Aaron Glantz

The court-martial of the first commissioned U.S. military officer to refuse to serve in Iraq ended abruptly Wednesday when the military judge overseeing the proceedings declared a mistrial over a technicality. At issue, according to the judge, Lt. Col. John Head, was an agreement first Lt. Ehren Watada signed admitting that he failed to deploy … Continue reading “Reprieve for Officer Who Denounced ‘Immoral War’”

TACOMA, Wash. – Supporters of the first commissioned U.S. officer to refuse to serve in Iraq plan to pack the courtroom at Fort Lewis, Wash., where 1st Lt. Ehren Watada will face a court-martial Monday. "If more officers like Lt. Watada come forward and said they wouldn’t order their troops into a war that’s morally … Continue reading “Officer Who Refused Iraq Tour Goes on Trial”

Senior Congressional Democrats are brushing off questions about cutting off funding for the Iraq war, and indicate they will do little to forcefully stop President George W. Bush from sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. On Wednesday, after returning from a trip to Iraq, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sidestepped questions over whether … Continue reading “Democrats Sidestep Defunding Demands”

At least 186 antiwar protests in the United States have been monitored by the Pentagon’s domestic surveillance program, according to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which also found that the Defense Department collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in a single anti-terrorism database. The documents were obtained by the ACLU … Continue reading “US Military Spied on Hundreds of Antiwar Demos”

United for Peace antiwar demos Peace activists from around the United States will converge on Washington Saturday for what organizers hope will be the largest demonstration to date against the Iraq war. “We expect a turnout in the six figures,” said Tom Andrews, a former Democratic congressman who now runs the group Win Without War, … Continue reading “Antiwar Groups Plan Surge on Washington”

More than 1,000 active-duty U.S. soldiers have signed a petition to Congress – known as an appeal for redress – calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. Among them is Sgt. Ronn Cantu of Los Angeles, Calif. He served in Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division from February 2004 until February 2005 … Continue reading “A US Soldier Speaks Out
From Baghdad”

Susan Tileston hasn’t seen her son, Levi Moddrelle, in more than two years. Levi served in the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan and then Iraq, where he was stationed for almost a year. He returned home for Christmas in 2003, but wasn’t the same. “I don’t know what happened to him in Iraq, but he … Continue reading “Sick, Literally, of Fighting in Iraq”

In a case that could have repercussions for free speech and press freedom in the United States, the U.S. military has subpoenaed two peace activists and a journalist in its case against Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to serve in Iraq. "I’m alarmed," said Olympia-based activist Phan Nguyen, … Continue reading “More Subpoenas Come Down in Watada Case”

On New Year’s Eve, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq passed 3,000. By Tuesday, the death toll had reached 3,004 – 31 more than died in the Sep. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But the number of injured has far outstripped the dead, with the Veterans Administration reporting … Continue reading “Iraq Vets Come Home Physically, Mentally Butchered”

SAN FRANCISCO, California (IPS) – Iraqi-Americans reacted with sadness to the execution of Saddam Hussein Saturday, calling the former Iraqi president’s death by hanging early this morning Baghdad time a missed opportunity for justice. An Iraqi tribunal set up by the U.S. government had convicted Hussein of murder in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims … Continue reading “Saddam’s Death Leaves Unanswered Questions”