Americans have duty to speak out against government wrongs

EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay by De Pere High School junior Meghan Monahan earned honorable mention and $250 among 31,000 entries in the “Being An American” contest sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, a nonprofit educational organization based near Washington, D.C. Monahan’s sponsoring teacher, Kelli Schneider, received a matching cash prize. To participate, students were asked to share their thoughts on American citizenship by answering the following question: "What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?"

Guest column: Americans have duty to speak out against government wrongs
Green Bay Gazette By Meghan Monahan • Guest Commentary • April 26, 2009

American. Just this one word describes a citizen of the United States, but what this word alone doesn't show is the complexity of America, the different cultures and races that all reside in this giant melting pot.

There are many things that unite us, but there is one unique virtue that is the most American of all and that has played a part in our nation's history since our conception: disobedience.

It may seem odd that a defining element of any country is the frequent practice of defying the government by its citizens. But in America, its people have taken that idea of standing up to the status quo and for what they as individuals think is right and used it to better their nation.

Disobedience against an establishment that is wrong has been a theme in American history since the beginning. Perhaps the greatest example of rebellion is a document, without which we may never have become our own nation — the Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson.

In the world's "greatest editorial," Jefferson frequently goes back to the idea that a country has the right to rebel against a regime that refuses them freedom. One of the most famous quotes from the declaration was the treasonous idea "That whenever any form of government becomes destructive… It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it."

Jefferson, himself, was the prime example of a citizen rebelling against his country. But right after he wrote these words instructing people to throw off an oppressive regime, he also had a cautionary warning: "Government long established should not be thrown ... for light reason … But when a long train of abuses."

Jefferson did not want anarchy and believed only when America was truly unjust should a citizen threaten upheaval. In fact, as a politician, and as later a president, he believed in total loyalty to his country.

But it seems that Jefferson's first statement of rebelling against an unjust system has become so engrained into the American psyche that that is how we've come to describe an American hero: someone who stands against the status quo to better the lives of others.

There have been many characters in history who have fought for freedom and tried to "abolish" an unjust system, but I feel I should mention one that stands out in particular for me, Susan B. Anthony. She and the suffragettes yelled for the right to vote, and didn't stop until they had achieved their goal.

Even though Anthony is now considered a great American role model, during the more than 45 years that she campaigned for the right for women to vote, she was mocked for her views. But even though her own government was against her, she soldiered on and didn't care about the societal norms of the day. All she wanted was her voice and the voices of millions of other women heard.

Unfortunately, she would not live to see the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920. Although she died 14 years earlier, she did make it happen, and that is the definition of a true American — someone who feels so strongly their country is wrong that they are willing to disobey their government to do what they think is right.

Loyalty and rebellion were both themes of the Declaration of Independence, and these two seemingly contradictions are evident in modern times. After Sept. 11, 2001, the nation came together in unwavering support of their president and country, demonstrating America's deep patriotism. But soon the nation was torn over an unpopular war.

Those who opposed the war and protested were called "unpatriotic." But really they weren't. Anyone who stands up to what they think is wrong in their country is simply following the example set by our forefathers — that to love one's country is to "alter" it, to make sure it always lives up to the ideals it was founded on. I, like my fellow Americans, have a civic obligation to defy my government if I believe they are doing wrong.

I can personally do what all Americans should do and pay attention to the state of the world and always speak up when the government is wrong, yet always take to heart the sacrifices my forbearers made so I could be free, and thus it is my duty to fight as hard as I can to make sure my descendants have all the rights promised in Mr. Jefferson's document.

Todd Dennis: Board backs general discharge for Iraq war resister and IVAW member Matthis Chiroux

On Saturday I penned this op-ed which never ran in my local paper about GI Resistance, my planned trip to St. Louis for Matthis Chiroux’s discharge hearing and why war resisters of an illegal war should be supported instead of punished. (For more on Matthis and his refusal of an Inactive Ready Reserve call-up see his website)

So Monday I made the six hour trip from Madison to St. Louis. Illinois is a long state with lots of corn fields and not much to look at. Nearing St. Louis I saw a homemade billboard announcing a Mother Jones memorial. Having not remembered this when i went to St. Louis for the 2007 VFP/IVAW convention. So I scribed a note to look it up online and see if I should stop on the way back. I will be writing about my visit to her grave and those of murdered coal miners who were striking tomorrow.

