Hi. Many of you have asked for more information about Ehren Watada, how to help and where to donate money. There's now an official website, noted at the end of this story. Ed
Military Officer Gains National Support for Resisting Deployment by Sarah Olson truthout.org - Thursday 08 June 2006 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060806R.shtml When 27-year-old US Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada announced his refusal to deploy to Iraq yesterday, he did so surrounded by veterans, military family members, and members of the religious and anti-war communities. News of Watada's intent to refuse his orders to deploy to Iraq has galvanized anti-war communities around the country, many of which are already calling for a series of demonstrations in support of Watada's actions. And others they hope will be inspired to refuse deployment to Iraq as well. At a press conference in Tacoma, Washington, Watada announced his view that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal, and his intent was to refuse to deploy to fight that war. Watada said, "It is my duty as a commissioned officer of the United States Army to speak out against grave injustices. I stand before you today because it is my job to serve and protect soldiers, the American people and innocent Iraqis with no voice." Watada went on to say that his participation in the Iraq war would make him party to grave moral injustice and war crimes. While Watada may face a court martial for his decision to refuse to deploy to Iraq, he has also received significant support from veterans' organizations. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, the War Resisters League, and many chapters of Veterans for Peace have all come to Watada's defense. Ann Wright is a retired US Army colonel and US diplomat who resigned her position in 2003 in protest of the war in Iraq. She says that after spending 29 years in the military she understands how significant it is for an officer to disobey not just his direct orders, but also everything he has been trained to do. Wright says the entire military establishment is based on order and discipline, and for an officer to defy this system based on his personal beliefs takes an enormous amount of bravery. But she also says it's important for Watada, as a Lieutenant, to speak publicly. "People need to know there are these brave young men and women who are standing up and who are willing to go to jail because of what they believe." She says people in the US must understand that the military isn't united in its support for the war in Iraq. Camilo Mejia is an Iraq war veteran who spent more than 7 years in the Army. When his conscientious objector status was denied in 2004, he spent nearly a year in prison rather than return to Iraq. He says Watada's public stand is admirable and should be commended. "The Pentagon recently reported 8,000 cases of desertion. These are people in the military who are saying 'no' to their units and the war, but where are they? It takes a special kind of individual to break the silence and risk all for a bigger cause." Mejia hopes Lieutenant Watada's stand inspires others to refuse their orders as well. "It's going to take regular people to realize that they don't have to be in the army and refuse orders to make a difference," Mejia said. "The stance Ehren is taking is inspiring, but others need to take more responsibility and realize that they have power, too, and then they have to use that power." Members of religious communities have long opposed the war in Iraq on moral grounds. Jim Davis is a United Methodist minister who attended Watada's press conference yesterday to support his stand. Davis says the war in Iraq violates traditional Christian just-war principles and is an ongoing moral issue for all Christian citizens in the United States. Davis calls on people around the country to support Lieutenant Watada. Davis wanted Watada to know that religious communities, "Stand with you today in support of your act of conscience as you have sought to do that which is right. We solute you for your courage to take a moral stance. We salute you for your compassion for soldiers and families affected by this war and for your call to bring the troops home." While Watada is making a very personal stand against the war, his family is supporting him through his decision. Robert Watada told the Honolulu Advertiser, "My son has a great deal of courage, and clearly understands what is right, and what is wrong. He's choosing to do the right thing, which is a hard course." Loren Watada is Ehren's older brother. He traveled to Washington state Wednesday to support his brother during his press conference in Tacoma. He says he respects his brother's actions and is behind him one hundred percent. He fails to see the crime that he is committing. "What crime has he committed? They're talking about incarcerating him in prison, but he's not a criminal. There is no crime he has committed against our society or our country. He's standing by his beliefs and saying that the war is an illegal war. To me, that's not a crime." Anti-war organizations have launched a campaign to thank Lieutenant Watada for his actions and to stand with him in his resistance to what he says is an immoral and illegal war. David Solnit, a long-time organizer in the peace movement said, "There is an umbrella of his family and friends that supports these courageous actions to support our troops, the American people and US international law." Many in the anti-war movement see this as a much needed inspiration to those who feel that nothing can be done to stop the Iraq war. Family and friends of Lieutenant Watada have launched a national campaign to support his actions and to encourage other military personnel to do the same. Anti-war activists are planning coordinated national actions set to begin at the end of June in support of Watada's anticipated refusal to deploy to Iraq. For more information, visit the web site: http://www.thankyoult.org. Sarah Olson is a radio producer and independent journalist based in Oakland, California. [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** Cusack's latest film grew from Iraq grief BY TARA BURGHART ASSOCIATED PRESS Chicago Sun June 9, 2006 John Cusack's motivation for his latest film grew out of something he did not see--flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Pentagon policy bans media coverage of America's war dead as their remains are returned. The Bush administration has