Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Why a Resister Chose Canada Over the War in Iraq
I am from Kansas City, Kansas, and I joined the U.S. Army for financial reasons in 2004 after my steady job of seven years ended.
I enlisted for a three-year contract with the intention of being a cook and not in a combat role. I wanted to support the troops in some way without being involved in any combat operations.
A recruiter promised that I could do this.
In 2005 I was deployed to Iraq just north of Mosul where I was told that my duties as a cook would be to supervise and ensure that the local nationals in the dining facility were preparing meals according to military standards.
But instead of supervising in the dining facility, I was performing vehicle searches for explosives, contraband and weapons. I also operated a mobile X-ray machine that scanned vehicles and civilians for any possible explosives that could enter the base.
I had to keep the peace within an area that held 100 to 200 Iraqi civilian men who would be waiting for security clearances, and shoot warning shots at Iraqi children who were trying to set up mortars to fire at the base.
In Iraq I witnessed racism and physical abuse from soldiers toward the civilians.
On one occasion a soldier was beating an Iraqi civilian, called him a "sand nigger," threw his Qur'an on the ground and spat on it. The civilian man was unarmed and was just looking for work on our base. He posed no type of threat and was beaten because soldiers brought their personal racist hatred to Iraq.
This was not what I had signed up for.
After all the wrongs I witnessed in Iraq, I decided that once my one-year tour of duty was over I would never again be part of this unnecessary war.
When I returned home, my unit was informed that we would be redeployed within four months. This would put me beyond the term I signed up for. I was going to be stop-lossed and forced to serve past my contract.
While on two-week leave I made my decision to come to Canada and not return to my base at Fort Hood, Texas.
I have been here in Vancouver since early 2007. I have been self-sufficient. I have fathered a beautiful son whose mother is Canadian. I plan to marry her and to provide our son with a loving and caring family unit.
I have made many friends and I have built a peaceful life here.
My son and my wife-to-be are my heart and soul and it would be a great tragedy for my family and for me personally if I were deported and torn away from them.
I think being punished as a prisoner of conscience for doing what I felt morally obligated to do is a great injustice.
This Christmas I hope and pray that people will open their hearts and minds to give peace and love a chance.
I appeal to the Canadian government to honour your country's great traditions of being a place of refuge from militarism and a place that respects human rights by supporting my decision, and the decisions taken by my fellow resisters to refuse any further participation in this unjust war.
I ask that you urge your government to respect the will of the majority of Canadians by acting on the direction it has been given twice by Parliament to immediately stop deporting Iraq War resisters like me and to let us become permanent residents here.
My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones in this unnecessary war.
- Posted in
67 Comments so far
Show AllA man of conscience.
Best of luck to you and yours.
he needs more than luck.
why has this story not been prominent in canadian news?
if we don't offer refuge for these people, the american war machine will continue umimpeded. we want peace! we do not want war! anyone coming to canada to avoid going to war must be welcomed with open arms. point final, tabernac!
Its been reported on local CBC. The problem again is that the Harper government does not follow the wishes of our parliamment. I guess he's afraid to upset TPTB across the border.
"A recruiter promised that I could do this."
LMAO!
Rodney--You are a hero in every sense of the word. The brave act of resisting war should be followed up with more resistance.
The wars of the Middle East that we are fighting could be stopped tomorrow if we could organize the troops to put their weapons down. This would include the folks inside rooms in Nevada that are responsible for sending drones into AFPAK to do their dirty deeds. The troops need to stop fighting wars of occupation that can never be successful in establishing peace with justice as long as the occupied people want these invaders out.
Happy Holidays Rodney---How can we in the US support your cause?
"... if we could organize the troops to put their weapons down."
this presupposes that the majority want to stop the wars. I doubt that that racist goon would put his weapon down. I also think that the drone operators like what they do. there is no other explanation.
You neglect IVAW.org, Courage to Resist, and March Forward!, as well as the fact that tens of thousands of the troops who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars "deserted" or went awol; and that a considerable number are in detention on U.S. military bases in the U.S.
