Forwarded with Compliments of Government of the USA in Exile (GUSAE): Free Americans Resisting the Fourth Reich on Behalf of All Species.
From: "Action Center" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [IAC] "Resist!" Says Call to GIs from Veterans and Anti-War Activists
Date: Thu, 06 May 2004 23:34:03 +0000
International Action Center Supports SNAFU Call to Resistance
International uproar over the abuse, torture, and rape of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. and British troops is growing, reaching far beyond even the millions who opposed the war from the beginning.
More than a thousand photographs and numerous military reports reveal the truth behind the occupation: All wars of conquest become a war against a whole population and result in the greatest level of barbarism. The Bush Administration, with the assistance of major U.S. media, demonized the Iraqi people, paving the way for what has now been revealed.
Photos show the level of sheer brutality. In one, a hooded Iraqi stands on a crate with wires attached to his fingers and genitals. He was threatened with electrocution if he moved off the box. Other photos and military investigations reveal numerous instances of sadistic abuse carried out in the name of George W. Bush's crusade against the people of Iraq. Soldiers even swapped photos of victims of torture victims.
The Bush Administration is directly responsible for these crimes. It was Bush and his advisors who planned and prepared this war. Bush should be held accountable for his crimes.
SNAFU, the Support Network for an Armed Forces Union, released a statement on May 4, in response to these crimes, calling on members of the military to refuse to participate in war crimes. It reads (in part):
"We call upon members of the Armed Forces to:
Refuse to torture prisoners in violation of International Law.
Refuse to obey illegal orders.
Refuse to commit atrocities against an innocent population.
Join with the people of the world and take action now to stop the war, and do everything within your power to resist and expose the crimes being committed by the U.S. government.
We offer our support and solidarity to all who choose to follow their consicence and take action."
Dustin Langley, a GI counselor and organizer with SNAFU, said, "Both U.S. and international law make it clear that members of the military are obligated to refuse to obey illegal orders. Orders to engage in torture, or to attack civilian targets, for example, are illegal. Soldiers are obligated to disobey these orders and to report those that give the orders."
"No enlistment contract will excuse you from your right and obligation to follow the dictates of your conscience," Langley, a Navy veteran, continued. "No oath will excuse criminal acts committed against innocent people. History will condemn George W. Bush as a liar and murderer, who was willing to cause the deaths of thousands of people for the profit of Wall Street. Will you stand with the war criminal Bush or will you choose to stand with the millions of people who oppose his fantasies of global empire? Don't let those monsters in Washington DC turn you into something less than human. Don't let them deceive and pressure you into committing acts that will haunt you the rest of your life. Turn against the war criminals and take a stand with humanity."
SNAFU is an organization that works for the rights of working people in uniform. It provides discharge counseling, educates military personnel about their rights, and supports members of the military who wish to take a stand against war. SNAFU's website (www.join-snafu.org) has comprehensive information on discharge procedures and other military regulations.
Sara Flounders, of the International Action Center, said, "The war climate whips up a level of racism against the targeted people, whether in Iraq or Haiti today, or in Vietnam a generation ago. The horror at the brutality of the Vietnam war fueled a massive anti-war movement. The only force that can stop the war is a moblized movement of millions in the streets here, in solidarity with resistance in Iraq and inside the military. A grassroots movement stopped the war in Vietnam, and the movement gathering momentum now will do the same with the war in Iraq. We must speak to the horror by intensifying our efforts to end the occupation and bring all the troops home now. The next major demonstration, a march on the Pentagon on June 5, will demand an immediate end to the brutal occupation."
Larry Holmes, a member of the steering committee of the ANSWER coalition, said: "Soldiers should remember the terrible crimes committed against the people of Vietnam. A whole generation of young people were scarred by the war-- many who returned succumbed to substance abuse, mental illness, and suicide. Young people in the military should consider other options before they blindly follow orders in this criminal war. We are calling on members of the military to join us on June 5 as we march on the Pentagon. That is where your enemies are, not in Iraq. They are the ones who sent you off to war based on lies. They are the ones who are handing out huge defense contracts to their rich friends while GIs and Iraqi people die."
Holmes, a Vietnam-era veteran, continued, "GIs have an important role to play in exposing the U.S. war crimes and helping to end the war. The Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971, organized by returning Vietnam veterans, helped to document war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Vietnam. Veterans also played a leading role in the anti-war movement. In Vietnam, the resistance of soldiers made continuing the war impossible."
Tens of thousands of activists, veterans, military families, students, and others are planning to march from the White House to the Pentagon on June 5 in an International Day of Emergency Protests organized by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). The International Action Center is a member of the ANSWER Coalition, and played a key role in organizing the massive demonstrations before the war and during the occupation.
The March on the Pentagon on Saturday, June 5, will demand:
Bring the Troops Home Now!
All Foreign Troops OUT of Iraq!
End the Colonial Occupation of Palestine
Support the Right of Return
U.S. OUT of
Haiti, Korea, Afghanistan,
Philippines, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela
Money for Jobs, Education, Housing & Healthcare - Not for War!
Defend Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
For more information, check out:
wwww.internationalanswer.org
http://www.iacenter.org
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