strongly enforced the ban, something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime." So the actor started looking for a project that would illustrate "what happens when the coffins come home." The result is "Grace Is Gone," a small, independent film in which Cusack plays a man whose wife, Grace, is killed in service in Iraq. Filming wrapped last month; the movie's producers--who include Cusack--will be looking for a distributor or film festival opportunities. Cusack's character, Stanley, delays telling his two daughters about their mother's death, instead taking them on a road trip while the former military man sorts out his complicated feelings about the war. While Cusack's motivation for taking the part are political, he insists the movie is not. "It's kind of a spiritual story about grief and hopefully a little bit of redemption," Cusack said recently. The screenplay was written by James C. Strouse, who penned "Lonesome Jim," which was directed by Steve Buscemi and released earlier this year. "Grace Is Gone" marks his directorial debut. While "Grace" is set in a vague Midwestern city, most of the six-week shoot took place in Chicago due to Cusack's influence. He grew up in suburban Evanston and divides his time between homes in Chicago and Los Angeles. Before shooting the scene of Grace's funeral in a Methodist church on the city's North Side, Cusack, 39, folded his 6-foot-2 frame onto a pew for an interview. Dressed casually in a gray T-shirt and blue cargo pants, with sunglasses pushing his rumpled black hair off his forehead, Cusack spoke of his feelings about the war, the film and what he has tried to accomplish with his career. Cusack got his start more than 20 years ago in teen comedies like "Sixteen Candles," "Better Off Dead" and "The Sure Thing." Unlike many of his Brat Pack contemporaries, Cusack easily made the transition to adult parts, often as an underdog or unconventional hero. He stood out as an underachieving kickboxer in Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything." He was a con man in "The Grifters," an out-of-work puppeteer in Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich," and a cheating playwright in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway." In the past decade, he has branched out into writing--co-writing "Grosse Pointe Blank," about a hit man who returns home for his high school reunion, and also "High Fidelity," in which he also starred as a record-store owner who compiles lists of most everything in his life, including his top-five breakups. While "High Fidelity" was an adaptation of British author Nick Hornby's London-based novel of the same name, Cusack moved the setting to Chicago. "I always love to bring films here if I can," he said. "If you finish work in time, you can go to a Cubs or Sox game." Over the years, Cusack has balanced big-studio projects, like "America's Sweethearts," "Con Air" and "Must Love Dogs," with smaller, more personal films. "One allows me to do the other. If I do the more commercial ones, then I can leverage those into the smaller ones, which are harder to get made," Cusack said. One movie he often mentions is 2002's controversial "Max," in which Cusack played a Jewish art dealer who befriends a young Adolf Hitler and encourages his artistic ambitions. He also produced the film. "I got that made, which took me three years and a was a real labor of love, because I've done some romantic comedies. So that's just how it works, or that's how I've figured out how to work it," he said. "But these are the ones that kind of get me up in the morning." Still, Cusack isn't a film snob. He said he enjoys some of the "great big movie experiences" that Hollywood likes to release during the summer and holidays, specifically mentioning the "Lord of the Rings" series and the most recent "Harry Potter" installment. Regarding his participation in "Grace Is Gone," director Strouse said when he was writing the script, he and his wife--producer Galt Niederhoffer--compiled a "dream list" of actors to play Stanley. Cusack was at the top, and Strouse said that once he signed on filming started a month later. "John's kind of a gutsy actor. He likes to try different roles and I think this was one that he hadn't really had a chance to play--a repressed Midwesterner. I don't want to say loser, but a lot of times John plays these very hyperarticulate, energetic, urban characters," Strouse said, "and this guy is sort of 180 degrees from what you think of when you think of a typical John Cusack character." Strouse, an Indiana native, said he was glad to film in Chicago, and as a first-time director, welcomed Cusack's more than 20 years of film experience. "At times he was like a mentor, but he was very respectful," Strouse said. "He had a lot of suggestions, but he always deferred to me if I had a different opinion. If we couldn't agree, we would try it both ways." Meanwhile, Cusack praised Strouse as "a very poetic guy, a really talented writer" who did a great job as a director. The actor said he wonders if people reading about his political opinions will keep some from seeing the movie. Others, he believes, will appreciate the timeliness. "I feel that people will be interested in seeing the story of the human cost of this" war, Cusack said. "I think people are probably tired of being manipulated endlessly on the reasons and realities of this misadventure--political misadventure. I don't mean the soldiers fighting, I mean the civilian leadership." Whatever the case, Cusack said he does not dwell on how his movies are initially received by the critics or public. "I'm not worried about how it turns out in the first two months after it's released. A piece of art takes a while to be appreciated or not--if it is a piece of art. You try to make something that has some value and then in three, four or five years, it will still be interesting or it will have a pulse. "Some things that you make, people say are terrific right away and they don't really hold up," Cusack said. "You just sort of make it, and it's all about the process of making it. Trying to do the best you can. And then you have to wait for a long time to see if it has resonance anyway." Copyright 2006 Associated Press. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cusak09.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> You can search right from your browser? It's easy and it's free. See how. http://us.click.yahoo.com/_7bhrC/NGxNAA/yQLSAA/7gSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