CD posted a short article with a link to a Youtube copy of an excellent speech by Mike Prysner the other day and he is one of the two co-founders of March Forward!
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2009/12/23-1
You should visit ivaw.org and read up on or at the websites for Courage to Resist and March Forward!; and perhaps webistes like VFP, Veterans for Peace, f.e.
Dahr Jamail has a few or several relevant articles at Truthout.org since June or May and it wouldn't hurt you to read some of these.
And also keep in mind that enough of the troops on active duty suffer from serious PTSD and aren't fully capable of thinking their way to dissent against orders received. Plus, enough, even if not a majority, have been attempting suicide, while some of them "succeeded", over the past few years, or more; and this continues.
I don't know about IVAW and March Forward!, but people can subscribe to email newsletters from Courage to Resist.
www.couragetoresist.org
www.ivaw.org
www.MarchForward.org (works, but also automatically remaps to secure2.convio.net)
The latter, but maybe also IVAW, have members who are active-duty soldiers, too, btw. They're not only veterans.
March Foward! has an excellent musical (rap, I think) promo. video in the homepage and the direct link for it is the following. It's 6:38 for duration and quite excellent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuC7uX4Vd-8
If you want to support Rodney and other resisters check out the wonderful organization, Courage to Resist. They have a great website. Also check out Iraq Veterans Against the War, IVAW. There are also GI coffeehouses located around the country that can always use help. There's one in Washington state, near Ft. Lewis, Coffee Strong. The only way the wars will cease is if the soldiers refuse to fight!
"The only way the wars will cease is if the soldiers refuse to fight!"
Just a little emphasis.
"A recruiter promised that I could do this."
And you believed that? Good God!
MANY enlistees unfortunately believe that U.S. military recruiters are honest, as also did I, too much anyway, when I enlisted in the USN in 1975.
More important to me, however, is moral conscience. As long as I'd have and live, including as an enlisted member of the military, according to a real moral conscience, then this is what would matter most of all.
Rodney, you were very naive to believe the recruiter, but just like Obomba he conned you and that is very evil on his part because he told you what you wanted to hear; not much different than Obomba. But you have learned your painful lesson and are doing the right thing now.
"I appeal to the Canadian government to honour your country's great traditions of being a place of refuge from militarism and a place that respects human rights ..."
I hate to tell you this, Rodney, but I think you're being naive again. Canada's government represents the Canadian people and their "traditions" about as closely and well as the U.S. government represents its ordinary citizens and their fundamental values. Both are subservient to the same "special interests."
Whatever you do, for gawd's sake, don't rely on appeals to the current Canadian government's sense of morality and ethics. They have none. Get yourself in touch with some of the private citizens' groups that have assisted others in situations similar to your own.
P.S.: Bringing a child of unwed parents into the world under the circumstances makes me wonder just a bit about your own morality and ethics.
This was published in The Star- the Liberal paper of Toronto, Canada with a mass readership. The appeal will certainly be heard and listened to by many Canadians.
Even if enough of my fellow Canadians can be awakened from their slumber to pressure the government over this matter, I can guaranty that Harper will simply ignore them as the only opinions he cares about are those given to him by the White House and the MIC
"P.S.: Bringing a child of unwed parents into the world under the circumstances makes me wonder just a bit about your own morality and ethics."
No, it makes clear that your 'morality and ethics' are of the type that judges others by your own value system; they are as entitled to theirs as you are to yours.
Marriage, by the way, has a spotty history, and was always as much about property and inheritance, control by church and state, as it was about nuclear families and personal commitments.
On topic, I wish the fellow well and bless all who attempt to live their beliefs. Would that many more follow his example.
Of course my judgements are based on my own value system, just like everyone else's, obviously including your own. A sound moral decision in one area (in this case war making) doesn't provide any of us with carte blanche in all others.
The ethical issue isn't marriage's "spotty history." Apparently he's prepared to marry the child's mother now. It's a matter of commitment priorities in relation to procreation as they affect the offspring's likely wellbeing under troubling and uncertain circumstances. As I said, I can't help wondering just a bit about the ethics involved in some of Rodney's decisions under the prevailing circumstances -- and those of his chosen partner, for that matter.
I do realise that any such considerations affecting children are not in line with other self-gratification "fulfillment" factors under many adult "value systems" these days (notably including career decisions fostered by a corporatist environment). I just happen to disagree with some of those current priorities. Please forgive my quaint morality.
RV, your self-righteous preaching and condescension is bs and it's unfortunate that you had to corrupt a statement that otherwise could have been fair.
Also, it appears that the Canadian Parliament and/or Federal Court has now voted two times to allow the U.S. military resisters in Canada to stay in Ca, and this is good. I didn't read the article, but came across a link for one about this at probably www.resisters.ca or www.couragetoresist.org, this evening. And it's now for the PM to abide by these rulings.
While this is about a lesbian in the U.S. military seeking refugee status in Canada, the Federal Court in Ottawa nevertheless ruled in favour of allowing her to stay in Canada. This following article is in the homepage and the full press release is a PDF file, unfortunately. That may not happen, or not easily anyway, but if the government is to try to guarantee that Canada is a democracy and abides by laws and human rights protection, then the PM should be amenable to abiding by these two rulings favouring U.S. military resisters in Canada.
"Victory! Federal Court rules in favour of lesbian US war resister
Bethany Smith (a.k.a: Skyler James) welcomes positive news in her effort to avoid deportation to the US military"
http://www.resisters.ca/index_en.html
QUOTE:
OTTAWA — Today a Federal Court in Ottawa ruled that the Refugee Board must re-assess the case from lesbian US war resister Bethany Smith (a.k.a "Skyler James"). Her story was first captured in a feature article by Capital Xtra soon after her arrival in Ottawa over two years ago.
James came to Canada to escape what she describes as "daily humiliations" and "constant threats of physical violence" in the US military. Her lawyer has made a persuasive case against deporting her back to a situation where her very life could be at risk. As of today a Federal Court in Ottawa has compelled the Refugee Board to re-assess James's case based on new criteria. The decision is seen by supporters as major breakthrough in James's efforts to avoid deportation to the US military.
See full press release here.
END QUOTE
Further down the homepage, there's a short article about a bill that was proposed in the House of Commons in September.
QUOTE:
Bill in Support of U.S. Iraq War Resisters introduced in House of Commons
September 17, 2009: Bill C-440, a bill in support of US Iraq War resisters, was introduced in the House of Commons today. MP Gerard Kennedy (Parkdale-High Park) introduced the bill, seconded by Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas).
This is an extremely important step forward for the campaign to ensure that US Iraq War resisters are allowed to stay in Canada. If adopted, the bill will give legal weight to the motion already passed twice in Parliament in support of war resisters, which has been ignored by the minority Conservative government.
See the Campaign's press release on the new bill here.
PLEASE take a moment to send a message to Gerard Kennedy and Bill Siksay, and copy the Opposition party leaders and the immigration critics – here are some points to include in your message:
* thank the Members and opposition parties for their efforts in passing two motions in the House of Commons in support of U.S. Iraq War resisters.
* thank the Members for introducing this important bill
* remind them that several Iraq war resisters are under imminent threat of deportation to the United States, where they face court-martial and jail time
* call on all Members of the Opposition to help move the bill forward as quickly as possible, and to work hard alongside thousands of Canadians to stop any impending deportations.
Send messages to: Gerard Kennedy: Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca; and Bill Siksay: siksay.b@parl.gc.ca
Please cc: Jack Layton MP laytoj@parl.gc.ca, Michael Ignatieff Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca, Gilles Duceppe MP duceppe.g@parl.gc.ca
Thierry St-Cyr st-cyr.t@parl.gc.ca, Olivia Chow chow.o@parl.gc.ca, Maurizio Bevilacqua bevilm0@parl.gc.ca
END QUOTE
Further down the homepage is the following piece.
