Fund Resisters! Not The War!

Basic human rights do not flow from the barrels of U.S. weapons. Many troops are learning this in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some -- the real heroes -- seek ways to resist in the military. They face enormous difficulties trying to oppose a war machine that they also depend on to survive.

The military uses this dependence very consciously to indoctrinate, control and confuse the troops about what is really going on. The American way of war reinforces all this. Millions who may have briefly thought they were being liberated now truly and justifiably hate the U.S. and its enforcers. The military uses this ti keep the troops in line. Many only get to figure this all out after they return from the wars and get out. As newly minted veterans they discover that basic human rights like decent medical care are not available to them back home either. The government used them and now wants to throw them away.

The just demands of this protest take this all on! Demanding "an immediate end to the Iraq war" is about stopping the horrer that massacres hundreds of thousansd of Iraqi people and destroys the health of those sent to wage it.

While millions oppose the war in many ways, the role of war resisters in the military is crucial to ending it. They need massive, broad support.

Lt. Watada stepped out as a resister because of the blatantly illegal nature of the Iraq war. Now, as the administration refuses to tell Congress why it fired nine U.S. attorneys invoking unprecedented executive power to conceal probably illegal actions, the military openly violates Lt. Ehren Watada's constitutional rights in seeking his retrial. The military has also tried to go after veterans for protesting the war -- backing off for now under public pressure.

As veterans and associate members of Veterans For Peace we know of the horrors that war inflicts on others. We also know the real dilemmas faced by those inside the military who question and oppose the role and conduct of war.

Opposition to the war among the troops is reflected in the growing role of Iraq Veterans Against the War and other veterans' groups who are actively speaking out and working to end this war. At the forefront are those in the military who resist in various ways. These Resisters face not only the full weight of the military system but their own inner turmoil and self-doubts. These people are the real heroes in the military. They need and deserve our support.

-- The War Resister Support Action Team of Veterans For Peace Chapter 92

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Our mission statement is:

"To be a source of support, comfort and information for those in the military who are choosing to resist and for those employed by the military who are choosing to resign military related employment."

Providing concrete material support for these fellow veterans must be part of our work. Housing, food, medical care and legal support are often beyond the means of Resisters and their families struggling to survive while taking their principled stand. We can make a difference in their lives.

For more information or to participate in this team, please contact War-Resisters@vfp92.org

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DONATE TO THE WAR RESISTER SUPPORT FUND
If you want to help us help resisters, donate to this fund. We give small amounts to resisters when it can truly help.

Checks can be made out to:
VFP, Ch. 92
PO Box 50106
Bellevue, WA 98015
(Please note "war resister fund" on the check's memo line.)
VFP is a non-profit 501(c)(3) education and humanitarian organization dedicated to abolishing war.