[Peace-discuss] A military view of the war

[Morton K. Brussel]

If only this message were forwarded to, and absorbed by, present and  
active graduates of the military academies. Nonetheless, there's hope  
in it.  --mkb

On May 1, 2006, at 4:44 AM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

>    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.]
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss