ARCHIVE OF ARTICLES, NEWS, & ACTIONS
Peace and greetings Courage to Resist community!
It’s nearing the end of another calendar year, so it is again time for me to self-assess, “How do I know if I made a difference?” I volunteer & contribute.
Podcast: “What? Yes. That term..I’m a conscientious objector!” – Rosa del Duca
“Having signed a six-year contract, I thought there was absolutely nothing I could do. I just needed to hunker down and fulfill my contract.”
January 2022 PDF Newsletter
We’re proud to share our print newsletter–print, copy, and share! It’s a great way to quickly catch up on whats going on.
US Senate looks to expand Selective Service to women
We don’t have a draft today because widespread, visible, and widely supported resistance forced an end to the draft before the end of the US war in Vietnam.
Podcast: “Why are we guarding an oil field?” – Kevin Benderman
“You know what? This is all a bunch of bullshit, what they’re telling us to do over here,” recalls Iraq War veteran turned conscientious objector.
Podcast: Michael Rasmussen, Meditations of a Conscientious Objector
“I think the whole idea of a “just war” at all is a sham that we’re taught as part of this propaganda to support it.” -recent USMC Capt. Michael Rasmussen
Expanding Draft Registration to Women is Progressive, Right? Guess Again
Rosa del Duca on the “Intersectionality & the U.S. Military Draft” panel at the recent Peace and Justice Studies Association.
Podcast: “The common thing is that no one wants war” – Col. Ann Wright (ret.)
“You are doing the right thing because this is going to be horrible for the people of Iraq, but it’s going to be horrible for the United States, too.”
Podcast: “I joined the military to fight fascism” – Capt. Alan Kennedy
“[In] appeals to every level … I pointed out that this policy was unconstitutional … the right to peaceful protest is a constitutional right.”
Women and the Future of Selective Service (Video)
A discussion of legislation that will require women to register with Selective Service hosted by the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee.
Ed Asner (1929 – 2021): A life of persistence and perseverance for justice and peace
Ed Asner was beyond a gifted actor. He was also “one of us”–a veteran and a person of conscience who paid a price for “doing the right thing.”
Podcast (VN-E44): “Strong religious commitment against war” – David Finke
David Finke is a conscientious objector, military counselor, and lifetime nonviolent activist. David shares his personal history.
Podcast (VN-E43): “I’m going in for a long time” – William Short
“I could probably speak louder with my photography than I could with my painting….I consider myself not just an artist, but a cultural worker.”
House and Senate Committees vote to make women register for the draft
House Armed Services Committee joined Senate Armed Services Committee in voting to expand registration for a possible military draft to include young women.
Podcast: “I was always the ‘Good Sailor'” – Mike James
“Man, I do not want…a career in something that is intrinsically chaotic and stupid. I didn’t want to participate in that anymore.”
National Guard concedes members have more freedoms
Capt. Alan Kennedy was punished for marching in Black Lives Matter protest, so he took the National Guard to court. Initial victory–regs don’t apply to NG.
Video: Ann Wright interviews former Lt. Ehren Watada, Iraq War resister
Ehren was the first military officer to publicly speak out against and refuse to deploy to Iraq back in June 2006. Here’s what he’s been up to since.
Sentenced to 45 months prison, Daniel Hale on why he exposed drone program
In a personal letter, Daniel Hale explains he violated the Espionage Act to stop the cycle of violence perpetuated by the US’ extrajudicial killings.
Peace and Faith Groups Tell Senate Committee to Abolish the Draft–Once and for ALL
Senate Armed Services Committee was released this morning before they convened for a closed-door markup of the National Defense Authorization Act. Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) has proposed forcing women to register for a future military draft
Podcast: “I’m requesting discharge-not noncombatant status” – Kyle Toon
“Kyle, everything that you’re telling me right now, you fit the mold of a conscientious objector,” and I was speechless.
Podcast (GW-E06): Erik Larsen – Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience
“Wow, that was shocking. What is my response as a Christian to the US support of this sort of stuff?” Threatened with death penalty for refusing to kill.
Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale needs your support
Updates and how to help: Write to Daniel at the detention center in Alexandria, ask President Biden to pardon Daniel, donate, and more.
Podcast (GW-E05): “Well, You’re a Conscientious Objector” – Dan Fahey
“I was shocked that he got…a whole group of guys to chant, ‘Kill’. But after that, it made me see…I don’t really want to kill anyone.” Gulf War 30 years.
NSA whistleblower Reality Winner released from prison!
Reality Winner, a former intelligence contractor convicted of leaking a report about Russian interference in the US election in 2016, has finally been released from prison.
“There are a lot of turning points in my life — but [meeting Courage to Resist] was a turning point during my conscientious objection process.”