QUOTE:
Iraq War resister Kimberly Rivera wins in Federal Court
On Tuesday August 11, the Federal Court of Canada granted Kimberly Rivera a new Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). The judicial review hearing took place on July 8 before Federal Court Judge the Honourable James Russell.
Justice Russell found that the PRRA Officer did not deal properly with the risk that Kim Rivera would face differential prosecution on the basis of her opposition to the Iraq War.
As a result of the ruling Rivera is entitled to a new decision in her PRRA, a process that may take up to four months.
Read the full press release here.
END QUOTE
A little further down the homepage, we learn that Rodney Watson won "a short extension" to be able to stay a while longer in Canada; having won this back in early August or in July, I guess, since the text says he was otherwise to be deported back to the U.S. on August 10th.
Then the homepage has an embedded video regarding Canadian PM Stephen Harper admitting that "the Iraq War was "absolutely an error"" and this evidently will be used by activists trying to help U.S. Iraq war veterans in Canada to stay here when this is what they want to do. The video is footage of a little debate between Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe and Harper, who had supported the Iraq War in 2003. Duceppe really drills Harper about this and Harper agrees that he had supported the war and that it was "absolutely an error".
If Harper gets drilled like that often enough, then maybe there's a very good chance the U.S. military resisters in Canada will start to find it easy enough to be able to legally stay here.
I don't know if this following text from the resisters.ca homepage is what caused me to think that the Canadian Parliament ruled on two occasions for Canada to allow U.S. military, war resisters to stay in Canada, but the text nevertheless says this.
http://www.resisters.ca/index_en.html
QUOTE:
Canadian Parliament Reaffirms Support for US Iraq War Resisters
The Canadian House of Commons has reaffirmed it's support for US Iraq War Resisters, passing the same motion which was passed on June 3, 2008, calling on the minority Conservative government to stop removal proceedings against war resisters and allow them to stay in Canada.
It is time Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to listen to Canadians and act on the will of the Canadian people as expressed through polls and through Parliament and implement the motion.
END QUOTE
Harper has disregarded these rulings by the House of Commons, but we can certainly hope he'll start to rule in a democratic way by ... some day starting to respect such rulings or motions. Whether or not he'll be able to stop playing mister dictator, only the future will reveal.
I won't let my cynicism completely overrule or -ride hope.
As Linda McQuaig has said of Canada, roughly, "We're not the bully, but we hold the bully's coat."
You aren't a killer but you made sure the killers ate well.
I can't agree with Canada providing a 'get out of war free' card to people who have VOLUNTEERED to be a part of the illegal invasions. Certainly if you were about to be DRAFTED to go and murder as a part of these war crimes I would invite you into my own home and make you some fudge.
That said, I know that it is hard for Americans to see straight any more about the evils of war, soaking in the ooze of propaganda from a corrupt MSM. You made a mistake and you learned from it, bravo! - but you may not have paid for it yet. Tell everyone you can about the racism and wrongness you saw over there, fight the forces that push guys like you to join up - and maybe you can create some karmic balance for yourself.
Teach your boy peace. War is for assholes.
Most did not volunteer to serve in an illegal war, for most who enlisted knowing they'd serve in the Iraq War, or the one in Afghanistan, didn't realise that these were and will remain criminal wars. Most enlisted while believing the LIES of the government of the USA, so they thought the war was legal. Therefore, once they realise that the war is illegal, or they're being stop-lossed, which means the contracts they agreed to when enlisting aren't being respected, then they have every right to dissent and we should both respect and support this dissent.
Your pompousness seems to have also caused you to omit the fact that Canada is rather equally guilty or criminal in these wars. The magnitude of the crimes of the U.S. and Canada aren't the same, but Canada nevertheless did criminally contribute to the war on Iraq and not only in terms of being the government that provided the most foreign ally help for the U.S. build-up for the war in the Persian Gulf, etcetera, for Canada also sent CAF officers to help direct the criminal war operations in Iraq; the latter having been done for some years, and that's if Canada has stopped doing this.
