugee status, Canada remains a de facto sanctuary for U.S. war resisters, at least a temporary safe haven. Resisters may find other ways to remain in Canada, on “humanitarian and compassionate grounds.” Some, like Kyle Snyder, may eventually immigrate through legitimate marriages.

But the fact remains that most U.S. war resisters in Canada are living in a legal and political limbo. “Iraq War veterans who have followed international law and refused to participate in war crimes are being denied refugee status in Canada, and that’s not right,” says Gerry Condon, director of Project Safe Haven, a war resister advocacy group.

“Given the fact that most Canadians oppose the U.S. war in Iraq,
why isn’t the Canadian government doing more to help?”

Canadians Call on Government to Create Sanctuary Policy
In fact, many Canadians are calling on their government to provide some form of sanctuary for war resisters, to allow them to immigrate as over 50,000 Americans did during the Vietnam War. The War Resisters Support Campaign has been organizing across Canada and has made significant progress (for more information, go to http://www.resisters.ca/).

Tens of thousands of petition signatures have been presented in Parliament. Two political parties, the New Democrats and the Greens, are officially calling for sanctuary for Iraq War resisters. And some members of the opposition Liberal Party, including its new leader, Stéphane Dion, have expressed support for U.S. war resisters.

Conservative Government Is No Friend of War Resisters

But New Election Looms
There is little sympathy for U.S. war resisters within the ruling minority Conservative government. Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper once called on Canada to join George Bush’s “coalition of the willing” in Iraq. Against the will of most Canadians, Harper has extended Canadian military involvement in the Afghanistan. Under the guise of traditional Canadian “peace-keeping,” Canadian troops are aggressively hunting down Taliban rebels and attacking their rural Afghan villages.

New federal elections will probably be called in Canada by fall, or even as early as spring. Many Canadians hope their parliamentary democracy will produce a new government that is more favorable to war resisters and less interested in imitating the Bush administration.

“It’s time for both the U.S. and Canada to show more respect for international law,” says Gerry Condon, director of Project Safe Haven, who accompanied Kyle Snyder on his U.S. odyssey.

“Canada should be the ‘refuge from militarism’ that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared it to be during the Vietnam War.”

As many as 100,000 U.S. residents took up residence in Canada during the Vietnam War. Thirty thousand are now Canadian citizens.

__________________________________________________________________________

Gerry Condon went AWOL from the U.S. Army in 1969 after refusing to deploy to the Vietnam War. For six years he lived in Sweden and Canada organizing against the war and for amnesty for war resisters. He currently serves as director of Project Safe Haven, a network of Vietnam War resisters supporting the war resisters of today. He maintains a website, http://www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com/ and can be reached by email at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com.

Kyle Snyder: The Struggle Continues

2006-12-31T23:06:00.000-08:00

Kyle Snyder speaks outside gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, along with fellow Iraq veteran and war resister, Darrell Anderson, and Iraq Veterans Against the War, at November protest against the “School of the Americas.”

NEW YEARS 2007 – Kyle Snyder, AWOL from the U.S. occupation of Iraq, continues his impromptu speaking tour of the United States. He was last sighted in California, where, on December 8, Alameda police attempted to arrest him at the Army’s request (see below). Kyle continues to seek a discharge from the Army. And he continues to call for his fellow soldiers to come home from Iraq.

BACKGROUND
Kyle Snyder was recruited into the U.S. Army directly out of Job Corps when he was 19 years old. He wanted to better himself and to have material security. He enlisted to be part of an engineering unit and he thought he would help in the rebuilding of Iraq. But once in Iraq he was given a 50-caliber machine gun and was told to point his weapon at peaceful Iraqi civilians, including children. When a member of his unit shot an innocent Iraqi civilian, Kyle called for an investigation, but the Army refused. Instead, in April 2005, Kyle was granted a two week leave to British Columbia, Canada. Kyle decided to remain in Canada and join with other U.S. war resisters seeking refugee status there.

KYLE RETURNS TO UNITED STATES

After spending a year and a half as a political refugee in Canada, Kyle Snyder returned to the U.S. in late October in order to be discharged from the Army. Kyle hoped to get the Army off his back and to be able to return to Canada and begin a normal life. But the understanding that his lawyer, Jim Fennerty, had reached with Army Major Brian Patterson evaporated shortly after Kyle presented himself at Fort Knox, Kentucky on October 31.

