ACTIVE-DUTY U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WAR ON '60 MINUTES'

Drudge Report ^ | 22 Feb 2007 | Matt Drudge

[OCCASparky]

ACTIVE-DUTY U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WAR ON '60 MINUTES'
Thu Feb 22 2007 15:21:11 ET

They say they are not disloyal. They say they are not shirking their duty and that they do not oppose war. But over 1,000 active-duty and reserve members of the U.S. military are against the war in Iraq and have said so in an unusually public way -- by petitioning Congress last month. Several of them appear to explain their actions in a Lara Logan report to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday Feb. 25 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

"I'm not anti-war. I'm not a pacifist. I'm not opposed to protecting our country and defending our principles," says Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, an Iraq war veteran who, along with another veteran, initiated the petition. A 1995 law called the Military Whistleblower act enables military personnel to express their own opinions about Iraq in protected communication directly to Congress. Hutto and others spoke with 60 MINUTES while off duty, off base and out of uniform as conscientious citizens. "But at the same time, as citizens, it's our obligation to have a questioning attitude... about policy," Hutto tells Logan.

Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, who helped Hutto to found the organization they call Appeal for Redress that has attracted 1,000 other military members, is more blunt. "Just because we volunteered for the military doesn't mean we volunteered to put our lives in unnecessary harm and to carry out missions that are illogical and immoral."

These GIs and others Logan spoke with expressed frustration with their efforts in Iraq and believe there is no end in sight to the war. Other Iraqi war veterans still on duty there believe Appeal for Redress misses a larger point. "As an American soldier, I feel like we took an oath to obey the orders of our commander-in-chief and officers appointed over us," says Army Spec. James Smauldon. Said another serviceman in Iraq, Army Capt. Lawrence Nunn, "I know what IÕm here fighting for, to give the Iraqi people some democracy and hope, so I am 100 percent behind this mission. You don't sign up to pick which war you go to."

Another Appeal for Redress member counters, "Our leadership gets to choose the mission. Congress gets to choose the mission," Staff Sgt. Matt Nuckolls says. He's loyally committed to whatever Congress wants him to do but savors the right to question it. "My Congressman is Lacy Clay. I would like to tell him as a constituent of his, 'Is the mission in Iraq really what you want us to be doing?' And then [if] he responds yes, okay, well, we go back to Iraq and keep doing what we're doing."

Developing...

[peyton randolph]

NEVER go to war without an actual Congressional Declaration of War.

---

Did Congress declare war?

Yes. By joint resolution. Here are the details.

2001 S.J. Res. 22; 107 S.J. Res. 22

Considered in the Senate, 09/12/01 Passed in the Senate, 09/12/01

2001 H.J. Res. 61; 107 H.J. Res. 61

Considered in the House, 09/13/01 Passed in the House, 09/13/01 

Presented to the President , 09/13/01 

Became Public Law (P.L. 107-39) , 09/18/01

In relevant part, it provides:

(6) thanks those foreign leaders and individuals who have
expressed solidarity with the United States in the aftermath of the
attacks, and asks them to continue to stand with the United States in
the war against international terrorism;

(7) commits to support increased resources in the war to
eradicate terrorism;

(8) supports the determination of the President, in close
consultation with Congress, to bring to justice and punish the
perpetrators of these attacks as well as their sponsors

Note that this includes the use of force against terrorists and their sponsors.

[Raycpa]

1000 active duty out of 2.3 million or less than 4/100's of a percent. Even Ivory Soap would be jealous.

[George W. Bush]

It's no surprise that some soldiers don't agree with policy. That's always been true even in a popular war like WW II.

Soldiers may not believe we can create a democracy. They may feel we invaded under false pretenses since we didn't produce large WMD stockpiles. They may feel the Maliki government is colluding with terrorist elements or is a terrorist element.

Soldiers are American citizens with a right to opinions and free speech. But no professional soldier who values his career in the military is likely to make such political statements in public. It's very frowned on by top brass.

[bnelson44]

Please point anyone you know in the active or reserve military to this site.
www.appealforcourage.org

[FreedomCalls]

Anyone can sign their petition and claim to be active duty. Here is the sign-up form:

http://www.appealforredress.org/php/appeal.php

I'll bet there are a lot of names like I.P. Freely and Seymore Butz on that list.

[oldenuff2no]

