Fool of the Week

The ultimate face of sedition has been found and his name is 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada, our Fool of the Week.

1st Lt. Watada will be known as the darling du jour for the groups opposing the war in Iraq. Through his lawyer, he states, "I cannot participate in a war that I cannot justify or support legally and morally". Interesting, especially considering that after he graduated from college he joined the Army, going to Officer Candidate school after the Iraq campaign was underway. He joined the Army in June, 2003. Is it a surprise that he has been called to go to Iraq?

He states, "It is the duty, the obligation of every soldier, and specifically the officers, to evaluate the legality, the truth behind every order - including the order to go to war." Ummm, no. It is the duty for a soldier to obey every lawful order. Period.

As for the usual canard that the war is illegal, once again for the slow students, the Congress of the U.S. voted in support of the war and continues to fund the war through appropriations, and the Security Council of the United Nations specifically authorized coalition military operations in Iraq.

Article 94, Mutiny or Sedition:
(a) Any person subject to this chapter who--
l. with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;
2. with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with another person, revolt, violence, or disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;
3. fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence fails to talke all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.
(b) A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

Rebecca Davis, Cofounder of Military Families Voice of Victory has issued a statement:
"On behalf of the members of Military Families Voice of Victory, and as a mother of three sons who have served honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am demanding the Army prosecute Lt. Watada to the fullest extent under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

"The refusal by Lt. Watada to obey lawful orders to serve in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom will surely encourage al Qaeda in Iraq to continue terrorizing the Iraqi people and attacking U.S. and coalition forces, and encourage al Qaeda and allied terrorist forces around the globe to wage war against America and Western civilization.

"Lt. Watada has chosen to ally himself and accept financial aid from Not in Our Name, a front group for the Revolutionary Communist Party. He has also accepted aid from other anti-American organizations that have expressed support and/or given material aid to terrorists in Iraq.

"Lt. Watada is not standing on principle, nor is his stand valiant. He is a coward and a traitor. His actions will only serve to get his fellow soldiers killed so that he can save himself and become famous."

Any questions?

Lt. Watada's father is a high profile political figure in Hawaii. He is the former Director of Hawaii's Campaign Spending Commission. He is also a former member of the Peace Corp. So far so good. However, upon further research, discovery is made from an old Peace Corp On Line forum: after a trip to Peru in 2004, he made this statement, "We are now obsessed with a "terrorist" behind every tree, as we were obsessed with a "communist" around every corner forty-five years ago. We need to start somewhere to make a change. Bob Watada.

We need to start somewhere to make a change? Perhaps his son is his instrument. Pity if that is the case. His son is the one who will pay the price.

It would appear that by signing up for the Army - Officer Candidate school to boot - in June 2003 Lt. Watada knew exactly what he was doing.

Lt. Watada's Stryker brigade at Fort Lewis is scheduled to deploy to Iraq this month.

A support campaign has been launched in the Puget Sound area to raise funds for Lt. Watada's legal defense. One group, Courage to Resist is organizing press conferences to call for support. The group hopes to galvanize broader opposition to the Bush administration campaign in Iraq.

A useful idiot, Lt. Watada.