Kyle, who understood he would be discharged in three days, was instead ordered to report to his old unit, the 94th Engineering Battalion, at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Commanders there would decide his fate. There would be no guarantees. He might be court-martialed and imprisoned. He might be ordered back to Iraq.

The 94th Engineers are slated to return to Iraq for a third time in August. Now, with President Bush’s escalation of the war, their deployment date will likely be moved up. Would the Army would want to make an example of Kyle? Might he face additional serious charges?

Kyle Snyder is not a fool. This was not why he took the chance of returning to the U.S. When Fort Knox authorities dropped him off unescorted at the Greyhound bus station in Louisville, Kyle resumed his AWOL status.

OUT THERE AWOL
But instead of slipping into the shadows with 8,000+ other young men and women currently on “unauthorized absence” from the military, Kyle is speaking out loud against the U.S. war on the people of Iraq. He tells people it is illegal and immoral. He tells people it is crazy.

But Kyle is not one to be rhetorical. Very compellingly, he tells his own story. How he was recruited from Job Corps with promises of money, education and pride. How he trained as a construction equipment operator, and believed he would be rebuilding in Iraq. How, once in Iraq he was given a 50-caliber machine gun and told to point his personal weapon of mass destruction at young children.

Kyle also tells how he witnessed an innocent civilian being shot by a fellow soldier, and how, despite his report on the incident, the Army refused to even investigate. That is when Kyle was given a two-week leave to visit British Columbia, Canada. But Kyle decided not to return to the war. Instead, he applied for political refugee status in Canada. He lived in Canada for a year and a half where he worked with the War Resisters Support Campaign before returning to the U.S. in October to seek a discharge from the Army.

KYLE SUPPORTS ANTIWAR REFERENDUM IN CHICAGO
Kyle has made many appearances around these United States since October 31. On November 6, the day before the midterm election, Kyle Snyder spoke at a well-attended press conference in Chicago, where he encouraged Chicagoans to vote yes on a referendum calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, organized by Chicagoans Against War and Injustice. On the following day, 80% of them did just that, along with millions of Illinois voters.

KYLE SPEAKS AT VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
Kyle spoke to Spanish language media in Chicago along with Juan Torres, whose son served in the Army as a Certified Public Accountant in charge of all cargo in and out of Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. After telling his father that had learned of things that made him fear for his life, Spc. Juan Torres, Jr. was murdered while taking a shower. Juan Torres is conducting an independent investigation of his son’s death, which the Army claims was a suicide.

On Veterans Day, Kyle spoke at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Chicago, and then celebrated with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace. The celebration took place at the Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, where Kyle was moved by the art exhibit of a fellow Iraq veteran, Aaron Hughes.

KYLE SPEAKS AT FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
Next Kyle traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia for the annual November protest organized by School of Americas Watch. Twenty thousand activists, including many religious and youth, participated. Kyle was invited to speak on the stage just outside the gates of Fort Benning. He was introduced by Col. Ann Wright, a leader in the antiwar movement after almost 50 years of military and government service. Kyle called for the closing of the School of Americas and the end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Accompanying him as he spoke was fellow Iraq veteran and war resister, Darrell Anderson, and a group of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Kyle was so happy to find his fellow soldier/resisters.

KYLE AND IRAQ VETS WORK IN NEW ORLEANS
Kyle hopped on the IVAW bus to New Orleans, where he and other Iraq veterans – women and men – talked about how they were affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in a therapeutic setting organized by Vets 4 Vets. Kyle then joined in reconstruction efforts that Iraq Veterans Against the War (ivaw@ivaw.org) have been carrying out in New Orleans since early last summer, helping to rebuild the flood damaged homes of musicians and veterans. This meant a lot to him.

But Kyle was also upset by what he saw in New Orleans: huge neighborhoods that were still disaster areas a year and half after Hurricane Katrina. “Why isn’t the 94th Engineering Brigade helping here, where they are really needed,” he asked. “Why are they being told to return to Iraq, where they will do no reconstruction at all?”

SPEAKING TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Kyle’s Canadian girlfriend, Maleah, and I have accompanied him ever since we crossed the border from British Columbia into Washington State on October 28. After working in New Orleans, the three of us returned to Chicago. The American Friends Service Committee had arranged for Kyle to speak in Chicago high schools, especially the most highly recruited, in segregated African American and Latino neighborhoods.