You're a little too pompous.
It should be noted that recruiters in the U.S. are very good at convincing young men and women that the military will do whatever you require to better your position in life. They will say things like... "It's against the law for me to lie to you. I could get court marshalled if what I was promising you was false."
It's easy for the readers here a CD to call this young man naive, but the vast majority of recruits join because of the 'socialist framework' (Free doctors, dentists, guaranteed pensions, long-term contracts, etc.) that the U.S. military offers. After all, that social safety net is non-existant anywhere else. When a desperate young adult is looking for some security in life, it is easy to believe the propaganda that is fed to them by well trained, recruiters.
As for his chances of remaining in Canada, the chances are slight due to the fact that Prime Minister Harper idolizes all things that are American. Once he finally gets tossed out on his ass from politics (who knows when?), it is most probable that he will seek retirement in the U.S. or employment for some large, multi-national corporation. He feels therefore that his allegiance to the U.S. military industrial complex is vital for him to make the eventual transition to the U.S.
Obama, another corporate lackey, won't change any fundamentals regarding the U.S. position on deserters. Big Oil, defence contractors and other predatory corporations require people like Rodney to fight our imperial wars abroad. Though the trend is to rely more on mercenaries in the future, the basic infantryman is still a very important part of the puzzle.
Good luck Rodney. I really hope that you can remain in Canada, but don't count on Harper empathizing with you.
There is an organization called March Forward, www.marchforward.org, made up of veterans and service personnel who are fed up with war and racism. Scott Horton on Antiwar Radio, www.antiwar.com/radio, has an interview with two of the members.
I would recommend moving to a country with no extradition agreemnent with the Empire, in order to be safe. According to the WHO, France has the best health-care system in the world, and no extradition agreement, plus the food is pretty good. It aint perfect, but he would be safer there, or Cuba. J'ai aprender a parler Francais, mais oui! Tengo que hablar espanol tambien...
Je crois que ce devrait être... j'ai appris.
"J'ai appris" est exacte.
looks like this redneck got some learnin to do, cheers
Who are you calling a redneck? If referring to me, then I might live a very simple and inexpensive lifestyle, and I might be a redneck of sorts, but not like you Americans usually mean for "redneck". If, again, you're referring to me, then socialist Americans clearly aren't particularly bright and like many of their fellow citizens, they like to label other people, blindly. Ignorance is shared by many who call themselves socialists.
And your French is quite lousy, too, btw. I was far ahead of your level by ages ten to twelve; but then I come from French family and you most likely don't, or not a family that's maintained its French skills, anyway. Plenty of French descendants in the U.S. gave up their French starting long ago.
What's better, an ignorant socialist, or a redneck with some real education?
I assumed "socialist" was referring to himself by the term "redneck," in effect conceding his error in the use of "aprender" which you corrected for him.
I was referring to myself in a self-depracating manner. I guess my sense of humor is not appreciated
On the one hand, you (like Faust who sold his soul to Satan) signed yourself away and now the Devil has come to collect what is rightfully his. Since your objection is one of conscience, you ought to be willing (in good conscience)to accept whatever consequences your conscientous actions bring upon you.
On the other hand, the Army found a nice legal loophole that enabled them to void the original terms of their contract till you were either killed in action or sufficiently maimed (physically or psychologically) to be of no further use to them.
I hope our northern neighbors let you stay, but given that "Harpie" is about the Canadian equivalent to GW Bush, I suspect that if it was the last thing he ever did, thirty seconds before leaving office, his sorry self would probably sign the order extradicting you and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.
May you, your son, and his mother have as blessed a time possible under these circumstances.
Poet
To hell with the contract, Poet, and may Harper ride it down.
Better wise once than foolish twice.
Better late than never.
Better rob the Devil than serve him.
