Just a little something for fun, serious updates coming soon!

Sweet! I knew I had common sense on my side: letter from Florida Veterans for Common Sense

FLVCS LETTER to Senators and Representatives

June 3, 2007

Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Chairman Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
Senator Carl Levin, Chairman Senate Armed Forces Committee
Representative Ike Skelton, Chairman House Armed Forces Committee
Representative Bob Filner, Chairman House Veterans' Affairs Committee

Dear Senators and Representatives:

Florida Veterans for Common Sense wishes to make you aware of an un-American,
unpatriotic attack by the U.S. Marine Corps against decorated marines who
have served in Iraq and were honorably discharged. When the Marine Corps found
out that discharged marines still in the Inactive Ready Reserve were speaking
out and protesting against the occupation of Iraq, the Corps re-activated them
for a hearing to revoke their honorable discharges as punishment. FLVCS knows
of several honorably discharged marines facing this harassment.

The Corps claims that the Uniform Code of Military Justice was violated by
the marines because they spoke out against the war and while wearing a marine
uniform at a demonstration. The action of the Corps is nothing less than an
attack on the free speech of all American citizens, and particularly veterans.

The marines in question do not deny they have spoken out against the war and
that on occasion wore parts of their military clothing at demonstrations.
Neither marine wore a full uniform. They wore camouflage fatigues without the
marine insignia, a right they have earned in blood. There is no law, or regulation
against wearing camo. A camo shirt, pants, and hat is not a uniform. You can
see people wearing camo everyday all around America.

The corps claims that is against regulations to wear a uniform, or apparently
a part of a uniform, at political events. If that is correct, the regulation
is selectively enforced by the Department of Defense. President Bush, Vice
President Cheney, and other politicians often have soldiers in full dress uniform
standing behind them for the cameras at political events.

In short, the Marine Corps is attempting to stifle legitimate pro-American
speech, which should not be tolerated. Are we fighting in Iraq to lose our
freedoms at home? The Marine Corps has a war to fight against Al Qaeda and shouldn’
t be wasting its time harassing veterans who exercise their democratic right
to free speech. The Commandant of the Marine Corps should be summoned to
Congress to explain the Corps' actions and to explain why those responsible should
not be held accountable.

Sincerely,

Gene Jones
For: Executive Committee Florida Veterans for Common Sense.

Letter of Support From The Military Project

After multiple tours in Iraq, Adam Kokesh, Liam Madden and Cloy Richards
received honorable discharges from active duty. These Marines continued to
honor their oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic by joining Iraq Veterans Against
the War and speaking out against a war they saw as illegal and immoral.

As a result of exercising their right to freedom of speech, (a right they
were told they were fighting for in Iraq) the Marine Corps, while admitting
that The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) does not apply to
Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) service members, is trying to refuse them IRR
honorable discharges for alleged violations of the UCMJ! This bold attempt
by the government to suppress the views of our service men and women must
not go unchallenged.

The Military Project sees Adam Kokesh, Liam Madden, Cloy Richards, The IVAW,
and all active duty and reserve troops who have the courage to speak out
against this illegal war as true patriots and heroes. We urge all people of
conscience to "Support The Troops!" by sending letters of support and
financial donations to IVAW and by contacting elected officials to tell
them, "Let Our Troops Speak! Stop Harassing Heroes!"

IVAW- Legal Defense Fund
PO Box 8296
Philadelphia, PA 19101

Sincerely,
The Military Project
contact@militaryproject.org

Pledge to Support IVAW and End the Occupation

Pledge to Support Iraq Veterans Against the War

and End the Occupation of Iraq

Given that the ongoing occupation of Iraq is a horrendous waste of life and money that make America less capable of defending itself,

And given that our democracy has failed to execute the will of the American people,

And given that it is now necessary for the people to stop the occupation,

I hereby solemnly swear to do the following:

I will not do anything other than pay taxes to support the occupation financially or economically.

If asked to support the occupation in the course of my employment I will refuse.

I will not transport goods or material that support the occupation.

If considering joining the military, I will not do so until all occupying forces are removed from Iraq, and will encourage others to do the same.

I make this pledge in good conscience, and out of my love for my country.

###

INSTRUCTIONS: To sign the pledge, simply add a comment to this post and include your name, occupation, employer, and whatever other information you deem appropriate.

Press Release - Adam Kokesh Rejects Marines' Plea Bargain

For Immediate Release:

May 29, 2007

For Further Information Contact:

Adam Kokesh ###-###-####

Kevin Zeese 301-996-6582

In Unprecedented Prosecution Former Marine Adam Kokesh Rejects Plea Bargain

Fights to Protect Free Speech Rights of Vets

Washington, DC: Former Marine Sergeant Adam Kokesh is embroiled in a conflict that could have major implications for the free speech rights of veterans especially recent Vets who are in the Inactive Ready Reserve. Kokesh is facing an administrative hearing for his anti-war activities but recognizing the high stakes the military has offered a plea bargain. In response, Kokesh rejected the offer saying it risks the “free speech rights” of vets and “allow you to silence the voices of those whose experiences are most relevant in the most pressing debate before the nation.” Below this release is his letter to Captain Sibert and Brigadier General Moore, who is the convening authority for the hearing.