Everyday for a week, Kyle spoke in multiple high school classrooms and assemblies. African American and Latino students had no trouble relating to Kyle’s story. Several young men and women told him they were reconsidering their plans to join the military. Some students signed the “opt out” form in order to keep military recruiters from having access to their school records and contact information.

SANCTUARY, HERE WE COME
A few days after the winter had abruptly asserted itself back into the lives of Chicagoans, Kyle, Maleah and I headed for San Diego, California, where it was warm and beautiful. The Iraq Veterans Against the War had arrived from New Orleans with their bus. Kyle and fellow Iraq veteran/resister Darrell Anderson spoke at a meeting of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. On the following evening, Kyle was the honored guest of at a fundraising party organized by the San Diego Military Counseling Project.

We found many good friends in San Diego, as we had in Louisville and Chicago. We found committed communities that gladly supported us. We found people who understood the importance of GI’s sitting down and saying no more killing.

We were offered sanctuary in several places. In fact, before Kyle spoke at the Church of the Brethren in San Diego, the church board decided to reassert its status as a “Sanctuary Church.” During the Vietnam War, they had provided sanctuary to 9 sailors.

ATTEMPTED ARREST
On Friday evening, December 8, the Alameda police came looking for Kyle at an event in support of GI resisters. The speaker at the event was Bob Watada, father of Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War. Army authorities at Fort Lewis, Washington are planning to court martial Lt. Watada on February 5, 2007. (see http://www.thankyoult.org/)

Three Alameda policemen entered the event and asked for Kyle Snyder. But Kyle was not there. He was speaking at another event in San Jose, California, organized by the Quaker Meeting and Veterans for Peace. The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, Dec. 10 quoted an Alameda police sergeant saying they were “tipped off by someone in the Army in Kentucky.”

COURAGE TO RESIST
On Saturday morning, December 9, Courage To Resist hosted a forum on GI resistance at the Veterans War Memorial Building in San Francisco. Courage To Resist, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, had coordinated a weekend of actions in support of GI resisters (see http://www.couragetoresist.org/).

The event was co-sponsored by the Bay Area’s Chapter 69 of Veterans For Peace. Bob Watada spoke. Vietnam war resister Mike Wong. Iraq war resister Darrell Anderson. Anita Dennis, antiwar activist and mother of Darrell Anderson. Maxine Hong Kingston, editor of “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace," a compilation of writings of veterans. And Not In Our Name organizer Jeff Paterson, first GI resister of the Gulf War. Due to the attempt to arrest him the night before, Kyle Snyder addressed the gathering by speakerphone. Kyle later appeared in person at an outdoors rally.

MEDIA ATTENTION

All throughout Kyle Snyder’s journey, he has been followed by interested media from the U.S., Canada and around the world. Associated Press wrote three different stories that reached hundreds of media outlets throughout the globe. Canadian media continues to follow Kyle. CBC Radio called up Kyle for his comments on the firing of Donald Rumsfeld. Kyle was live on Fox Radio with the Alan Colmes Show, which airs on sixty radio stations. He was interviewed for 30 minutes, followed by an hour-and-a-half of lively discussion about war crimes and recruiter fraud.

SPEAKING OUT IN THE NEW YEAR
Kyle Snyder has been meeting with peace and justice activists wherever he goes. Due to recent attempts to have him arrested, Kyle is keeping a slightly lower profile over the holidays. But he continues to speak out. He is calling for his 94th Engineering Battalion to be sent to New Orleans instead of Iraq. He is requesting a discharge from the Army.

On Friday, Dec. 15, Kyle spoke, again by speakerphone, to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Whatcom County Peace and Justice Coalition in Bellingham, Washington. Also present were many good friends in the Bellingham chapter of Veterans For Peace, whom Kyle met last August at a solidarity picnic in Peace Arch Park on the border between British Columbia and Washington State.

CALL THE ARMY AND DEMAND A DISCHARGE FOR KYLE SNYDER
Thanks to all of you who have made calls to the Commanding Generals at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Please continue to call General William McCoy, Jr., the new Commanding General of Fort Leonard Wood, 573-596-0131, or call the Public Affairs Office at 573-563-4013 or 4015, fax: 573-563-4012, email: alleym@wood.army.mil. We want to deliver one clear message: Discharge Kyle Snyder with No Punishment.

