COURAGE TO RESIST Supporting the troops who refuse to fight!

www.couragetoresist.org 484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610 510-488-3559 October 2016 National Newsletter facebook.com/couragetoresist Chelsea Manning again thrown in solitary By the Chelsea Manning Support mistreated by the US government since year, they threatened her with solitary Network and Fight for the Future. she was first taken into custody in 2010, confinement for minor “infractions” September 23, 2016 including long stretches of extreme including possession of LGBTQ reading After years of inhumane treatment, solitary confinement even before she materials and an expired tube of and having been held in conditions that had ever been convicted. toothpaste. Only after we delivered the UN considers to be torture, Chelsea This is not the first time the 100,000 petitions did they back off. Manning, the Guardian columnist and government has harassed Chelsea with For the most current news, please whistleblower who has been in prison outrageous charges while in prison. Last visit chelseamanning.org for years serving a 35-year sentence for exposing some of the US government’s worst abuses, attempted to take her own life July 5, 2016. After a 5-day hunger strike this month, the US Army finally agreed to provide her with gender reassignment surgery and the health care that she needs. Chelsea’s hunger strike is a historic victory for human rights. However, today, a prison disciplinary board decided to Do not extend draft registration to women. punish Chelsea with 14 days of solitary End war registration for everyone! confinement (with 7 days suspended) for charges related to her suicide attempt, and possession of an unmarked book in her cell. Drone technician Cian Westmoreland “If I get in trouble in the next six If it failed, we were told that months, those seven days will come people on our side would back,” Chelsea noted. potentially die. But I knew It was the government’s refusal to that if it stayed up, people on grant Chelsea access to needed health care that led to her suicide attempt in the Afghan side would die. the first place. And she forgot to write By Bob Meola, Courage to Resist. her name and inmate number in a copy September 21, 2016 of Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy, by Cian Westmoreland is a former Gabriella Coleman. drone program technician who has These bizarre administrative spoken out against the US drone offenses will also be used against her wars. He was one of a group of four as she attempts to be reclassified as a drone whistleblowers who spoke out Cian Westmoreland. Photo: NBC News “minimum security” prisoner, or qualify in 2015. Cian joined the Air Force in for parole, in the years to come. April 2006. His reasons for joining were talked to the recruiter to see what they Reacting to today’s decision, multidimensional. But a reason he joined had to offer—Army, Navy, Marines. I Chelsea shared, “I am feeling hurt. I am was that his father was in the Air Force. chose the Air Force. feeling lonely. I am embarrassed by the The following is some of what Cian told “Basic training was in San Antonio. decision. I don’t know how to explain it. me. My technical school was at Keesler Air I am touched by your warm messages of “I felt stuck and wanted to get out Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi. My First love and support. This comforts me in of town. 40% of the houses in town were duty station was Osan Air Base in South my time of need.” condemned. Korea, then Spangdahlem Air Base in Chelsea has been systematically “I looked at military options and continued on inside Drone technician Cian Westmoreland continued Germany, and then Kandahar Airfield in “The day the boss gathered us with the journalist Chris Woods and I Afghanistan in 2009. around the equipment and said, ‘We’re wasn’t sure if I’d be able to come back “I deployed with my unit. We killing bad guys here, boys.’, it felt like I into the US. Woods wrote the book, established the site for the 73rd had something around my throat. I felt a Sudden Justice. I had just pointed him expeditionary Air Control Squadron. My lump in my throat like I couldn’t breathe. to resources to do his own investigative job shifted to RF Transmission Systems. “One of the reasons I joined the work, but this was in a similar timeframe Then Satcom Satellite Communications Air Force was of Edward and Wide Band. to develop a Snowden’s leaks, “Our job was to build the site relationship with and I was unclear if that would basically relay all the my dad. I didn’t what I had provided communications over the 240,000 square know how to. On would constitute miles in Afghanistan to the CAOC— 9/11, he was in government actions Combined Air operation Center—at Al Kuwait, working against me. Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and Ramstein Air at a headquarters “I was Base in Germany. there, when it depressed and I was “It was a point, a single point of happened. He had going to disappear failure, at that time. If it failed, we were to order all of the and not come told that people on our side would initial missile parts back. I decided to potentially die. But I knew that if it to be deployed in come back for my stayed up, people on the Afghan side Afghanistan. He sister’s wedding in would die. told me that the leadership there wanted summer, 2014. Now I’m here [in the US]. “I had plans to stay in and become to put cameras on the heads of the “All my [credit and debit] cards a Staff Sgt., until I went to Afghanistan. I missiles so they could watch the impact. were blocked for a few days. I couldn’t even received an early promotion. “He said every time a missile get cash or make purchases right after “When this mortar exploded about impacted it would show on a screen and talking to The Intercept this past fall 100 feet away from me, I started to think everybody would cheer. He said, ‘After [2015] in NYC. It was fixed soon, but about my own life and what I was doing they hit their targets, they would still [Attorney] Jesselynn Radack said other there and what I felt in that moment. I have missiles left over, so they would go clients of hers have had problems as well. tried to imagine what the children were looking for targets and at the time of the “We didn’t do what Snowden or going through who stood at the fence bombings, the targets were considered Manning did. We didn’t leak anything. and begged for water every day, while anybody who was wearing white.’ We didn’t give information. But we are I stood there unable to do anything for “I knew the culture of the people speaking out. They could try to construe them, despite the fact that just behind directing the strikes was not very that we are aiding the enemy by giving me we had a Taco Bell, McDonalds, and a discriminatory about who they bombed. info about certain events and what might Tim Hortons. They were not really concerned with have happened. international law and the killing of “Brandon [former AF drone pilot civilians. Brandon Bryant] and I both agreed that “After my father told me those we would be willing to stand trial at the things and when he came back from International Criminal Court for what we Kuwait, he became more quiet and participated in, because we believe it was distant. I wanted to understand things an illegal war. I know myself to be a war that he went through for the military. His criminal by international standards. We story was one I thought a lot about while participated in what would constitute in Afghanistan, and I understood the war crimes if any other soldier from any heaviness he must have felt. other nation perpetrated it. The US “Everyone knew there was signing of the Nuremberg Principles after collateral damage. Most of the data from WWII set the norm that ‘just following aircraft was coming through our unit. orders’ is not a valid excuse for human “I only had about seven months rights violations. Our work, in the Global left. Rather than trying to be a CO War on Terror, killed civilians in ways [conscientious objector], I just stayed that were massively disproportionate to until it was over and then hitchhiked the threat most targets on the ground from my base in Germany to Beijing on a actually posed. We excessively used journey of self-discovery. airpower when it wasn’t needed. We “Then a friend was followed had no formal declaration of war or any around and harassed and his computer business being in this region militarily. Award-winning “Drone” documentary now was hacked...I felt like it might have But despite knowing that my equipment widely available. been related to me sharing information continued opposite page War resisters in Canada continued came to power in Canada, intent on cracking down on the hundreds of Iraq war resisters in Canada. A government order branded them as criminals, leaving some to be deported to face up to 24 months in jail while those who stayed in Canada were denied permanent residency. Others voluntarily returned to the United States. As he campaigned to be prime minister, Trudeau hinted he would do things differently. Speaking last year in Winnipeg, he criticised the Conservative government for its lack of compassion On June 27, 2016, about 150 supporters of Chelsea Manning marched in the and understanding toward the war SF Pride Parade. Organized by Courage to Resist and the Chelsea Manning Support resisters. “I am supportive of the principle Network, this was one of a half dozen contingents in Pride events nationwide this of allowing conscientious objectors year in support of Chelsea Manning. Above, Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel to stay,” Trudeau told the crowd. His Ellsberg helps led the contingent down Market Street. While you can’t see them from words echoed those of his father, Pierre this photo, we were again joined by the Chelsea Manning Flash Mob Dancers. Trudeau, who declared Canada to be “a refuge from militarism” during the Vietnam war. Drone tech Cian Westmoreland continued Some nine months after Trudeau was elected, Iraq war resisters in Canada would most likely be used in war crimes, I linking drones and sustainability in the continue to live in legal limbo. “I’m still just followed orders. public psyche—the furthest extent of shocked and dismayed that it is still “I hold myself personally guilty as our commitment to killing people who going on,” said Dean Walcott, a former US an accessory to murder in Afghanistan oppose us vs. creating a world where Marine corporal who served four tours in and Pakistan. With air strikes, it’s not violence makes little sense. We need to Iraq before escaping to Canada in 2006. just the pilot who is pulling the trigger. create micro-grids and empower local He is one of four war resisters Everybody has a part in making it levels of governance, then focus on whose immigration status is slated to be happen. It is volunteering your