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In Solidarity With the Egyptian People and the Soldiers Refusing to Repress Them
As veterans and friends and families of veterans and active-duty members of the US military, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Egyptian people and the brave members of the Egyptian military who have refused to repress the people, and in some cases, joined them. We stand opposed to the role the US government has played in economically and politically supporting Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship. We oppose the 1.3 billion dollars in annual military aid our government continues to give to security forces in Egypt. We are horrified that during the week-long uprising, our tax dollars have paid for the weapons and training that have killed more than 125 peaceful protesters and injured thousands more.
After decades of supporting Mubarak's rule, the U.S. claims to support a "transition," calling for "restraint from both sides." Yet the Obama administration has been giving the Egyptian military strategic assistance throughout the uprising. When protests broke out on the 25th, the Egyptian military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Anan, was in Washington as part of an annual strategizing session. He stayed in DC until the 28th, when he returned to Egypt to command the security forces.
We do not believe Egyptians are "anti-American" for holding up the tear gas canisters that have killed so many peaceful protesters in Cairo, pointing out that they are stamped "Made in the USA." We believe that the US government's foreign policy is against the values of the American people. Our own government has chosen to support an Egyptian dictatorship, making a mockery of our country's deeply held democratic values.
We know that "regime change" and "democracy" were the code words behind the US invasion of Iraq, which took the lives of thousands of our young people and more then one million Iraqis. In the name of "regime change" and "democracy," we bombed, shot, tortured, and imprisoned a large number of Iraqi citizens.
That does not mean we support dictatorial governments in Middle Eastern countries. We believe in regime change that comes from the people. Invasion, occupation, and the use of force have failed at creating just societies. What we hope to see in Egypt is regime change by and for the people, society transformed from below.
In Egypt, the streets are filled with demonstrators chanting, "The people and the army are one hand!" The moment may soon approach when Egyptian soldiers will be forced to choose between killing or joining the people. Recently we have seen soldiers act heroically and peacefully in similar circumstances in Tunisia, Yugoslavia, Portugal, and Venezuela.
There is a parallel in the US: some of us who were in the military refused to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, while others have spoken out against military injustice since returning. Some have supported soldiers who have blown the whistle on our government's war crimes. Others have supported military refusers as they were imprisoned or forced to flee the country for their crimes of conscience.
We extend our support to all members of the Egyptian military who follow their conscience, just like those Americans who refused their orders to go to war or refused to fight once they got there. We support those who refuse to fire into crowds, those who lend their support to democracy.
We also recognize that the U.S. has a sustained military presence in Egypt, with a Connecticut National Guard unit currently being deployed to the Sinai Peninsula. We call on U.S. soldiers in Egypt to follow their conscience and stand on the side of the Egyptian people.
Today we stand in support of a global peoples' movement for freedom, democracy, peace, equality, and justice!
Peace and freedom be with you, people of Egypt!
(Organizations are for identification purposes only)
Scott Kimball, Iraq Veterans Against the War
Sarah Lazare, The Civilian-Soldier Alliance
Ryan Harvey, The Civilian-Soldier Alliance
Jacob George, Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, 3 tours
Ethan McCord, Iraq Veteran, Bravo Company 2-16 (seen in Iraq "Collateral Murder" video released by Wikileaks)
Josh Stieber, Iraq veteran
Jonathan Uss
Maggie Martin, Iraq Veterans Against the War
Clare Bayard, The Catalyst Project
Austin McCann, The Civilian-Soldier Alliance
Comments
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12 Comments so far
Show AllAll Americans have a chance to show their hunger and passion for peace and democracy come March 19, when nonviolent anti-war demonstrations take place in Washington, D.C., and other major U.S. cities.
It is time Americans walk the walk rather than talk the talk. This whole uprising in the Middle East is all about the American Military Empire in support of the greed of American corporations.
I hope to see some of you in SF on March 19th.
There needs to be a rally sooner than March 19. We need to show the Egyptian people and the AMERICAN government that we support the peaceful removal of Mubarak and his regime. And most importantly, we need to show that the American people will no longer support (politically and with taxpayer dollars) corrupt, dictatorial regimes.