KYLE REQUESTS YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT
Kyle Snyder’s remarkable journey home to the U.S. has been almost magical. He has found tremendous support wherever he has gone. Several communities offered various forms of sanctuary. Generous donations at each meeting have enabled him to keep traveling, keep speaking out, and to pay modest legal fees as he continues to seek a discharge from the Army. Thanks much to Lori Hurlebaus and Courage To Resist for coordinating action alerts and collecting online donations.

But Kyle has no surplus funds, and he will have significant travel and legal expenses in the coming weeks. Please consider donating to his expenses online at Courage To Resist (http://www.couragetoresist.org/).

Or you can make a check out to Courage To Resist, write “Kyle Snyder” in the memo line, and mail the check to Courage To Resist, 484 Lakepark Ave. #41, Oakland, CA 94610.

PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR

Kyle is looking forward to the New Year as a time when he can join with war resisters in Canada and the U.S, with veterans and with active duty GI’s to bring a grinding halt to George Bush’s disastrous war on the people of Iraq.

Kyle and I thank you so much for your very kind support and we wish you a Happy New Year. We look forward to working together with you in the coming year.

for peace and justice,

GERRY CONDON with KYLE SNYDER

(206) 306-4103

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven

http://www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com/

Kyle Snyder in New Orleans

2006-11-26T21:14:00.001-08:00


NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A U.S. army soldier who fled to Alberta, rather than return to Iraq, spent Thanksgiving week gutting houses flooded more than a year ago by hurricane Katrina.

Iraq Vets and War Resisters Protest School of Americas

2006-11-24T07:14:00.001-08:00


Kyle Snyder and Darrell Anderson joined the Iraq Veterans Against the War to protest the School of Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. When Kyle was introduced onstage by Col. Ann Wright (ret.), along with Darrell and the vets, they all received an emotional standing ovation.

Kyle Snyder Helps Rebuild in New Orleans

2006-11-23T08:54:00.001-08:00


War resisters Kyle Snyder and Darrell Anderson help Iraq Veterans Against The War and Volunteers from Common Ground Relief to gut homes at Camp Liberty, Slidell, on the Bayou near New Orleans. Music by IVAW member Dennis Kyne. Rap by Darrell Anderson.

Kyle Snyder, AWOL in America, Travels and Speaks Against U.S. War on Iraq

2006-11-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I continue to travel with Iraq war veteran and resister, Kyle Snyder, who remains AWOL after returning last week from Canada and attempting to be discharged from the Army. Right now we are in Chicago, where Kyle spoke to a well attended press conference on Monday, calling on the people of Illinois to vote against the war policies of the Bush administration. (They did, supporting a referendum to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by an 8-1 margin!)

We are finding lots of support in Chicago, from veterans groups, military familes, peace groups and others. Kyle has been speaking in public forums and to university students. There continues to be a lot of national and international media interest in Kyle's struggle to be discharged from the Army.

On Thursday, Nov. 9, at 11 pm EST, Kyle was interviewed on the Alan Colmes radio show, which airs on 60 radio stations throughout the U.S. His 30-minute interview then generated another hour-and-a-half of discussion with calls from veterans who testified about war crimes in Iraq and Vietnam as well as recruiters' lies. To hear this interview, go go http://www.foxnews.com/radio/alancolmes/index.html

The Army has not yet given a reasonable response to our call for Kyle to be released from military service without any punishment. At one point, Kyle had been willing to accept an Other Than Honorable discharge that we understood the Army was offering him. But this deal evaporated when he presented himself to Army authorities at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

So Kyle is AWOL again. (AWOL's new meaning: "A War Of Lies") At the risk of arrest, he is speaking out bravely on behalf of war resisters and active duty GI's. His old unit, the 94th Engineers, now based at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is slated to return to Iraq in January for the 3rd time. The Army wants Kyle to return to that unit, and will not say what they will do if does. Could they order him back to Iraq?

Thanks to all of you who have made calls to the Commanding General at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The phones have been ringing off the walls there. Now it is time to make the phones ring at Fort Leonard Wood. Say hello to Fort Leonard Woods's brand new commander, Major General William McCoy, Jr., recently returned from the U.S. occupation of Iraq (you can read his emotional address upon assuming his new command at http://www.flw-guidon.com/).