energy bringing people out of their survivalistic reviewed by a federal court in November. for excessive force and unlawful killing patterns of behavior into community. The court has given the Trudeau of civilians. I’m living, so my mission “Hard power or soft power? More government until mid-September to now is to be sustainable and help security or culture and diplomacy? decide whether it wants to continue with promote transparency, accountability, The US could try to make itself a the Conservative policy of opposing the and sustainability. We’ve created a meat more inclusive democracy and export resisters’ bid to remain in Canada. industry out of war. We’ve hidden the sustainability as our foreign policy... We Polls suggest most Canadians effects of everything that goes into our need to see how our everyday actions support the idea of allowing war resisters way of life. Everything in our society promote peace or promote war.” to stay in the country, with 63% saying runs on oil and precious metals. People Complete article online in June that they should need to know that the way they live be allowed to become has a much longer and deeper impact permanent residents. “I than what they see. With drones, our don’t think this is surprising,” citizens don’t have to physically come said Michelle Robidoux of into contact with the people we are the War Resisters Support killing anymore, just like we don’t come Campaign, which assists in contact with the animals we eat in our Iraq war resisters as they food. It allows us to live in illusionary forge new lives in Canada, worlds where we are deprived of the pointing to Canadians’ exposure to our own personal violent widespread opposition consequences and have very little to the Iraq war and the incentive to improve how we interact welcome extended to with the world. resisters during the Vietnam “I want to create a more US Iraq War resister Rodney Watson speaking of his war. comprehensive sense of responsibility decade-long plight in Vancouver, Canada Complete article online War resisters in Canada hope new gov’t will allow them to stay Years after crossing the border to Vietnam war era. avoid heading back to war, former US But unlike soldiers still live in fear of being deported those who home to face potential jail time for poured into desertion. Canada in the Excerpts from Ashifa Kassam, the 1960s and 70s, Guardian. August 2, 2016 the estimated It’s been more than a decade since 200 Iraq war Joshua Key chose to cross into Canada resisters who rather than continue as a US soldier in arrived decades the Iraq war. But, at times, he still feels later found little as though he’s fighting a war–one he government describes as “a war against my post- support in their traumatic stress disorder, a conflict bid to stay in Vigil at the Canadian consulate in NYC, July 2008--one of many organized against my contract with the military and Canada. Years by Courage to Resist. a battle with the Canadian government”. after crossing the border, the 15 or so known resisters who Now they’re calling on Justin He arrived in Canada in 2005– Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, and his soon after Canada’s then government remain in Canada live lives coloured with uncertainty, the threat of being deported Liberal government to reverse years of declared it would not actively participate government antagonism and allow them in the US-led war in Iraq–following in the home to face potential jail time for desertion looming constantly over their to stay in Canada permanently. footsteps of the up to 90,000 Americans Shortly after, the Conservatives who sought refuge in Canada during the new lives. continued inside US Army Chaplain: “I refuse to support US armed drone policy” On June invest billions of dollars into nuclear I resign because I refuse to serve as 6, 2016, weapons, which threaten the existence an empire chaplain. I cannot reconcile Reverend of humankind and the earth. I refuse to these policies with either my sworn Chris Antal, support this policy of terror and mutually duty to protect and defend America minister for assured destruction. and our constitutional democracy or the Unitarian I resign because I refuse to support my covenantal commitment to the core Universalist US policy of preventive war, permanent principles of my religion faith. These Congregation military supremacy and global power principles include: Justice, equity and at Rock projection. compassion in human relations, a free Tavern, New The Executive Branch continues and responsible search for truth, a York, read to claim extra-constitutional authority commitment to the democratic process, the following and impunity from international law. I and the inherent worth and dignity of resignation refuse to support this policy of imperial every person. letter on Democracy Now! He was an Army overstretch. Reserve Chaplain Captain in Afghanistan.

Dear Mr. President: I hereby resign my commission as PRESIDENT OBAMA: an Officer in the United States Army. I resign because I refuse to support US armed drone policy. The Executive Branch continues to claim the right to kill anyone, anywhere on earth, at any time, for secret reasons, based on secret evidence, in a secret process, undertaken by unidentified officials. I refuse to support this policy of unaccountable killing. I resign because I refuse to support US nuclear weapons policy. PARDON EDWARD SNOWDEN & The Executive Branch continues to CHELSEA MANNING!