Better accept the consequences of fleeing than killing or maiming.
I am a 49 year old Canadian who has never known war, never been in the service but sure have had a lot to say about war in general, none of it good. I was a kid in the sixties and like many canadian youth of that era was greatly influenced by american media, not the least of which was the negative sterotype associated with draft doggers/war resisters. At 19 I joined a nine month youth volunteer program(Katimavik) and on my travels actually met american draft doggers in variious remote Canadian locations (the Anapolysis vally, the Slocan vally, Vancouver island, etc.) thus began my appreciation of just what we had here in old "peace keeping" Canada and how greatly it contrasted with all that flag waving, hype, bluster, and bullshit to the south of us.
Unfortunately I hardly recognize the place as of late. We now have Harper and his ilk kicking guys like the author of this piece out and back to possible prosecution for not wanting to fight in fake wars. The "right" in Canada have no problem with the fact that the Canadian government lied through their teeth when they told us that Canada did not knowingly hand over Afgan prisoners to the Afgan secret service to an almost certain fate of torture. They claim they didn't know, that no one told them. I call bullshit.
Unless I was vacationing in Cuba and missed it somehow Canada is still suppose to be following the Geneva Convention, regardless of what the new world order is. I know that I am not alone in the shame I feel in being "knee deep in the big muddy". Since when is Canada a player in the Millitary Industrial complex? Our soldiers are dying for what exactly, to save us from terrorism? To catch Osama bin ladin? Got news for you, he's been dead for 8 years, died in bora Bora back in 2001, don't believe me look it up. Oh, did the main stream media forget to tell us that too?
A number of CD'ers criticize Cdn PM Stephen Harper, who deserves nothing other than criticism; but he's not alone. The two preceding PM's, Paul Martin and Jean Chretien, weren't really any better and he just continued where they left off. And I'm not sure, but believe that unlike Obama, Stephen Harper hasn't escalated from what the prior two PM's left him with. They all deserve to be strongly and clearly criticized though. I don't know of anything really good that can be justly said about any of them; and they're lucky if some of us still recognize them as humans.
Electing three criminals for PM's in a row might be a high batting average for Canadian electors, but I wouldn't want to play in this game. Both the Conservative and Liberal Party are corporatist, etcetera, and I don't know about the Bloc Quebecois and NDP, but the Parti Quebecois of the province of Quebec is one to certainly not vote for and it's associated with the federal Bloc Quebecois; although, I don't know any details about this association between them. I only have read that they're politically associated.
I'm not sure, but believe that none of the four main federal political parties in Ca are good.
Please let him stay there in Canada. We want people here who can kill and rape and spread misery where ever they go.
Lizards? I didn't know they could communicate in human language.
According to the organization I mentioned earlier, March Forward, there are thousands (50,000?) who are refusing to return to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. The military is trying to keep the number of desertions hushed up and seem to ignoring what's happening out of fear of a larger rebellion in the ranks.
I think that it was possibly an interview between Dahr Jamail and a leader of IVAW, or maybe it was just an article of his and/or an article or video of an IVAW leader, but whatever it was, I think to recall that it's from earlier this year and that the organisation's leadership believes that the total number of awol troops may be 40,000 to 50,000. However, like the person said, they can't find out what the real number is, because it's not information the U.S. DoD or Pentagon allows access to except for the people who are officially considered in need of the information, in whatever way the war makers deem to be "need" and which isn't for public FOIA filers. The person nevertheless believes the number is 40,000 to 50,000 anyway; maybe even more, but I only recall these two numbers.
This is only for the awol troops, for there are thousands of dissenting veterans and active-duty military members, soldiers and officers, who aren't awol. Some of the veterans did go awol at first, but came out of hiding and accepted to be court martialed, etcetera.
Altogether, the total might possibly be 100,000 or more. Maybe not quite that high, but if 50,000 are awol, then I guess we can expect that the combined total is probably 75,000 or more. And I guess that we can expect that the number will continue to rise.