Here are the numbers to call at Fort Leonard WoodOffice of the Commanding General (that's how they answer) 573-596-0131Public Affairs Office, tel. 573-563-4013 or 4105, fax: 573-563-4012, email: alleym@wood.army.mil

We want to deliver one clear message:
RELEASE KYLE SNYDER WITHOUT ANY PUNISHMENT

For more information on Kyle's campaign and how you can support it, please visit the webiste of Courage To Resist, http://www.couragetoresist.org/. Monies are much needed and you can make an online donation there.

Last Friday, Nov. 3, Kyle was interviewed by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales on Democracy Now. You can watch or listen to this interview at http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/03/1431228. You can also read and/or download a written transcript.

Another Iraq war veteran and resister,Ivan Brobeck, returned from Canada on election day to the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia. Ivan was recruited into the Marines when he was 17 and fought in Iraq when he was only 19. Ivan is prepared to face a court martial, if necessary. The Marines have not yet decided what they will do with him. To read Ivan's open letter to President Bush, go to http://www.couragetoresist.org/ivanbrobeck/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17

Below are links to two articles I have written about U.S. war resisters. They were published, respectively, by Z magazine and CCCO's Objector. The Z magazine article includes much of the Counseling Memo of the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada (http://www.resisters.ca/), and the Objector article discusses the injustice of the military's handling of Conscientious Objectors.

Sanctuary and Counseling for War Resisters (Z Magazine)http://zmagsite.zmag.org/JulAug2006/condon0706.html

Support for War Resisters Grows (The Objector, pg. 11)http://www.objector.org/2006JulyObjector.pdf

GI's (or their families) who are seeking discharge from the military or need counseling on how to deal with other issues they may be facing within the military are well advised to contact the GI Rights Hotline, 405 14th Street, Suite #205, Oakland, CA 94612, toll free number: (800) 394-9544 (from the US), (215) 563-4620 (from other countries) Fax: (510) 465-2459, Email: girights@objector.org, web: http://www.girights.org/

Active duty GI's who have information and support will be more likely to follow their consciences and to obey international and U.S. laws against illegal wars and war crimes.

Supporting war resisters is more important than ever. Who else will hasten the end to the unjust, illegal, and unwinnable wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?

for peace and justice,
Gerry Condon

(206) 306-4103
_______________________________________________

Soldier Say No / Project Safe Haven
SoldierSayNo@yahoo.com, projectsafehaven@hotmail.com
http://www.soldiersayno.blogspot.com/

Veterans and War Resisters Enjoy Solidarity Picnic on US-Canada Border

2006-08-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

by Gerry Condon

In a show of support for GIs who are refusing to fight in Iraq, 150 veterans traveled to the U.S.-Canada border on Sunday, Aug. 13, for a “solidarity picnic” with war resisters seeking sanctuary in Canada. Two buses and a caravan of cars ferried members of Veterans For Peace from their national convention in Seattle to Peace Arch Park, a neutral zone on the border between Washington State and British Columbia.

U.S. war resisters were accompanied by Canadian supporters, including World War II veterans. The War Resisters Support Campaign, with chapters across Canada, co-sponsored the event with Veterans For Peace.

“This is the worse combat situation since Vietnam. War crimes are being committed every single day,” said Kyle Snyder, 22, who was a machine gunner in Iraq. “When I reported the shooting of an innocent civilian, my superiors didn’t even bother to investigate,” continued Snyder, one of 30 U.S. military personnel who have applied for refugee status in Canada.

Colonel Ann Wright (ret.) told Snyder he was doing the right thing. “There is a time honored tradition in the U.S. military to refuse to follow illegal orders or to commit war crimes,” said Col. Wright, who resigned from the U.S. State Department in protest of the Iraq War.

“We’re here today to tell the war resisters that we are behind them 100 percent,” said Dave Cline, national president of Veterans For Peace. Cline, a highly decorated veteran who was wounded three times in the Vietnam War, called on the Canadian government to provide sanctuary for U.S. war resisters.

Musicians from both sides of the borders sang songs of peace while the 300 participants enjoyed a family style picnic in a festive atmosphere. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War held friendly conversations with their war resister peers in Canada, and invited them to join their growing organization. Several of the war resisters have already fought in the Iraq War but fled to Canada after being ordered back for a second tour.

