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Iraq Mutiny?
Reports are emerging about a potential U.S. forces mutiny in Iraq via multiple sources.
Soldiers in Iraq are being punished for disobeying what they believed was a "suicide mission".
Allegedly accused of cowardice and having a breakdown in discipline by their commander, the troops have refused to take part in an operation.
Two questions for the reader:
1. Is standing up to what is perceived as an irrational order a sign of cowardice?
2. Is a large group of soldiers, unified in resolve to fight what they believe is wrong, showing signs of a breakdown in discipline?
Share your anonymous thoughts here on Indymedia.
Allegedly accused of cowardice and having a breakdown in discipline by their commander, the troops have refused to take part in an operation.
Two questions for the reader:
1. Is standing up to what is perceived as an irrational order a sign of cowardice?
2. Is a large group of soldiers, unified in resolve to fight what they believe is wrong, showing signs of a breakdown in discipline?
Share your anonymous thoughts here on Indymedia.
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there's nothing brave or admirable about following orders mindlessly.
but i'd like to know more before reporting this "good news" to others. what are these "reports" of mutiny exactly?
We need to support our troops who are refusing to fight.
I know, from my own experience, that doing civil disobedience and being incarcerated can be emotionally harrowing and dangerous, even when you are in a peaceful setting with a loving cohort of like-minded and empowered people. Saying no to any type of power is asking to face the collective wrath of a hostile authority, its agents, and its (passive but threatening) alleged base. However, saying yes to evil is turning one's face away from life and truth, and risks the end of all that is good. (Is this really such a lofty issue? You bet it is.)
Imagine what those 19 soldiers in Iraq, none higher-ranking than a sargeant, must be feeling and going through.Their lives truly are in danger, and that danger is not from "unfriendly fire." They have acted against what society has allegedly proclaimed to be unquestionable: a soldier's orders. But they have acted on behalf of what society allegedly claims to be sacrosanct: life. They all need and deserve a tremendous amount of support, and whatever protection might be provided by intense public scrutiny of their fate.
Think of their families, facing judgment in their hometowns, on the job, in community circles. Those families need to feel safe and know that they, their loved ones, and the Iraqi people are not the enemy, and that the "the terror" is a manipulation of minds created by greed. Their voices have brought this story to light at home, and they are as vulnerable and as crucial to this movement as those for whom they speak. (This is a movement? You bet it is.)
They are all heros, they are making history, and quite possibly changing history.(Perhaps they will help save the country and the world from George Bush!) I believe they will indeed change hearts and minds, and move us ever closer to ending war for all time. (That's happening? You bet it is.)
We cannot allow their story to fade or become censored or suppressed in any way in this era of audacious jingoism, outright theft of human liberties, and planetary destruction. Help them go and tell the world that enough is enough. Go and tell the world the truth about this war and all wars. Do it for the sake of this election and do it for the sake of the future.