The % of military personnel you are talking about is almost non detectable against the whole.
I'm retired military and have been talking to many active duty troops.
The have all been united in their opinion of being pro war and pro President Bush.
These military personnel look at Bush as a part of their ARMY, their Marine Corp, their Navy, and their Air Force. He is their leader, and they are very loyal to him. This loyalty is far beyond the comprehension of the democrats.
Every single person I have talked to who are in active duty status feel that the democrats are stabbing them in the back with their anti war garbage. The resent the threats of funding cuts and are totally PO'd at the thought of these politicians so obviously determined of losing a war that they have fought so hard to win.
These warriors have seen and lived the real story and all of them reject the socialist democrat propaganda they see on CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC every night. They all ask why the networks are not telling the truth. These young men and women are not stupid. They are the best educated and smartest military this country has ever had. To the last man and woman they are volunteers. These young heroes are not going to turn dumb and stupid when they get home either. They know the truth and are not going to fall in lockstep behind the deceitful democrats. If the Democrats stay on the course they have set for themselves there is going to be a back lash that Washington Politicians have never seen before.
When I came home from Viet Nam I knew how badly the political left had betrayed me and my fellow solders but there was nothing I could do about it.
These betrayed solders are coming home to many conservative organizations who are prepared and eager to help them do something about it. The Democrats who are stabbing our heroes in the back right now are going to be a short easily forgotten bump in the road of our national history. They are soon to be a very distasteful and unwanted reminder as to how ugly disloyalty to our military and allies really is. The voters of tomorrow are the military members and their families who are very passionate about what is happening right now. Nancy, your anti military San Francisco attitude is just about to emasculate the democratic party. Your popularity doesn't extend much further than across the bay. You only represent the thoughts and desires of the bay area. Anyone who watches the news out of "Frisco" knows how anti military, anti constitution, and socialist that population really is. If someone wants to argue that point, lets talk about handguns. Murtha, you will be gone soon along with your unremarkable military career. You made sure you sat behind a desk while other died and now want to act like some kind of hero who knows it all. Old age will be calling soon, RIP. Teddy still has to face our maker about a young lady that he left trapped in a car to die. I hope you like Hell. Old age and booze will take you there soon enough. Your last name will not get you out of that judgment.

[Grunthor]

Without commenting on the war itself, I must say that thses folks must not have read their contracts very carefully. When you sign up, you agree to go and fight when, where and how you are ordered to. You do not get to choose.

[CedarDave]

Descendants in the same ilk as those who joined John Kerry in testifying before Congress in 1971-72. And I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Murtha hold hearings and call them to testify.

[Txsleuth]

I have to tell you...that I had goose bumps watching it...the history of the Corps...and then the boot camp..the office training...and then they showed a "fake Iraq city" built in 29 Palms, Calif...and they had "war games.

It was THE best special I have seen in a long time..I hated when it was over.

BUT, anyone that would go through what those Marines do, just to get through boot camp....and then would say what this article said a Marine said....

It doesn't make sense!!!

They stressed that Marines are a very TEAM oriented service.


I hope you get a chance to see it ...if it is rerun, it was GREAT!

[Pox]

Considering that roughly 20-30 percent of our soldiers likely hail from the left end of the political spectrum, I don't find this surprising at all.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that CBS is simply doing whatever they can to encourage the false belief that even the military doesn't agree with our current administration. It is, of course, a despicable load of BS to push upon the American public, and what I'd like to know is, when are patriotic Americans going to stand up to these despicable bastards in the MSM and put them down, permanently?

[CedarDave]

"A 1995 law called the Military Whistleblower act enables military personnel to express their own opinions about Iraq in protected communication directly to Congress."

John Kerry will hold hearings, same as in 72 except he will be sitting as a Senator instead of testifying.

One seriously pissed off Vietnam vet here.

[EndWelfareToday]

P*****s. Each one of those cowards volunteered to serve this country and each one of them swore an oath to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America. Each one of those traitorous b******s should be drawn and quartered.

JMHO

[cva66snipe]

Gibberish!!!! Mostly related to the United Nations RESOLUTIONS and NOT THE UNITED STATES... Damn Lawyers Chairwarmers in DC can not do something as simple and precise as this? This is a Formal Declaration of War. Note it is called just that as well

U.S. Declaration of War on Japan

Joint Resolution Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial Government of Japan and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same. Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.

I understand it. Any grade school kid could understand it. And it doesn't take a team of lawyers to figure out what it means and looking up UN this and that to understand why. What you showed is a Declaration of the Authorization of the use of Force and it is called such.

[unspun]

Must have the Mapes/Rather minions working on recruiting our military members to make seditious statements.

[OCCASparky]

I am pretty sure they are funded by Moveon.org. Someone is paying for a very nice website for them.

Not exactly--but close. Fenton Communications is picking up the tab for this website, and have other clients such as MoveOn.org, International ANSWER, the Win Withour War coalition, and Soros' Open Society. Do a Google search on Fenton himself. VERY interesting stuff. Seems he's been a rat-bastard traitor ever since the Vietnam days.

[randog]

"Hey, man, the commercials showed guys blowing s**t up in the desert and running around with guns and whooping it up on the weekends and getting paid to do it! They didn't say anything about quitting my job and going to Iraq for 6 months! Hey, man, I got bills to pay! I was just in it for the spare cash!"

[CedarDave]

Great rant!! Forwarded to Mark Levin. Maybe he'll read it today.

[OCCASparky]

These clowns ought to get a lot of people "signing on" to their petition. So, so many. Lots n lots.

Freep their petition? To borrow a line from Kentucky Fried Movie..."But it would be WRONG."

[CedarDave]

John Kerry will hold hearings, same as in '72

Wrong year, it was 1971 that Kerry was at Capital Hill.

[McGavin999]

Well, considering who sponsored them, it might be a good idea to find out just what they did when they were in Iraq.