[Peace-discuss] A soldier's letter and Chomsky's answer

[Paul M. King]

No advice? That's really disappointing ...

How about telling this guy to:

1. keep doing what he's doing ... save as many people as he
can from excess violence and not to get discouraged by the
enormity of the task ... every small action counts;

2. keep speaking the truth as much as he can without
endangering himself;

3. consider applying for conscientious objector status;

4. if he doesn't believe in non-violence, talk about it to others;

Protest comes in many forms. He can refuse to fire his weapon.
(This does not have to be publicly demonstrated. It can be a
quiet refusal to use his weapon, except in self-defense.) He
can refuse to wear his uniform properly (i.e., he could wear
the peace symbol on his helmet). He could demonstrate his
moral outrage by fasting and giving his food to others who
need it more. There are so many things he can do. Some are
more dangerous than others. When considering his options, he
should be very careful. It's war.

..:: Paul


---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 07:57:51 -0600
>From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>  
>Subject: [Peace-discuss] A soldier's letter and Chomsky's
answer  
>To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>
>Mr. Chomsky,
>
>Every day our little post receives fire from mortars,
rockets, and sniper
>fire. It is a very active city as far as resistance goes. I
fear that
>before long the commanders are going to forget about the rules of
>engangement and collateral damage and it is going to turn
into another
>Fallujah. This is not what they seem to want though. For some
reason there
>is an aura of hope for the city. I'm posting on this forum to
receive
>feedback from great minds. I think I can offer some insight
perhaps to the
>smaller picture of daily life in the Sunni triangle. Ramadi
is only a few
>miles away from Fallujah and I can still remember when the
operation there
>was underway. We felt it, we knew about it here. I wish I
could tell you
>everything but I must not. I can tell you though, that
discontent with the
>army is high among the troops. We know how this entire sham
in Iraq is a
>show of face. The soldiers dying every day are dying for no
good reason. I
>know I am an expendable resource. What I hate is why. There
are many
>soldiers who believe they are here to bring freedom to the
Iraqi people. I
>often joke discretely and say someday somebody is going to
bring freedom
>to the United States. When you actually put some thought into
bringing
>freedom to a soverign nation...it is ridiculous, why not
bring freedom to
>France, Italy, Spain, hey why not China while were at it.
That is what I
>tell the soldiers who answer me with were here to bring
freedom to the
>Iraqis and fight terrorism. They dont get it most of the
time. Many of
>them refuse to acknowledge reality. I am only slightly more
aware than
>they are thanks to my family and friends, and thanks to my
teachers, and
>to programs like the Z-sustainers. I feel a burning desire to
learn more.
>I do not think that the administration is bringing the
military and the
>personnel in it on the morally right course of action. I have
thought
>about it so many times about how I can seperate myself from
the US Army
>and the US itself but it always comes down to one thing, a
soldier is
>stuck being a soldier right now unless he/she suffers some
kind of
>horrific debilitating injury. I have no choice but to do
things I cannot
>support morally because I "signed" my life away. They forget
to mention
>"you were heavily coached into signing". After 9/11 I was
part of that
>population that bought into the whole anti-terrorism
sentiment. I enlisted
>in the army instead of going to college because I felt it was
the right
>thing to do. It was the worst mistake of my life but it has
helped develop
>character. The endless idioms of the army helped me realize
how important
>it is to get an education. Enough of that though. The Iraqi
people seem to
>want nothing other than to go on with their lives safely. The
threat they
>suffer from today was not there before the US invaded. It is
so obvious to
>some of us but the machine succeeded, the majority of
soldiers are here
>with such conviction that what we are doing is right. They
get so angry
>with me when I try and show them otherwise. I was spoken to
by my chain of
>command on several occasions. With the basic message shut up
or else. I am
>not allowed to point out simple truths proven by our own
action. What I am
>seeking from this forum is maybe advice, but also I want you
to ask
>questions so I can help others understand how things are. It
is important
>to me that others are not so blindly commited to a cause that
is hurting
>so many people in so many ways. I have saved many, but I have
also seen
>many more pass away. There must be a solution. The solution
is not going
>to come from the administration I do not believe.
>
>	PFC Colby, Justin R.
>	IMO C CO, 2D FSB
>	U.S. ARMY
>
>Reply from NC,
>
>It's a very moving and courageous statement, and a very
informative one.
>You are certainly right that the solution -- at least any
decent one -- is
>not going to come from the administration, nor would it have
come had
>Kerry been elected. It could come from the general
population, if they had
>a genuine voice in the American political system. But they
don't. About
>75% believe that the US invaded because Iraq was a threat to
the US, with
>its development of WMD and ties to al-Qaeda (and 9-11), and
should not
>have invaded if these claims of the administration are false.
They have
>been disproven even by the administration's own high-level
inquiries (Kay,
>Duelfer). Nevertheless, about half of the population believes
that the
>disproven claims are true, revealing the effectiveness of
government-media
>propaganda. If people feel that their lives, families,
societies are
>seriously threatened, they'll go to war in perceived
self-defense. But
>these figures -- and there are many others like them -- tell
us where the
>solution lies: in bringing democracy to the United States, so
that the
>opinion of the overwhelming majority of an informed public
can have some
>effect on policy.
>
>I couldn't presume to offer you advice in the grim situation
that you have
>to endure. You know vastly more about it than any of us here.
I hope you
>find a way to deal with the terrible situation, and that you
will find
>your way home safely -- to join in the task of liberating the
United
>States.
>
>Noam Chomsky
>
>
>
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