Upon arrival in St. Louis I went to the Veterans for Peace national office to find out where I would be staying. I was unable to visit during the convention so it was nice to see the house that they have converted into office space. After checking some email we went to the airport to pick up Marjorie Cohn who is the President of the National Lawyers Guild and has a new book out called Rules of Disengagement describing ways military members have refused deployment and providing ways that others can help end the illegal wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After that we went to a reception with members of a local organization, Instead of War, where Marjorie discussed her book and we waited for Matthis and others to arrive. After greeting Matthis, eating some dinner, and discussed his case and the next day. Finally we separated for the night and I went with some folks from the local Catholic Worker house to stay with them.

Tuesday morning we got ready and headed down to the general area of the hearing since there was no sign for 1 Reserve Way since it is just an entrance to the gated base area and has a sign stating what is there. We arrived around 830 when the hearing was scheduled to start and parked in a nearby lot and went to stand witness in support of Matthis at the gates. Shortly after arriving others began to arrive.

About 35 of us were there to support Matthis with his brave decision to request a hearing on his discharge and his conviction that he refuse call-up to participate in an illegal war and to show why the war is illegal. The night before we were told that the hearing was supposed to be open to the public according to regulation 15-6. Others had attempted individually to get in the gate to the hearing but were told it was closed to the public. So we all walked to the gate with five willing to risk arrest in the lead and the rest of us behind. Upon arrival an ICE officer and the private security guards, who knew one of those risking arrest by name, said that he wasn’t told by the Public Affairs official, Lt. Col. Maria Quon, that anyone was allowed into the hearing. After back and forth and calling the NLG people inside three people were allowed to go inside.

The hearing ended around 230 in the afternoon and it was recommenced that Matthis be given a general discharge under honorable conditions. This is the same that the military tried to give him and stop him from challenging the legality of the war so this is a big victory.

That evening Veterans for Peace and Instead of War set up a Winter Soldier event where three IVAW members discussed their military experiences.

Duane Linton of the Central Illinois chapter started off by discussing one of his experiences in Iraq: “
In the aftermath, I am roundly criticized by everyone from the squad- to the battalion-level echelons of my chain of command because I worked on the casualty without gloves. I defended this action by standing up for the value of my patient’s life, but my objections were brushed aside. The life of an Iraqi citizen is openly deemed less important than that of an American soldier.

Later, an in-depth investigation reveals that the men we shot were all farmers who thought we were trying to steal the crops they were moving. A misunderstanding. That’s all it was. I wonder if that matters to Aziz while he walks around with a cane for the rest of his life.

and of his return from Iraq and his dealing with depression and PTSD: I returned home to find the cork working its way out of the bottle. I had panic attacks, outbreaks of blinding anger, and a battle with alcoholism and addiction to Percocet. I overcame these things through personal struggle.

Neither the Army nor any other government agency ever once lifted a finger to try to help me, placing the blame either on me or ‘post-deployment readjustment.’ They said it would go away in a few months and offered me no advice or treatment for the intervening time. They were wrong.

Jacob Crawford followed with an analysis of the neoliberal economic policies placed in Iraq by the Bush administration officials sent to Iraq and how it has affected their economy and how they have resisted the policies.

Finally Matthis finished speaking with the media and talked about the day. He first described what was recommended for his discharge status as General under honorable conditions. He followed up in explaining his basis for refusing orders, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which all military members take an oath to support and defend against all enemies foreign and domestic. It states: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.. Since the invasion of Iraq was a unilateral war of aggression it violates the UN Charter which is one of the Treaties mention and thus violates the U.S. Constitution making deployment party to committing a crime. Crimes cannot be won or lost only stopped which is why we need to withdraw all foreign forces from Iraq so that the Iraqi people are given self-determination.

In the trial they asked him what if he was activated but kept in St. Louis to which he responded that he would still be complicit in the crime. Marjorie Cohn later came into the trial and discussed the illegalities of the war. His mom followed her as a character witness and described Matthis as a nice person who was trying to do right. In the closing arguments the prosecution claimed that Matthis was doing this to become famous and get media attention. Media attention yes so that other military members have an example to follow and refuse to fight in wars of aggression. Become famous no, protesting doesn’t make you rich and famous, it makes you poor but you are dedicated to what you believe in. His defense stated that he was reminded of watching Muhammad Ali refusing to fight in Vietnam and standing for his principles. The defense’s father was a two time Vietnam veteran who supported Ali and called him honorable for standing up for what he believed in. He ended by saying that Matthis was here to let them know the truth about his convictions and not just to get paperwork for a discharge and that we need a world where people of conscience can stand up for what they believe in. During the hearing Matthis was able to put a copy of Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan and Warrior Writers on the record so now any Army member refusing service can cite these as precedent and reference.
While waiting during the deliberation everyone present discussed their thoughts on what would happen. His JAG lawyer thought they would screw him for doing this because if they didn’t they would be giving the green light for everyone to resist.

He went on to discuss his military experience describing boot camp as a dehumanization experience which leads military members to dehumanize others in the future such as a war time situation or when soliciting prostitutes and degrading women.

You can read his experience here.

He also discussed how he became to be in the military: "I confessed that upon graduating high-school, I was kicked out of my house and did move into a tent in the woods near the center of town, and that shortly after, I did sell a small amount of psychedelic mushrooms I had gathered from a cow field to a few friends and to my step-brother for food money. My step brother returned home to be caught by my father under the influence and did inform him that I was the source.

As a result, I was brought into the courthouse, specifically before my probation officer, where I first met Sgt. Whitetree, the man who would put me in the Army. I was threatened with serious prosecution, though the state had no physical evidence against me. I was told I could be looking at 10 to 20 years in “big boy pound you in the ass prison,” as Sgt. Whitetree put it, or I could enlist for a term in the Army.

While I believed I could beat the charges, I saw myself as a young man with very few options by design. I agreed to enlist, but I spent the weekend in jail anyway.

It almost felt like home sweet home at that point. I’d been on that same block so many times before, and this time, I was staring into a system that I at least thought could surely be no worse than where I was coming from. I was mistaken.

Before I was released from custody Monday morning, the Judge presiding in Lee County, Judge Richard Lane, willfully back-dated my release from probation 30 days so that I could proceed directly to the recruiting station and sign my butt into the Army.

After signing initial papers and attaining waivers for my juvenile marijuana conviction, and before heading to MEPS for the first time, Sgt. Whitetree bought me a system flushing drink so that I would not test positive for marijuana on my initial drug test to get into the Army. At every step it was made totally clear to me that should I choose not to enlist in the military, I would face charges stemming from the incident with my step-brother.

What happened to me was illegal, and I am not alone. I am living proof we do not have an all-volunteer Army, and I’ve met countless throughout my time in the military that could tell similar to identical tales. And if not forced by the police, then because they saw themselves on a destructive path and were in fact seeking a way out similar to me. Or those who really just wanted to go to college, which should be a basic human right for all anyway. Or those with mouths to feed other than their own. Or those who just never knew any other way. Or those who were lied to and told they would serve freedom and justice."

Continue reading…

Todd Dennis: Following Conscience Should Not Be Punished, Deserves Support

Op-ed submission to my local paper, The Leader Telegram. They never published it...

In Saturday’s paper you ran an AP article saying that Army Reserve member Kristoffer Walker who went AWOL had “received his punishment” as though he was due punishment for following his conscience. This train of thought leads to people blindly following orders which we learned from the Nuremberg trials is not how military personnel should act. His punishment shows that the U.S. military condemns the act of not blindly following orders which is wrong. After his superiors failed to advance his request for a transfer out of Iraq, Kristoffer made the difficult choice to follow his conscience.

By doing so, Kristoffer showed that he had considered the actions he would be taking by redeploying in support an illegal and immoral war of aggression which has been condemned by just war theory. His act of conscience was not the first and will not be the last as the U.S. seems committed to occupy Iraq and deny the Iraqi people self-determination until 2012 if not longer. Kristoffer joins a group of military members and veterans who say that we must act as our conscience directs and not blindly commit acts.

