...[W]ords from conscientious objectors remind me of friends who fought in wars they disagreed with strongly. So when i see the war’s toll on my friends' conscience, i ask, “Have you considered not going?” I do not encourage them, because a decision of conscience can only be made by the individual, but I let them know that if they have a moral objection to unjust orders, at least one friend will stand with them in their refusal.
excerpted from
War on One's Conscience by Simon Fitzgerald and Pablo Paredes
04 May 2005
Since the publication of the letter excerpted above, Paredes was convicted of missing movement and sentenced to "two months restriction, three months hard labor without confinement, and reduction in rank to E-1." Though Paredes was unable to literally "put the Iraq War on trial" as a defense strategy, he was able to bring it up during sentencing.
Professor Marjorie Cohn testified that the Iraq war was illegal under international and United States law. After lengthy cross-examination by the prosecution, the "exasperated" judge commented ""I think the government has successfully proved that any seaman recruit has reasonable cause to believe that the wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were illegal. "
-note: all quotes taken from http://www.defendpablo.org
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