This Friday at 5:00 PM at Union Station Kokesh will be participating in a press conference when he departs to Kansas City, MO for the hearing which is scheduled for June 4^th at the Marine Mobilization Command. Adam Kokesh, his attorney, and his witnesses, will be taking the Yellow Rose of Texas Peace Bus from DC to Kansas City.

Adam Kokesh was deployed to Fallujah and received an honorable discharge last November. Since then, he has become active with the national organization, Iraq Veterans Against the War. After participating in Operation First Casualty, a demonstration at which he wore parts of his utility uniform, he received a warning from Major Whyte, an active duty Marine Corps Major who had been assigned to investigate the incident. After replying with a strongly worded email, the Marine Corps decided to prosecute him and separate him from the IRR with an Other Than Honorable Discharge. He could have ignored the letter of notification, but instead chose to exercise his right to challenge the decision in a hearing.

The implications of this hearing may be far reaching, as the prosecution of a member of the inactive reserves under these circumstances is unprecedented. At stake is the right of freedom of speech for the hundreds of thousands of members of the Inactive Ready Reserve, as well as the nation’s right to get the unbiased truth out of Iraq. Last week, the prosecuting attorney, Captain Sibert, offered Kokesh a general discharge. To accept this would be to allow the Marines to say that members of the IRR do not have freedom of speech, so naturally, he declined.

The hearing will be held on June 4, at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, MO. Kokesh requested the hearing be held closer to Washington, DC, his current residence and a much more convenient location for the witnesses to the event in question, which happened in Washington, but was denied. He has the right to call witnesses, but has to provide for their transportation.

Adam Kokesh is represented by Mike Lebowitz and Eric Seitz. Mike Lebowitz is a combat veteran of Iraq, having been deployed in 2005-2006 as a paratrooper in the Pathfinder Company of the 101st Airborne Division. Lebowitz currently serves part-time as a JAG officer in the National Guard. He also is an attorney at the Washington, DC-based intellectual property law firm of Greenberg & Lieberman. Mike practices media law, First Amendment and military expression. He previously worked as a journalist and consultant in places such as East Africa and the Middle East. Ph: 202-625-7000, Fx: 202-625-7001, cell: 571-251-1490. Eric Seitz is an attorney engaged in private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii emphasizing civil rights, criminal defense, and military law. Mr. Seitz graduated from Oberlin College in 1966 and received his law degree from Boalt Hall (University of California at Berkeley) in 1969. Among the thousands of military cases in which he has participated Mr. Seitz represented Navy FN Patrick Chenoweth who was acquitted in a general court-martial of sabotage in time of war, Marine Cpl. Jeff Paterson who was the first service member to refuse to deploy during the first Gulf War, and most recently Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada who refused to deploy to Iraq.

# # #

Dear Captain Sibert and Brigadier General Moore,

As an esteemed US Attorney and a General, you both must have a sense of the potential significance of my separation hearing. The prosecution of a member of the inactive reserve under these circumstances is unprecedented. As citizens, we all have a right to freedom of speech. In the Marines, we often joke that you signed away that freedom, and I understand the necessity for certain restrictions while on active duty. But those who have risked their lives to defend the rights of all Americans have a special claim to those rights when they have completed their service. Is the Marine Corps attempting to strip away those rights from the hundreds of thousands in the inactive reserves?

Maybe that’s not the case. Perhaps I am being singled out because I have become a vocal opponent of the war. Maybe Brigadier General Darrell L. Moore just got upset when he saw a picture of a Marine in the paper disagreeing with him. Maybe that’s when he decided to order Colonel Steve Brown, Deputy Commander of the Mobilization Command to recommend that I be separated with an Other Than Honorable Discharge. Maybe he thought that I would be intimidated by the long letter, the official letterhead, and the threats in official Marine Corps terminology. Maybe he thought that I would just ignore it, and let the Marines “paper-f***” me behind my back. Maybe I would shut up for a while. But let me tell you, you messed with the wrong veteran.

While there may be some purpose of this prosecution in order to maintain the, “good order and discipline” of the inactive reserve, it is clear by its prejudice that it is intended to silence the voices of dissent. Thousands of taxpayers’ dollars are being spent on this case. I love the Marine Corps, and to see it abused for political ends makes me sick. You should all be ashamed to call yourselves Marines.

I joined the Marines out of patriotism. I said that when I enlisted in 1999, before it was cool, and even wrote it as my reason on the form I filled out at the Military Entrance Processing Station. As Thomas Jefferson said, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Now that I am out of the Marines, I am continuing my patriotic duty by speaking out. It is Marines like you, Brigadier General Moore, and Colonel Brown, who are preventing the American public from hearing the truth about Iraq by intimidating those who would disagree with you from speaking out. If the policies that you support are so righteous, why are you afraid of the truth?