I was 21 when I worked for the US Army in Munich as a "local national", a quasi hippy earning some money to pay for my continuing journey to the east which took me overland to India and back in 1973. I was in Afghanistan, Baluchistan in Pakistan and all other points between, now the epicentre of this pernicious and mendacious "war on terror."
While working in Munich for the US Army I was among a host of burned out, PTSD (not then diagnosed), and stoned Viet Nam vets, most drafted, sent to "dry out" for the last year of their tour of duty before being sent back Stateside after a year killing gooks in Nam.
What goes around comes around eh? I had nothing but pity then for the poor kids sent off to take part in a colossal war crime, sent by criminals in Washington who made it criminal to avoid going (for those with no connections), and I feel the same today--yes, even for "volunteers" like Rodney who were lied to, economically coerced--whatever, to be used as cannon-fodder for the latest U.S. criminal colonialist adventure abroad.
Of course they are lied to--and I would include the obvious controlled demolitions of 9/11 and the B.S. fed through the media about that staged “Pearl Harbour” event. They are lied to because basically Americans are really not keen on fighting abroad in any war that is clearly immoral from the get-go.
It is time for Americans to clean up their back yard and address their criminal military industrial complex, now morphing into a full-blown police state, one that Eisenhower warned them about just before he left office.
"War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus."
~Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The U.S. and Israeli governments seem to be terminally infected with this disease at this point and should be internationally quarantined. The British quisling Blair should be hauled to The Hague for war crimes along with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice, and the long-overdue Henry "Dr. Strangelove" Kissinger.
Canada should do its part, oust Harper, and rescind all agreements with this rogue state--nothing in our historical character as a people supports our being mercenaries supporting America's criminal wars abroad, marching with them lock-step into an abyss of their own making.
I have compassion for you Rodney, but forgive me for saying I have more for Afghanis and Iraqis right now.
DR - Montreal
Amen, brother.
You made two points no one else did:
1. Problem with these wars is not that they are illegal, but that they are immoral. People stress illegality of these wars as if their formal legality would magically make them morally justified.
2. Lest we forget: "I have compassion for you Rodney, but forgive me for saying I have more for Afghanis and Iraqis right now."
>>Canada should do its part, oust Harper, and rescind all agreements with this rogue state--nothing in our historical character as a people supports our being mercenaries supporting America's criminal wars abroad, marching with them lock-step into an abyss of their own making.
Bang on. We are being used as Proxy troops for empire. We have no business being involved in these wars of aggression.
My hope is for a leader that will pull Canada out of NATO and rescind the agreements that allow US troops into Canada. We would abrogate NAFTA and end all talk of the SPP. We would refuse to fight this Phony war on terror and ensure our armed forces purpose is to defend Canadas territory.
The only foreign missions our forces would involve themselves in are in places like Rwanda or the Congo.
Unfortunately none of the main party leaders have this vision. The only one I can see adopting such policies is Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc. Equally as unfortunate would be what the US would do in response wherein they would label Canada a "Terrorist State" and seek reason to topple such a Government in the interests of "Freedom and Democracy"
Both posts above are great but I disagree with the notion that our acting as a proxy for empire is a relatively new development. We simply serve a new master now. Whether our children fight to protect England's wealth or America's we are still stooges.
It is true Canada used to jump in and volunteer for Britain's wars in the past, without debate--it was expected. That was also when Canada had a union jack as part of its flag... until 1965. At that point we dropped out colonial status and continued to develop a Canadian vision of being independent of British war policies and attempting to become "peace-makers" instead of a proxy-colonial force to be called on. Canada was not asked to join the British in their immoral little Falklands farce of a war for example, nor would we have gone in any case.
In fact the peacemaker role was established by PM Lester Pearson in his handling of the Suez crisis in 1956 as Canada worked with the UN to end this war with the insertion of the first UN-deployed peacemakers to separate warring factions. Contrast the reasons Pearson received the Nobel Prize for this with Obama's recent receipt of the same. These are shameful times.
