Watada

Add First Lieutenant Ehren Watada to the list of those who hate the troops (see other groups here, and please do what you can to stop them).

Lt. Watada, despite facing court martial, has decided to voice his opinion about the legality and legitimacy of the war in Iraq.

This of course has brought forth the “support the troops - but only when they support this war” crowd, who are waiting like airlines backed up on a runway at O’hare to get on cable news to bash this guy (It’s the same crowd that hates Cindy Sheehan, think some 9/11 widows enjoyed their husband’s deaths, and thinks Max Cleeland is a traitor for only offering only three of his limbs in Vietnam, instead of all four):

"I feel that we have been lied to and betrayed by this administration," Watada said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Fort Lewis. "It is the duty, the obligation of every soldier, and specifically the officers, to evaluate the legality, the truth behind every order — including the order to go to war."

In making his decision, Watada has reached out to peace groups, including clergy, students, some veterans opposed to Iraq and others. Some war critics are raising money for his legal defense as they seek to galvanize broader opposition to Bush administration policy in Iraq.

Among the enlisted ranks at Fort Lewis, Sgt. Kevin Benderman is serving a 15-month sentence at a base correctional facility for refusing a second tour of duty in Iraq. Benderman, an Army mechanic for 10 years, served in Iraq in 2003 but refused to board a plane for a return trip in January 2005. He did not, however, consider himself a conscientious objector, since he was willing to fight in wars that were justified, legal and in defense of the nation.

As to the question of whether or not individual captains, lieutenants, etc have the right to question orders, and directly disobey them? I just don’t know. One need not be in the military to understand the extreme importance of conformity, obedience to authority, and unquestionable sacrifice that goes along with having an effective army. Individual soldiers calling their own shots about what is right and what is not, seems almost like an oxymoron to me. If one enlists, one has an obligation to follow all orders…or do they?

Many would argue it’s the duty of those who serve to refute illegal orders. In other words, if those at Abu Ghraib refused to carry out the naked pyramid pile order issued by their superiors at the prison, they’d have been lauded, not court-martialed. I have no idea what military law states about whose determination makes a particular order illegal, however.

One thing is for certain – the Swift-Boating of this guy will begin faster than you can say “Cheney had 5 deferments during Vietnam.” This is not the time when free thought, dissent, or going against the grain for what you believe in are rewarded, especially if you’re military. Those are, after all, commie-liberal characteristics.