FREE PABLO PAREDES & KEVIN BENDERMAN-PUT THE WAR ON TRIAL ONLINE PETITION

FREE PABLO PAREDES AND KEVIN BENDERMAN
PUT THE WAR ON TRIAL

On May 11th, Sailor Pablo Paredes and soldier Kevin Benderman are scheduled to appear before military court martial tribunals for their opposition to the Iraq War. They face forfeiture of pay and benefits, and military jail time.

On December 6, 2004, Navy Petty Officer Pablo Paredes refused to board his ship as it left the San Diego Naval Station in support of the Iraq War and occupation.

On January 5, 2005, Army Sgt Kevin Benderman refused to deploy for a second tour of duty in Iraq with the Army's Third Infantry Division. At the same time seventeen other soldiers from his unit went AWOL, two tried to kill themselves and one had a relative shoot him in the leg to avoid deploying.

Both men applied for discharge from the US military as conscientious objectors. The military has wrongly rejected both claims.

It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of Pablo, Kevin and the thousands of other courageous men and women who have followed their conscience to uphold international law and to take a principled stand against the unjust, illegal war and occupation of Iraq. It's time we had their backs.

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m11681


TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PABLO AND KEVIN AND TO SIGN AN ONLINE PETITION
IN SUPPORT OF THEIR CASES VISIT:

www.defendpablo.org
www.bendermandefense.org


"All of the politicians that want to fight a war are free to trade
places with me at any time. I will gladly go and learn war no more."
--Sgt. Kevin Benderman

"I call on everyone who reads these words, to reclaim their humanity.
Refuse, as every member of humanity should, to promote this mass
violence against innocent people."
--Pablo Paredes

:toast: To Pablo and Kevin!

today, I believe. I have already written to Rumsfeld and to Congress regarding Kevin Benderman. Will do the same re Pablo ~

There was another soldier who intended to use the fact the CIC went AWOL, therefore no soldier who chose not to go to Iraq, should be prosecuted. I don't know what happened to him, or if he did use that defense.

Thanks for the Pablo Paredes info ~ I'll pass it around.

then spend an indefinate amount of time in Iraq. He made the right choice.

When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women’s' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends

When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God

When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?

I doubt it

I doubt it

On January 5, 2005, Army Sgt Kevin Benderman refused to deploy for a second tour of duty in Iraq with the Army's Third Infantry Division. AT THE SAME TIME SEVENTEEN OTHER SOLDIERS FROM HIS UNIT WENT AWOL, TWO TRIED TO KILL THEMSELVES AND ONE HAD A RELATIVE SHOOT HIM IN THE LEG TO AVOID DEPLOYING.

Wow. There is NO WAY IN HELL I'm letting my son leave for bootcamp until these LYING MURDERERS are out of our White House!!! G*D Damn it!!!

Sgt. Benderman had witnessed many things in Iraq. From seeing a young girl standing on the side of the road with her mother, her left arm burned black from hand to shoulder, crying in pain, with no one willing to stop and help her -- to viewing mass graves filled with bodies of young children, old men and women, and having to chase dogs from eating the remains -- to having to repeatedly remind his young troops that they were truly in a war zone, and to keep their heads down and be on their guard for incoming rounds that could kill them -- Sgt. Benderman saw what war does to humanity. He saw the destruction, he felt what he had to become in order to be part of that, and once he had time to recall everything about his experience, he knew that he could not return to this again.

http://www.bendermandefense.org/

from al bupp

Another Day in the War


According to Hersh's speach, one day the guards heard what sounded like gun fire, went outside the Abu Grhaib (sp?) prison to find a group of young teens playing soccer. They proceeded to kill them, then place them in a pile w/ captured RPGs planted around the bodies. This is all on film.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3636142

that is beyond grotesque. Peace to you SLD

Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear.

– General Douglas MacArthur

even though the war was based on lies. Even now with the UK memo. Can't that be part of their defense?! Does anyone know if it is?

21 hours since Pablo Paredes convicted at court martial Read More Please Tell Others now!

UPDATED 5/11/2005 at 7:30 PM:
After international law expert Marjorie Cohn and the prosecution debated for about 20 minutes, the military judge Lt. Cmdr. Bob Klant said,

"I believe the government just proved that any service member has reasonable cause to believe that the wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were illegal"

...here's the article from AP via ABC

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=750596


"SAN DIEGO May 12, 2005 — A sailor turned anti-war activist was convicted Wednesday in a special court-martial of refusing to board the USS Bonhomme Richard as it deployed to the Persian Gulf in December.

A military judge found Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes guilty of missing his ship's movement, but dismissed a second count of unauthorized absence, ruling it duplicative.

The proceeding then moved into the sentencing phase. The 23-year-old New Yorker could receive a year in jail, a forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank and a bad-conduct discharge."

More at link above.