Kelly Dougherty, a woman who fought in Iraq, met with two young women who are AWOL from the U.S. Air Force. Dougherty, who was recently elected board chairperson of Iraq Veterans Against the War, has also been speaking out in support of Army Specialist Suzanne Swift, who has refused to return to Iraq after being sexually harassed by several of her superiors.

Suzanne Swift is currently awaiting her fate at Fort Lewis, Washington, where Sgt. Kevin Benderman has been imprisoned for 15 months for refusing to return to Iraq, and Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, is awaiting court martial.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served in Iraq as an interrogator for the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, announced his refusal to deploy to Iraq during the Veterans For Peace convention. Clousing gave himself up to military authorities at Fort Lewis.

Check out Jeff Paterson's excellent photos of the Solidarity Picnic.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/08/14/18297229.php

For more information on how you can help the war resisters in Canada and the U.S., visit www.Resisters.ca and www.CourageToResist.org.

Californians Call for Sanctuary for U.S. War Resisters in Canada

2006-05-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

Keith Mather, David Solnit, Father Louis Vitale, Steve Grossman,
Gerry Condon, Jacqueline Cabasso, Jeff Paterson, Evangeline Mix
Photo: Bill Carpenter

Activists meet with Canadian Consul
in San Francisco

by Gerry Condon

On May 15, International Conscientious Objectors Day, a delegation of concerned Californians visited the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco to appeal for sanctuary for U.S. war resisters in Canada. The visit was coordinated by Courage To Resist, Project Safe Haven and the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO). The delegation included military veterans, a Catholic priest, an expert on international law, and resisters of U.S. wars, present and past. Four delegation members lived in Canada during the Vietnam War.

They delivered a letter addressed to Peter MacKay, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The letter was received by Tristan Landry, Consul, Political/Economic Relations and Public Relations, who listened respectfully as each of his visitors stated their support for sanctuary for U.S. war resisters in Canada.

Gerry Condon of Project Safe Haven gave a brief overview of the plight of U.S. war resisters in Canada, telling the Canadian Consul that several hundred AWOL GI’s were estimated to be in Canada, and that 25 of them have applied for political refugee status. The first two, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, have had their claims for refugee status denied, but they are appealing in Canada’s Federal Court system.

“I know these young people personally,” said Condon. “I know how sincere they are. Several of these young men already served one tour in Iraq. They were witness to U.S. war crimes and, obeying international law, they refused to return for more of the same. If Canada’s refugee system cannot accommodate U.S. war resisters, then we appeal to the Canadian government to fashion a sanctuary policy, as called for by many Canadians, including Members of Parliament.”

“The war in Iraq must be opposed not only as a

matter of law, but as a matter of principle.”

Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, forcefully argued that the U.S. war in Iraq is illegal. “It must be opposed not only as a matter of law, but as a matter of principle,” she said. “If the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war is allowed to stand, the next states in line may be Iran and North Korea, as we have seen.”

Ms. Cabasso later said she was encouraged when the Canadian representative reminded her that Canada had refused to participate in the war in Iraq. “So, welcoming conscientious Iraq War resisters from the United States would certainly be consistent,” she asserted.

Several Vietnam War resisters spoke passionately about Canada’s traditional role, in the words of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as a “refuge from militarism.” Keith Mather, Evangeline Lantana Mix, and Steve Grossman each thanked Canada for providing them with a viable alternative to going to war or to prison during the Vietnam War.

“When a U.S. judge promised me five years in prison for refusing to be drafted into an unjust war, I decided to go to Canada instead,” said Steve Grossman, a theater arts teacher. I am very grateful to the Canadian people and government for five years of creative, useful life instead of five years in prison. And I want to thank those Canadians who are now welcoming another generation of young Americans of conscience.”

Father Louis Vitale, who recently finished a six-month prison sentence for peacefully protesting the “School of the Assassins” at Fort Benning, Georgia, was nonetheless passionate about supporting the troops. “Our military people are really in danger,” said Father Vitale. “They’re really at high risk. Some of them are threatening suicide, or are on the border of suicide. Some of them are tortured in prison. Some of them give in and do go to Iraq and do get killed. They really need the humanity that exists in Canada to accept them and give them sanctuary.”

