We Honor Our Troops Today And Speak Out Against Unjust Wars

Today we honor those who have served our country, while recognizing that one of the things our veterans have fought for is the right to dissent.

Nov. 10, 2008: Anessah Tookes places American flags on the graves of military veterans in Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Wash.

Benjamin Lewis a former Marine Corps mortarman, Iraq veteran, IRR recall resister, peace activist and Brandon Neely, a former U.S. Army Military police officer, Iraq veteran, IRR recall refuser wrote an open letter calling for an end to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On this day, Veteran’s Day, we would like to express to the American public why we, veterans of the Global War on Terror, have chosen to refuse orders to reactivate into military service. We are direct witnesses to the horrors of this war, having experienced its atrocities at their source, and we have decided that we can no longer carry out these illegal and immoral policies.

We believe that veterans and active-duty GIs are in a key position to stop illegal and unjust war, and we are inspired by the resistance of troops who stood against the war in Vietnam. One of the preeminent reasons for the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam was increasing dissent among the active-duty troops stationed abroad and at home. By the end of the war, there were entire units refusing to participate in combat, many going as far as outright mutiny.

[…]

…we turn to organizations like Courage to Resist, Iraq Veterans Against the War and many other large-scale and grassroots organizations to solicit change in a largely unrepresentative democracy, and to allow the voices of the people to ring through the halls of the Capital.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.