[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Take action: Amy is moving a court martial to Iraq / because of a song IVAW member wrote called "Stop Loss"

[C. G. Estabrook]

The USG is scared to death of this talk, with reason. Threats against officers, 
some acted upon ("fraggings"), grew rapidly as the American conscript army in 
Vietnam broke down.  The Pentagon responded by quickly ending the draft and 
constructing a mercenary ("volunteer") army of the poor.  (The USG has had the 
temerity in the current war to add highly-paid mercs to those who have no better 
options.)  The draft won't be back, because of the Vietnam experience, but the 
government shows here that it will move swiftly to suppress the stirrings of 
discontent in its colonial army.  --CGE

Karen Medina wrote:
> Army moves Marc Hall's court martial to Iraq
> 
> The U.S. military plans to extradite stop-lossed Iraq veteran and IVAW 
> member, Marc Hall, to Iraq "within a few days" to face court martial for
> allegedly threatening military officers in a protest rap song he made.
> 
> Marc has been sitting in Liberty County jail near Fort Stewart, GA since
> December 11, 2009 becuse he wrote a song called, "Stop Loss" about the
> practice of involuntarily extending military members' contract.
> 
> Marc's lawyer believes that moving him to Iraq will violate his due process,
> isolating him from his legal support and making calling witnesses on his
> behalf nearly impossible.
> 
> He is working hard to prevent Marc's extradition to Iraq, and your calls
> right now can make a big difference.
> 
> Take action to support Marc by calling Ft. Stewart Public Affairs Chief,
> Kevin Larson at 912-435-9879.  Tell him that 1) you are opposed to holding
> Specialist Marc Hall's court martial in Iraq and 2) all charges against Marc
> should be dropped.  If you are a veteran, mention that during your call.
> 
> Thank you for helping Marc.  Your calls in the next few days are very
> important. ---- INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE: -	Jason Hurd, IVAW Organizer, is in
> regular contact with Marc Hall. jehurd at gmail.com , 1-678-896-3821 -	Brenda
> McElveen, Marc Hall's mother, 1-843-206-3439 -	Chantelle Bateman, IVAW Field
> Organizing Team. chantellebateman at ivaw.org , 1-202-758-7818 -	David Gespass,
> Hall’s civilian attorney, 1-205-323-5966 -	Jeff Paterson, the founder and
> director of the soldier advocacy group Courage to Resist, jp at jeffpaterson.net
> , 1-415-279-9697 -	LTC Eric Bloom, US Army Public Affairs,
> eric.bloom at mnd-b.army.mil
> 
> ====
> 
> US military plans to extradite stop-lossed Iraq war vet to Iraq for court
> martial over protest rap song
> 
> Fort Stewart, Ga.  – The US military plans to extradite a stop-lossed Iraq
> war veteran to Iraq “within a few days” to face a court martial for allegedly
> threatening military officers in a protest rap song he made.
> 
> Spc. Marc Hall has been jailed in the Liberty County Jail near Fort Stewart,
> Ga., since Dec. 11 because he wrote a song called “Stop Loss” about the
> practice of involuntarily extending military members’ contracts.
> 
> "It is our belief that the Army would violate its own regulations by 
> deploying Marc and it would certainly violate his right to due process by
> making it far more difficult to get witnesses. It appears the Army doesn't
> believe it can get a conviction in a fair and public trial. We will do
> whatever we can to insure he remain in the United States," said Hall’s
> civilian attorney, David Gespass.
> 
> Gespass claims the Army's attempts to deploy Hall violate Army Regulations
> 600-8-105 and the Army's conscientious objector regulations. Hall applied for
> a conscientious objector discharge Monday. The military’s move would also
> separate Hall from both his civilian legal team and military defender.
> 
> "The Army seeks to disappear Marc and the politically charged issues involved
> here, including: the unfair stop-loss policy, the boundary of free speech and
> art by soldiers, and the continuing Iraq occupation. The actual charges are
> overblown if not frivolous, so I'm not surprised the Army wants to avoid
> having a public trial," explained Jeff Paterson, executive director of
> Courage to Resist.
> 
> An Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) member, Hall served 14 months in
> Iraq. He was scheduled to end his military contract on Feb. 27 but received a
> stop loss order that he would have to stay on active-duty to re-deploy to
> Iraq with his unit.
> 
> "Marc served his tour of duty to Iraq honorably,” said Brenda McElveen,
> Hall's mother. “To his dismay, he was told that he would be deployed again.
> When Marc voiced his concerns over this matter, his concerns fell on deaf
> ears. To let his frustration be known, Marc wrote and released the song. Marc
> is not now nor has he ever been violent."
> 
> Using stop loss orders, the US military has stopped about 185,000 soldiers
> from leaving the military since 2001. An additional 13,000 troops are now
> serving under stop-loss orders. President Obama said he thinks the practice
> should be stopped.
> 
> Hall, 34, was charged Dec. 17 with five specifications in violation of 
> Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Conduct, including “wrongfully
> threatening acts of violence against members of his unit.” His arrest came
> about a month after 13 people were killed in a shooting incident at Fort
> Hood, Texas. Hall, whose hiphop name is Marc Watercus, mailed a copy of his
> “Stop Loss” song to the Pentagon.
> 
> Based at Fort Stewart, Hall said the song was a “free expression of how
> people feel about the Army and its stop-loss policy” not a threat. “My first
> sergeant said he actually liked the song and that he did not take it as a
> threat,” Hall added.
> 
> A South Carolina native, Hall wanted to leave the military to spend more time
> with his wife and child.
> 
> Hall’s song:
> http://marcwatercus.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/stoploss.mp3
> 
> A copy of the US Army’s press release about transferring Hall to Iraq is
> available on request.
> 
> IVAW is a national organization of veterans and active-duty service members
> who have served since September 11, 2001 – including those who took part in
> Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. IVAW also is
> dedicated to fighting for adequate physical and mental healthcare, full
> benefits, and other support for returning veterans.
> 
> FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.IVAW.ORG
> 

-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.