As a former military member, whose conscience was deeply troubled when the invasion and occupation of Iraq began near the end of my military service, I support Kristoffer and others like Matthis Chiroux. When I was in the military there were no public refusals to deploy and I felt alone to be contemplating such issues. Kristoffer is not alone today as there are thousands who have gone AWOL, deserted, or otherwise followed their conscience in opposition to this illegal occupation. In support of Matthis, I am attending his court martial for refusing an Inactive Ready Reserve call-up from the Army last year in St. Louis on Tuesday and I urge others to support our military members who are strong enough to follow their conscience.

Todd E. Dennis
U.S. Navy 1997-2003
Eleva, WI

Bill Christofferson: Wisconsin nuke shut down again

Darn, just when the nuclear industry is busy reassuring us that nukes are the wave of the future, one of the state's three reactors is shut down -- again -- for safety reasons.

Journal Sentinel report:

"I wouldn't classify it as an emergency situation," spokesman Mark Kanz said of the problem, "but it is something we did need to get taken care of right away."

That tends to be the case when you're dealing with highly radioactive uranium. You don't want to put it off.

Here's the report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which had to be notified because of "a condition that significantly degrades plant safety."

You won't hear this from the pro-nukers trying to change the state law that has prevented any new reactors from being built here, but this shutdown is simply one more in a long series of problems and shutdowns that have plagued both Kewanuee and Point Beach. Point Beach, in fact, has had two of the four highest safety warnings ever issued by the NRC.

There are better, cheaper and safer ways to combat global warming than nuclear power.

Bill Christofferson is Co-chair of Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. This report originally appeared in the blog Uppity Wisconsin.

Todd Dennis: Outline for Speech at April 4th Rally in Madison

At the request of Steve, I posted the rough outline of my speech for the MAPC event in Madison below with references to my quotes and numbers.

Photo by Dennis Coyier

One year before he was killed, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said that: "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." Forty-three years later we would be wise to recall his words, living in a country that spends over 50% of the budget on military spending according to the War Resisters League budget pie chart.

4973, 4973, 4973, 4973 what is that number? That is the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are also over 400 civilian contractor deaths in Iraq and an untold number in Afghanistan, not including the hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

What does it mean to be a veteran?
Since October 2001 over 1.8 million military members have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, nearly 20 per cent of them have Post Traumatic Stress. Only about half of those who seek treatment from the VA receive adequate care for Post Traumatic Stress according to a RAND Corporation study.

Recently the news has focused on the nationwide unemployment being at its highest level in 25 years at 8.5%. However, veteran unemployment is around 11.2%.

What does it mean to be Iraqi?
According to a recent ABC poll, barely over a third think the election of Barack Obama will help their country, read the whole report here (pdf). Access to electricity, clean water, and medical care still are big concerns for a majority of Iraq's citizens.

From the President's recent budget summary (in italics), with some questions:

• The line between economic policy and foreign policy is now very hard to draw.


• 
  
  When has this line been clear? The U.S. waited to enter WWII until it was attacked while U.S. businesses like IBM and Coca-Cola (Fanta) profited in Germany, shunned those who fought against the fascist regime in Spain, and has consistently used the Carter Doctrine to justify military intervention for the past 30 years.
  
• He wants to improve the medical treatment of wounded servicemembers.


• DOD will fully implement a comprehensive TBI registry including a single point of responsibility to track incidents and recovery. The military will expand the number of mental health professionals with deployed units to better channel medical attention to those who need help quickly.


• The Budget expands the mental health screening and treatment services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and focuses on reaching veterans in rural areas. The VA also will increase the number of Vet Centers and mobile health clinics to expand access to mental health screening and treatment in rural areas. In addition, new funding ensures that veterans and their families are informed of these resources and are encouraged to pursue needed care.


• Through improved electronic medical records, VA will more efficiently retrieve active duty health records from DOD and enable all VA care sites to access the records of veterans needing care.


• 
  
  Why is the budget not calling for electronic records which will automatically enter a veteran into the VA system upon discharge from the military and automatic intake appointments to ensure that they are taken care of and don't have to go out of their way to get into the VA system and prove that they need help because of the situation(s) they were exposed to?
  