“Political persecution is a reality for people
opposing the war within the U.S. military.”

Jeff Paterson, an organizer for Not In Our Name, spoke last. “During the first Gulf War, I was a United States Marine,” said Paterson. “I considered that war unjust and immoral and I applied for a discharge as a Conscientious Objector. The Marine Corps told me I was sincere, but not sincere enough. I quickly found myself serving months in the military brig.

“Today, GI’s are being persecuted for refusing to fight in another unjust and illegal war. My friend Camilo Mejia served a year in prison for refusing to return to Iraq. And my friend, Sgt. Kevin Benderman, is entering his second year of imprisonment for refusing to return to Iraq.

“Political persecution is a reality for people opposing the war within the U.S. military,” continued Paterson. “That’s why a safe haven in Canada is a necessity. It’s not a theoretical thing; it’s not a political stunt we’re trying to do.”

Canadian Consul: “Is the Conscientious Objector system not working?”

The Canadian Consul, Tristan Landry, then asked the delegation a question. “Don’t these soldiers have alternatives within the military? Because this is what we are hearing from our counterparts [in the U.S. government]. They are telling us that if soldiers are opposed to going to war, they can apply for Conscientious Objector status. Is that system not working?”

One after another, members of the delegation explained how the current system for applying for Conscientious Objector status is inadequate and arbitrary. The Canadian representative was told that only a very few GI’s are granted this status, just enough for the military to claim there is an “alternative.” Many soldiers are never told of their option to apply for Conscientious Objector status. Or they are told that C.O.’s are cowards and homosexuals to be scorned and abused.

Some GI’s do manage to apply for C.O. status, a serious process of soul-searching and intensive writing, only to have their applications “lost” or “thrown away” by the military. Others wishing to apply for C.O. status have been told to wait until after they are in Iraq or Afghanistan.

In 2004, Sergeant Kevin Benderman, a 10-year Army veteran, returned from the Iraq War and declared himself a Conscientious Objector. The Army violated its own procedures, denied him C.O. status, and ordered him back to Iraq. But Benderman refused to return to war. Last July, he was given a General Court Martial, usually reserved for high crimes. He was convicted of “missing movement” and was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a Dishonorable Discharge.

As Benderman was led off to prison, his company commander, Army Captain Gary Rowley, had some telling words: "If [the rest of the Army] saw this and found out it works using smoke and mirrors to get by, we'll have other soldiers saying, ‘Well, I'm a conscientious objector.’ …They need to know there are consequences for not doing their duty." In other words, Kevin Benderman was sent to prison in order to intimidate his fellow soldiers from getting any ideas.

Delegation members also explained that the U.S. military grants Conscientious Objector status only to those who can prove they are opposed to all war, such as religious pacifists. This narrow definition does not take into account a soldier’s obligations under international law.

The Canadian Consul asked the delegation to provide further documentation about the problems with applying for C.O. status. The delegation thanked him for receiving them so courteously, promised to provide the information he requested, and bid him “adieu.”

Outside the Canadian Consulate, Bill Carpenter of Indymedia videotaped the delegates’ statements. Courage To Resist organizer David Solnit said, “Our democracy has failed us and we’ve been forced into an illegal and immoral war. Our soldiers are the one hope to restore that democracy and to shut down that war. That’s why we must support them in every way we can.”
To see Bill Carpenter’s photos, video, and more information about U.S. war resisters in Canada, please go http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/05/1824046.php

(Paste it into your web browser.)

There are Canadian government offices in twenty U.S. cities. Those wishing to appeal to the Canadian government on behalf of U.S. war resisters are encouraged to contact Project Safe Haven at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com or the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto at resisters@sympatico.ca or 416-598-1222. For more information on military resisters and how to support them, please visit www.CourageToResist.org.

Kevin Benderman - Prisoner of War

2005-09-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Kevin with fellow conscientious objectors Aidan Delgado (left) and Camilo Mejía (right) on the day of the Court-Martial, July 29, 2005. Photo credit: Maritza Mejía, distributed by www.bendermandefense.org. For more pictures, click here.

Welcome to Soldier Say No!

2005-09-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to educate ourselves about the rights and responsibilities of soldiers under international law. Our archived website is at SoldierSayNo.org. This is our blog. This webpage will be updated on a regular basis. We welcome your participation.