Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Ex-Envoy Warns Against US Plan for Guam
A FORMER U.S. diplomat turned peace activist advised Guam residents to be wary of the American government's military buildup plan for the island.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright speaks against war and militarization during a presentation held Monday at the University of Guam. (Photo by Jude Lizama/Variety) "We need to be looking very carefully at what our federal government does to us," said Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army colonel who spoke to a small crowd on the implications of the relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam during a presentation held Monday night at the University of Guam.
"While we all want to be safe and secure in the world, sometimes our federal government uses this issue of national security to do things to us that we normally wouldn't put up with," she added.
Wright accompanied members of the Code Pink Japan, a peace activist group, who visited Guam to discuss the impact of the military buildup with local activists. The group left Guam yesterday.
"Our delegation is here in solidarity with the people of Guam in terms of the movement of 8,000 marines from Okinawa. The people of Japan, particularly the people on Okinawa, have been working very hard to remove some of the extensive military forces. Now, they seem to be coming to your lovely island," said Wright, a native of Arkansas.
"The [Okinawans] certainly understand that whenever the U.S. military lands somewhere, it leaves a very large footprint. You all know it very well, because much of your land is already occupied by the U.S. military," the former U.S. envoy told the audience.
Anti-war
Wright is a former U.S. deputy ambassador who was assigned in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Micronesia. She joined the military at the time when the U.S. military was invading Vietnam.
On March 19, 2003, the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Wright cabled a letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell, stating that without the authorization of the UN Security Council, the invasion and occupation of a Muslim, Arab, oil-rich country would be a isaster. Since then, she has been writing and speaking out for peace and is now a resident of Honolulu.
"It has been deeply emotional for all of us. Here we are in war again. The United States has started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," she said. "When you look at the number of civilians who have been killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guam, it brings home to us all what we should be working on."
"The history of the United States is not a peaceful history," said Wright, who added that the U.S. has, "a history of invading other countries."
Land grabbing
With regard to the local military buildup, Wright told the audience that, "You have been seeing your own lands being taken from you," adding that, "The federal government builds without your agreement. They build enormous facilities that have disastrous effects on your environment."
The retired colonel suggested that people weigh the importance of their own lands, and whether or not it is worth it to lose those lands for an increase in short term values such as trade and business.
"Once the federal government gets its hands into something it never gets it out. With the Obama administration I certainly hope that we will all join together to throw out many of the provisions of the Patriot Act that are really curtailing our own civil liberties," she said.
Threatened
Japanese parliamentarian and Code Pink member Sumi Fujita said that because of the long military presence and all of the rape cases in Okinawa, "women [there] now feel threatened."
"All of the military promises to help the Okinawan economy have been a big lie," Fujita said, through interpreter Hisae Ogawa.
As for the rape issue, Wright said, "This is a failure in leadership that is coming to you, that will allow this to continue."
"Sometimes being an activist leads to things that you'd never thought you'd be doing," said Wright.
The former U.S. diplomat also stated that we should all be aware of the "isms" created by policy makers. "Our government has been very good, meaning very bad, in using the ‘isms' like communism, terrorism, and fascism to frighten and scare the American public so that they can do things that normally we would protest," she said. "It something we should always be very wary of, when there's another ‘ism' coming up."
- Posted in
10 Comments so far
Show AllThe UK, France, SPain, Portugal, Netherlands and Russia all divested themselves of their empires. The US needs to do so as well.
Most of them by force. Who will force the U.S. out?
The US Empire will implode itself out of existence.
As soon as the Chinese, Russians, and the rest of the world's suckers refuse to buy any more of our worthless T-Bills making it impossible to continue to finance the fiasco of imperialist empire.
Poet
It won't be long now... but the US will be able to do a lot of damage as it goes down...
Then they'll just use other countries currency! What do you think all those Muli-National Corporations are doing? MONEY LAUNDERING!!!
WHy do I love this woman??? who is Ann Wright?
Demilitarize NOW!
She is perfectly correct in her assertions of "isms".
But then, the American people have a long history of being 'fearful' of things they are 'told to fear' by their 'government', or Church or party leader or any other 'power figure of authority'.
Fear can only thrive in the 'dominance' of 'ignorance' and 'ignorance can only be remedied by information', which can only truly be acquired through 'questions' and the root word of 'question' is ---------quest.
Americans are taught in most cases that to 'question authority' is 'un American'----and they are paying the price of and for it now after several generations of 'ignorance'...
America and Americans are in a very dangerous and tenuous position. They have at least since the turn of the 20th century meddled and interfered with the internal affairs of so many nations and 'would be' nations that the true numbers may never be known. They have been directly responsible for the death and destruction of millions of innocent people, and the destruction of their environment, both natural and social. They have slaughtered the innocent, to place into power cruel and destructive "dictators" often replacing them with the 'democratically elected, by their own people'.
Now, they have shown the world that they cannot win the wars they 'start'. The will 'elect' people who are unqualified both intellectually and 'integrity challenged', and give them 'protection' after their may crimes are revealed. They cannot manage their own economy, since it has crashed several times dragging with it those who were 'invested'. They have shown the world that they are a dangerous rogue nation that cannot keep its word, but can be relied upon to break it. They turn on their 'friends' and make them 'enemies' ---often within a span of one or two decades.
In short, (because I could go on almost 'forever')---
the USA has shown the entire world that they are not worthy to govern themselves, but must be allowed to.
They should however, never be allowed to be in a position to' govern others', or 'occupy others' for any reason.
They should be forced to pay retribution to the nations they have destroyed both foreign and domestic. Their criminal leaders should be brought to trial in a 'world/global forum'. They should be left economically in a position to take care of them selves, but never be allowed to acquire the vast sums of money they now waste on the building of their 'empire'.
Shortly now, the world will finally decide to eliminate the danger to themselves and their future generations; and the USA will simply be a 'figment of its own imagination'----
And the Americans will have brought it upon themselves---out of their 'intentional' 'fear and ignorance' ---from being a 'nation of followers'............
They will however be treated by the 'generous historians' of the future with kindness when they refer to the Americans and America as a 'terrible warning' and a 'negative example'. For it is only those who 'ask questions'--and 'question authority' ---that will truly survive, whether they are individuals or nations.
You may have some time left America----
Good Luck you really need it
odoco
Ann - for the thousandth time - THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. You have never given up; you have always spoken truth to power; and, you have always maintained your integrity when faced with insurmountable odds.
I hope the Guamanians heed your warning and protest the further militarization of their homeland. I am encouraged when the Italians at Vincenza (sp?) confront both our government and their own to stop the further spread of the US military hegemon. I would feel differently if I had any faith whatsoever left in the system - but I don't. Corporatism is waxing, democracy, truth and freedom are on the wane, and most of the world seems at odds with itself, ever more ready to use force instead of reason.
The war machine is not the answer. Intimidation is not the answer. The continuation of a war mentality and the further militarization of the civilian sector is not the answer - in fact - it may well lead to the collapse of this country as we have known it in the past.
J.S.
VFP
I agree with and admire this lady wholeheartedly. And as for the "isms", watch out when they tell us they are doing something for capitalism. That means more economic rape for you by the elite.