Action Alert: Demand Army drop all changes and accept Lt. Watada’s resignation now!
March 13, 2007 update
The military was hoping to court martial Lt Watada on February 5 and send him to prison as an example. Instead, the military judge forced a mistrial, partially out of fear of Lt Watada putting the war on trial. In the aftermath of the military judge orchestrating a mistrial, Lt. Watada’s lawyer Eric Seitz explained “When it’s not going well for you, you can’t just call a mistrial and start over again.”
In response to the Army refilling all five charges, Mr. Seitz declared that the Army is “behaving irrationally and recklessly …I love it.” Defense motions for dismissal on double-jeopardy grounds are expected to be filed in April.
The constitutional prohibition on double jeopardy (meaning they can only try someone once) makes a second court martial unlikely, according to Lt. Watada’s attorney Eric Seitz and many other legal experts. For a in depth report on the court martial and mistrial: content/view/249/1/
The next step is to pressure Fort Lewis Commanding General James Dubik, who has the power to drop all charges and let Lt. Watada out of the Army, to do so. Lt. Watada has now completed his initial service agreement. A letter writing and phone calling campaign will complement the efforts of Lt. Watada’s legal efforts.
WRITE A LETTER:
When writing, please consider a handwritten letter on stationary (if available) posted via express or priority mail for additional impact and timely delivery. Lt. Gen. Dubik has the authority to decide what the Army will do next about Lt Watadas case. Use your own words and add your own reasons, but please include this suggested message:
Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik,
I urge you to drop all charges against Lt. Watada and to respect the constitutional prohibition on double jeopardy by not attempting to court martial him again. I also urge you to allow Lt. Watada to resign; he has now completed his initial service agreement with the Army.
Sincerely, _____________
MAIL TO:
Commanding General
Fort Lewis and I Corps
Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik
Bldg 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis WA 98433
CALL:
Lt. Gen. Dubik can be reached via his aide at 253-967-0022, and/or through the Ft. Lewis switchboard at 253-967-1110. We are aware that these numbers often refer caller they recognize as “Lt. Watada supporters” to the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office at 206-967-7166. Please, in your own words, include the suggested letter message above.
Do not delay and take action today.
“Courage to Resist puts the slogan of “support the troops but not the war” into practice every day. Their work to publicize and support the courage of GI resisters is an essential component of stopping the war machine.”
