First Liet. Ehren Watada, an infantry officer, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, has taken a strong personal stance against the war in Iraq. Watada has refused to deploy with his unit and as a result faces charges that may lead to time in jail and a dishonorable discharge under military law. Watada argues that the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq was “manifestly illegal” in violation of international treaties and conventions. The taking of such a stance is a mark of personal honor and integrity few others of us display today.
In the past civil disobedience brought changes in both the law and in our society as a whole. One only need think of the bus boycott in Birmingham, AL, and the subsequent changes in civil rights in that city. If more citizens took a personal stance in opposition to the occupation of Iraq we, too, could change the future. Doing nothing insures a continuation of the present course and is no longer an acceptable position.
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