The good people protesting in Liberation Square can't afford to restrain themselves. They restrained themselves for thirty years. More power and momentum to them! May the soldiers defend them and not the reactionary plutocratsI can't go to San Francisco on March 19th, but I'll do what I can here from my rural outpost even if its just to send money somewhere. Keep posting, Stephen Riley.
Tyranny has to be stopped. The time of the Despots and Dictators has failed.
We in the United States are witnessing history and we all need to cheer the Citizens of Egypt and hope they prevail.
Mubarak needs to step down now and let the People of Egypt determine their own march to self government.
A Navy Vietnam Veteran
VP,
I agree with you. The first agenda should be No. 10, and should rank first, a regime change. The rest can proceed. However, having said that I sincerely don't believe it will remotely happen, or close to 1/2 of the protesters in Egypt. The "middle Class" either still wine and feasting or too involve staying alive, afraid and unable to come, like this writer (under class).
Many preferring to sit comfortably be a keyboard protester. Like a writer in CD, "having a hot tea, while outside in zero degree temp."
Pathetic USA! Put us to shame comparing to the Egyptians! They have not won yet, the game still needs to be play out and their struggles continue.
I just love it when the Israel and the United States gets blamed. How about Iran?
Also, where is the Security Council????
....and where were you?
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From the land of pyramids a borrowed symbol perhaps cogent for us all:
from the great seal---our pyramid, less the oligarchy
Evidently Mubarak still has whatever Warlord Strongpersons needs -- a bunch of violence-ready thugs (think early-Nazi brownshirts, later Gestapo) dedicated to using whatever violence they can muster to keep The Boss in power. Who are they and what are they getting out of it?
On one of the TV coverage things I watched tonight offered the opinion that Mubarak doesn't believe all the protesters really represent "the people"; that the only "people" he believes in are those (whoever they are) on his side. That feels psychologically true to me. He certainly thinks saying he won't run eight months from now ought to be plenty enough concession. He seems to feel he's bending over bsckwards to be accommodating and, if the mobs on the streets aren't satisfied, that's on them, not his fault.
All seem to agree that only the military has power to show Big Mub the gate. Despite all this new violence they seem as yet reluctant to once and for all choose up sides. Their stark choice is to stage a coup de gras or shoot the crowd down. I wonder how much debate there is going on among the regular military commanders as to what they can or should do.
I also wonder how loyal the military leadership in all those other nearby nations said to be verging on the same sort of uprising to their Thugs-In-Charge. People on the news keep on saying that things need to move in a direction that settles things. Hard for me to see that happening without a whole lot of slaughter, leaving things pretty well disrupted almost beyond repair.
There is a lot more to regime change than hitting the streets and yelling for the rulers to go. Chaos and anarchy are Pandora's box forces that, once loosed, are difficult to get control of.
One instance of "People Power" said to be an example of how it's done right was the 1986 EDSA rebellion in the Philippines worked out because Corazon Aquino, a member of good standing of the Establishment -- and someone with sentimental public appeal because her husband, Begnino Aquino, was an opposition leader who had been whacked presumably by Marcos backed hit men. Cory was there to move into the palace. Government could go on pretty much as was without any substantive changes in social or economic arrangements. Few lives were changed for the better. The same elites were in charge. Cory Aquino's son is now running things.
I don't see an outcome like that coming to pass in Egypt, but I guess it could. If you're a fan of disruption, then there's a lot of that to be enjoyed. If you're looking for hope for a more equitable future with liberty and justice for all, then we may be in much more trouble than many are willing to admit.
Tear gas canisters used by the Mubarak government labeled MADE IN THE USA says it all.
Wouldn't a huge rally in Virginia at the Military Prison asking for Bradley Manning to be returned to the people be an important step? The government ( military ) was shown acting shamefully and dishonorably? Why should the lone man who exposed these criminal military thugs be
abandoned to their treatment????? There could be huge media coverage and a lot of politicians scrambling to take a stand on some side or other, and the world would be watching. It would give extra meaning to the March 19 protests. I want to rescue Bradley Manning and make the military give him up. That is what is right. Thousands standing at thier door demanding his release would be super.