• This Budget supports VA's prompt, accurate, and efficient implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill-providing unprecedented levels of educational assistance to the men and women who have served our country through active military duty.


• 
  
  Will this fall be like most falls, where veterans have to wait months to get their GI Bill payments? I have heard from numerous veterans who had to take out loans to pay bills, buy books, and not end up on the street because the GI Bill payments they were supposed to receive took over three months to arrive. I had to wait months to get my first payments when I started college. The testimony for the Veterans Affairs portion of the budget aired in the middle of the night and none of the veterans organizations questioned if the government was doing enough to ensure that payments were received.
  

Where is the change that we were promised on the campaign trail?

• 
  
  Yesterday it was announced that another 10,000 troops are most likely going to Afghanistan, after an additional 4,000 was announced last week. That means that Obama will be sending not 17,000 not 21,000 but 31,000 troops to Afghanistan within a year, the majority of which before any drawdown of troops levels from Iraq. These troops are being deployed into what numerous scholarly articles have described as a situation that cannot be won militarily and those same articles have called for a reduction in troop numbers combined with humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people who have suffered through seven and a half years of occupation. Of the 4,000 troops, two units were mentioned as being involved in that deployment, the 10^th Mountain Division based out of Fort Drum, NY and the 82^nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 10^th Mountain is the most heavily deployed unit in the U.S. military and the 82^nd Airborne is not far behind having participated in the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq and numerous other deployments since 2001.
  
  
  

We are here today to say that this abuse of the military, the continued wars of aggression, and the increase in military deployments are not the change that the citizens of the United States of America asked for. We need to bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and take care of them when they return. We must also support the Afghan and Iraqi people with reparations to rebuild their war-torn countries as they see fit.

Christina spoke first and outlined IVAW and what we stand for:

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded by Iraq war veterans in July 2004 at the annual convention of Veterans for Peace (VFP) in Boston to give a voice to the large number of active duty service people and veterans who are against this war, but are under various pressures to remain silent.

From its inception, IVAW has called for:

• Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
  


• Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
  


• Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
  

Our membership includes recent veterans and active duty servicemen and women from all branches of military service, National Guard members, and reservists who have served in the United States military since September 11, 2001.

IVAW's strategy is to mobilize the military community to withdraw its support for the war and occupation in Iraq. Therefore, IVAW is leading the movement of veterans and GIs who are working to bring the troops home now.

Today, IVAW members are in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and on numerous bases overseas, including Iraq. IVAW has chapters around the country and in Canada. IVAW members educate the public about the realities of the Iraq war by speaking in communities and to the media about their experiences. Members also dialogue with youth in classrooms about the realities of military service. IVAW supports all those resisting the war, including Conscientious Objectors and others facing military prosecution for their refusal to fight. IVAW advocates for full funding for the Veterans Administration, and full quality health treatment (including mental health) and benefits for veterans when they return from duty.

OUR TROOPS AND IRAQIS ARE STILL DYING: An Open Letter to the Peace/Anti-War Movement fromIraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans For Peace
After six years of war and the historic election of a new President, we as veterans, military and Gold Star families felt an urgent need to reach out to the larger peace/anti-war movements to make our position on Iraq clear during this time of political and economic uncertainty. Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out and Veterans For Peace continue to stand together in our demand to Bring the Troops Home Now! We ask all those who have stood with us in the past to stay faithful to the cause. Continue reading on ivaw.org

IVAW Attends First Iraqi Labor Conference - Iraqi Unions Announce New Confederation

: In solidarity with the Iraqi people and our goal of helping them attain self-determination, two members of IVAW recently attended the first International Labour conference ever held in Iraq. The conference, held on March 13-14 in Erbil in the Kurdish Region of Iraq, drew more than 200 delegates from unions and federations across Iraq and solidarity delegations from the U.S., the United Kingdom, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and Iran. You can read more about this on our website IVAW.org.

Todd Dennis is a U.S. Submarine Service veteran, a board member of the Clarence Kailin Chapter of Veterans For Peace and the President of the Madison Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He has B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, will be receiving a B.S. in Physics in May.