In fact Canada's status and role as peacekeeper has been steadily eroding and the latest deployment of troops as virtual mercenaries in an Afghan occupation force represents the antithesis of what this country was striving for and is a disgrace. Our governance has allowed themselves to be pressured into taking part in an American war of aggression that is clearly based upon hypocrisy and lies.
But at least we can hope for change when Harper is removed, as a majority of Canadians do not support this immoral occupation. Nor do we support the development of an American style police state with agonistic people in uniform radically perverting their pledge "to serve and protect" to target our democratic right to demonstrate and disagree with government policy.
It has also been this country's tradition to offer sanctuary for those fleeing persecution, and those who do not wish to take part in an immoral war. In short Harper, in choosing to deport Rodney Watson, is un-Canadian. We want a person with integrity and vision as PM, not a right-wing American stooge.
DR - Montreal
Here is a good site for more info on Rodney Watson and other resisters in Canada as well as the effort to support them
http://www.resisters.ca/index_en.html
I hope for good things for you and your new family. -Peace
"U.S. Iraq War resister and Veteran Rodney Watson speaks from sanctuary in Vancouver, B.C." (3:26),
posted by WarResistersCanada (www.resisters.ca) Nov 9th, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2EnyNA4HY&NR=1
"U.S. Iraq War resister and Veteran Rodney Watson speaks in Vancouver, B.C. - Sept. 10/09" (5:20)
posted by WRC, Oct 21, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntWxSRmuQTE
In the latter video, he says much of what's said in the article by him, above.
CourageToResist.org, btw, has a related petition that's easy to sign, only requiring that we specify our names and, for people who can and wish to donate, a pledge amount can be also specified. I tried signing the petition just now, but the certificate produces an error that prevents signing. The certificate, in my case anyway, is associated with www.4admin.com and www.webmasters.com, instead of couragetoresist.org. So, I'm unfortunately unable to sign, but maybe other people won't have this problem.
And here's a musical piece by an Iraq War veteran who's very pissed off about the "stop loss" bs of the government and military of the USA.
"Marc Hall jailed for angry 'Stop-Loss' Hip Hop song", Dec 22, 2009
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/800/1
EXCERPT:
Stop-lossed Army Specialist Marc Hall (aka Hip Hop artist Marc Watercus) was placed in the Liberty County Jail Friday, December 11 for speaking out against the continuing policy that has barred him from exiting the military, including recording an angry and explicit song. Servicemembers do not completely give up their rights to free speech, and certainly not when they do so artistically while off duty. However, the military intends to hold Marc in the county jail for months of pre-trial punishment before court martial. This could become a precedent setting case for boundaries of dissent within the ranks. Free Marc! Free speech! Free the troops from Stop Loss!
END OF EXCERPT
There's an embedded audio player for his angry "hip hop" piece and there's an embedded video at the end of the short article. In his musical piece, he clearly isn't a happy fellow and knows how to frankly speak his mind to U.S. military "superiors", etcetera. He's being punished for this good piece he composed, but I hope he keeps up the spirit reflected in this piece of his.
With the US going into Colombia, Yemen, Pakistani etc. it won't be long until each soldier can have their own war with a country.
NEW ---- U.S. CONSTITUTION
MILITARY SERVICE
(5) No one shall be compelled to use deadly force or fight in a war, as the
cause a man chooses to fight for and die for shall be his decision alone.
(6) Your turn?
Before another innocent dies in a US war, I would like to see all service men and women leave the military. Lt. Watada refused to go to Iraq, but would have gone to Afghanistan. Now, I doubt that he would go there.
Before anyone joins the military, just ask yourself a simple question - What would Jesus, as President of the US, have done following 9/11?
I really don't know, but he would have taken a different tack from Bush, Obama and the coalition forces, if he was the same Christ I keep hearing about.
Regardless of why you signed up originally, leaving the service when the wars result in the senseless slaughter of innocent civilians is the right thing to do.