[Peace-discuss] A military view of the war
C. G. Estabrook
galliher at uiuc.edu
Mon May 1 04:44:26 CDT 2006
West Point Graduates Organize against the War
by James C. Ryan
We mince no words. Time is of the essence. Iraq is a human and
political catastrophe, stark testament to the deceitful behavior of the
Bush administration. The dangers are clear and present, and too many
human beings are dying for an ignoble cause. The preemptive war
launched against Iraq on March 20, 2003 stands illegal to its roots.
Premised on lies, misstatements, and subterfuge, the destruction of that
sovereign nation and its people has destroyed the reputation of America,
perilously debilitating its military.
These malefactions, in violation of a host of international treaties,
protocols, and conventions, have placed the military, in particular its
officer corps, in legal and moral peril. West Point Graduates Against
The War (westpointgradsagainstthewar.org), a grassroots movement to
redeem the honor of our country, stands opposed to the Bush
administration and its callous disregard for honorable behavior. At
issue -- which directly assaults the West Point Honor Code -- are the
falsehoods of the Bush administration, culminating in Secretary of State
Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations on February 5, 2003.
The West Point Honor Code -- "A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or
tolerate those who do" -- defines honor and duty as a way of life. This
provides graduates with a lifelong sense of duty, a shared
responsibility for us all to do the right thing, even admonishing our
country's leadership when democracy and its inherent freedoms are at stake.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and West
Point class of 1915, was a champion of the right to dissent. "Here in
America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and
rebels," he said, "men and women who dare to dissent from accepted
doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with
disloyal subversion." His words inspire us to act.
Eisenhower was even clearer when it came to preventive war, the kind
that Bush and his chickenhawk ilk fancy so dearly. He stood foursquare
against it. "When people speak to you about a preventive war," said
Eisenhower, "you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I
have come to hate war."
When West Point graduates took their commissioning oath of office, they
swore to protect the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
The deceitful connivances of the current administration have resulted in
a war catastrophic to our nation's interests: politically, economically,
militarily, and morally. The time has come for West Point graduates to
speak out about these deplorable conditions.
We will not serve the lies of this administration. To remain silent is
to tacitly serve. So we speak out, clearly and directly. We seek
justice for all victims of this illegal war, both servicemen and
servicewomen, and the citizens of Iraq. We stand opposed to the undoing
of Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms by this most dangerous,
oppressive administration. And so, too, would President Eisenhower.
"If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison," he
said. "They'll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads.
But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a
human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government."
Nor shall we graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
[James C. Ryan is a co-founder of West Point Graduates Against The War.
He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, class of 1962.
Ryan spent five years in the army artillery with assignments in the
United States and Europe. Thereafter a businessman, he subsequently
became a writer. He divides his time between Istanbul, Turkey where he
lives, and New York City where he teaches in the summer at Columbia
University. Father of four, Jim has eight grandchildren.]
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