an American hero

What if they gave a war and nobody came? First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, who faces court-martial for refusing to serve in Iraq, is about to find out.

Since last June, Watada, a 28-year-old native of Hawaii, has refused Iraq deployment orders, calling the war illegal. Rather than accept reassignment, he has remained on his Army base in Fort Lewis, Washington. A six-year prison term could result. Preliminary hearings began last Thursday.

Army Times has more, as does the Inter Press Service News Agency.

Kevin Sites of Hot Zone has a recent interview with Watada. The sentiments below are Watada's, from that interview:

Since then I think I, as many, many Americans are realizing, that those justifications [for the Iraq war] were intentionally falsified in order to fit a policy established long before 9/11 of just toppling the Saddam Hussein regime and setting up an American presence in Iraq.

. . .

I think that when we take an oath we, as soldiers and officers, swear to protect the constitution — with our lives as necessary — and those constitutional values and laws that make us free and make us a democracy. And when we have one branch of government that intentionally deceives another branch of government in order to authorize war, and intentionally deceives the people in order to gain that public support, that is a grave breach of our constitutional values, our laws, our checks and balances, and separation of power.

. . .

I felt, well, in a general sense I felt that when we put our trust in the government, when we put our lives in their hands, that is a huge responsibility. And we also say that "when we put our lives in your hands, we ask that you not abuse that trust; that you not take us to war over flimsy or false reasons; that you take us to war when it is absolutely necessary." Because we have so much to lose, you know — the soldiers, our lives, our limbs, our minds and our families — that the government and the people owe that to us.

. . .

The Constitution was established, and our laws are established, to protect human rights, to protect equal rights and constitutional civil liberties. And I think we have people in power who say that those laws, or those principles, do not apply to them — that they are above the law and can do whatever it takes to manipulate or create laws that enable them to do whatever they please. And that is a danger in our country, and I think the war in Iraq is just one symptom of this agenda. And I think as soldiers, as American people, we need to recognize this, and we need to put a stop to it before it's too late.

Remember, if you oppose the continuation of the war in Iraq, it's important to let your representatives know.