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Fifth Column
Iraq war objector faces new charge for remarks in Seattle speech
2006-09-17
Lt. Ehren Watada faces an additional count of conduct unbecoming an officer, officials said Friday. WatadaÂ’s commander added a seventh count to the six he already faces in connection with his refusal to go to Iraq in June with the Fort Lewis-based 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. The new charge stems from remarks Watada made in a speech Aug. 12 at the Veterans for Peace national convention in Seattle.

In the speech, the 28-year-old artillery officer repeated his opposition to the war and called on deployed soldiers to refuse to fight. A videotape of the speech was played at an Army hearing Aug. 17 into the evidence against Watada.

The lieutenant’s attorney, Eric Seitz, characterized the additional charge as further evidence of the Army’s intent to silence his client. “That’s what they’ve been trying to do from the beginning,” Seitz said. He said Watada would continue to appear at some limited speaking engagements.

An Army officer who reviewed the evidence recommended Watada be court-martialed for missing his unitÂ’s movement to Iraq, two counts of making contemptuous statements about President Bush, and three counts of conduct unbecoming an officer. The Fort Lewis commanding general, Lt. Gen. James Dubik, has not yet announced whether heÂ’ll order Watada to be court-martialed.

If convicted of the original six charges and the seventh, Watada would face up to eight years in prison, Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek said.
Here's hoping he goes eight-for-eight. No parole for federal offenses, too. Welcome to Kansas.
Posted by:Anonymoose

#12  It's called the military, Lt. Watada. You swore an oath. You lied. You have NO HONOR. I hope you get strung up for treason.
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-09-17 14:40  

#11  He'll be the toast of the liberal establishment as he rots in a Kansas jail.
Posted by: Shush Sholuth7794   2006-09-17 13:22  

#10  Half this shit would stop if the Military could find a way to arrest and try his lawyer(s).
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-09-17 11:03  

#9  Hang 'em.

There's only one crime defined in the Constitution. There's no doubt this asstard could be convicted of it.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-09-17 08:43  

#8  It figures his attorney thinks this is a brilliant move. He's a Berkeley grad (Boalt Hall) from the early 70's.
Posted by: Swamp Blondie   2006-09-17 08:23  

#7  ...Gawd, but this boy is an idiot. In a way, it's just as well he did'nt go, he'd have gotten his troops killed with this kind of decision making.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2006-09-17 08:05  

#6  The Chain of Command certainly has the right and power of law to restrict the lad's butt to the installation. It further has the authority to restrict him to quarters on the installation. If the lad breaks said restrict, he may be held in an appropriate confinement facility, pending further processing.

Now who the hell is holding up the case. It doesn't take two months to put together a case to go to trial. If your JAG is dragging his feet, fire'em. Call branch and tell them to get a new one in. Once again the boys who ROE'd UBLs escape at the start and who cry rivers of pity for terrorists at Gitmo, are screwing us over again.
Posted by: Gletle Flegum7716   2006-09-17 07:47  

#5  Until the Uniform Code of Military Justice became effective, on May 31, 1951, the Army and Navy operated under laws derived directly from the British Articles of War, which had been in force since before the Revolutionary War. Soldiers and sailors had few rights, and the system was designed to enforce discipline, not justice. Punishments included execution, flogging, and hard labor with ball and chain. We may need to revert back to a simpler time.
Posted by: Joe of the Jungle   2006-09-17 07:24  

#4  Watada was already a moonbat when he signed up after 9/11. It seems clear that his (and his backers') very purpose was to position himself to make a media spectacle and advance the enemy's cause.

Akbar martyred himself by tossing a grenade into the TOC, and now sits on death row. Watada martyred himself by acquiring a uniform and using it as a megaphone for his propaganda. He is no less a traitor than Akbar and should fucking swing from a tree.
Posted by: exJAG   2006-09-17 06:56  

#3  A soldier urging other soldiers not to fight is serious business. Of course the Army is trying to silence him (picked right up on that, he did), he's in the military and subject to military discipline. Being a soldier sometimes means having to shut the f@#! up.

A large whack with an extra heavy duty cluebat will be forthcoming.
Posted by: Baba Tutu   2006-09-17 03:08  

#2  ...called on deployed soldiers to refuse to fight.

IANAL but this would seem to come awfully close to incitement to mutiny. Keep talking, kid. If Kansas runs out of rocks to break, Arizona has plenty enough to send...
Posted by: PBMcL   2006-09-17 01:12  

#1  Watada and his idiot lawyer just keep digging. It's rather obvious that neither is aware that this isn't a game. Keep talking, sonny.
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-17 00:47  

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