If I accept this “plea bargain,” I would have to allow you to punish me for speaking my mind, allow you to say that it is somehow less than honorable for thousands of IRR Marines to exercise their freedom of speech, allow you to silence the voices of those whose experiences are most relevant in the most pressing debate before the nation, and allow you to say that Thomas Jefferson was wrong. If this is your intent, I would ask to please, kindly, go f*** yourself. I will not allow it.

Semper Fi,

Adam Kokesh, PFC

Proud F***ing Civilian

Legal Case Update: WE GOT A BUS!!!

When I told Brigadier General Moore that I would not roll over and accept an Other Than Honorable Discharge without a hearing, I requested that it be held close to DC because that’s where most of my witnesses and I live. But that request was denied and the hearing will be held at 8am on Monday, June 4 in Kansas City. While the Marine Corps was willing to fly me out for the hearing, there was nothing they would do to help get my witnesses there.

Enter Jim Goodnow. Jim is a member of Veterans For Peace and proud owner of the Yellow Rose of Texas Bus for Peace. He has graciously volunteered his bus and his time to drive myself, and my witnesses all the way to Kansas City from Washington, DC.

We will be leaving from Union Station at 6pm this Friday, driving to Columbus, then from Columbus to Kansas City on Saturday. We will be having a send-off press conference in front of Union Station at 5pm, and you are all welcome to attend, even those of you who are only reading this blog to get me in more trouble.

My attorney has just informed me that the Marines plan to use posts on my blog against me at my separation hearing. So, a quick message to those of you who are wasting government time and resources to spy on me: go fuck yourselves. I was very reluctant to start a blog after hearing the statistics that there are a bazillion new blogs and ten bazillion new blog posts every day. If everyone in the blogosphere is so busy posting this crap, who the hell is reading it? At least someone is reading this blog.

The Last Action in Ansbach/The Stand Off

The IVAW German Expeditionary Team left Berlin Wednesday morning for Ansbach. After a harrowing run-in with autobahn traffic, we pulled up to the base at Katterbach just in time for the demonstration being hosted by the Ansbach Peace Coalition and the Ansbach Appeal. Reverend Hansjörg Meyer began with a speech, and I followed:

My fellow Americans,

My name is Adam Kokesh and I am a veteran of the occupation of Iraq. I served in Fallujah from February to September of 2004 with a Marine Corps Civil Affairs Team.

America is in a state of crisis. We are fighting a supposed war on the other side of the world, and there is no end in sight. It is draining our country of the financial resources to address the problems that face us at home and draining the lives and youths of Americas best and brightest. You are all patriots for putting on the uniform you wear today. I once wore such a uniform with great pride myself.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” That is why we are here today representing Iraq Veterans Against the War. I can only ask you to think for yourselves. As you prepare to deploy, I know that you are struggling with the reasons and rationalizations for our presence in Iraq. When I was there, I told myself, “At least we’re keeping the fight off American soil.” But for every insurgent we kill, there are two to kill the next day. We are making more enemies than we can count.

As patriots and citizens of the United States, you have certain rights, but with those rights come responsibilities. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. We must be vigilant to threats from within as well as from abroad. Ask yourself, where is the greater threat coming from? As General George Washington said, “When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.”

I would not ask anyone to desert lightly, and I do not do so here today. I only ask that you ensure your actions are commensurate with your responsibilities as a United States citizen and patriot. Know your rights, explore your options. Learn what it means to be a conscientious objector. Succeed where I have failed. Should you choose to desert, the people of Ansbach will support you. It is not without great courage and consideration that they extend this offer. I hope you can appreciate that.

On behalf of Iraq Veterans Against the War, thank you for listening with an open mind.



Then Thomas Cassidy, Jeff Englehart, and Chris Capps spoke. Chris told the story of his recent desertion. Then while Darnell Summers was speaking, and very effectively interacting with the troops passing by, Chris got in some trouble. Here is the story in his words:

I wasn't feeling that good after the long ride down to Ansbach so I gave a small speech. I just told my story of how I deserted. I knew Darnell had gotten a large reaction for quoting me and calling for soldiers to desert so it wasn't a giant surprise to me that I got a reaction from the "authorities" as well. First a uniformed polizei came up to me in the middle of the crowd and asked for my identification. He said, "The Army is looking for a Man named Capps but I don't think its you." He said they had a picture of this Chris Capps and it didn't look like me. At the point I decided to get the fuck out of there. The polizei wasn’t telling me to stay there or trying to detain me or anything so Meike and I walked to the van. People in civilian clothes and MP's followed us to the van. I got into the van but before Meike got into the van she was stopped by one f the people in civilian clothes. They lifted up their shirt to reveal a badge on their belt; they explained to Meike they were criminal polizei. The MP's then walked up to us and asked for my ID. I claimed I didn't have my military ID and handed them my passport. The CSM in charge of the MP's asked me if I was a marine (???????) and looked at a picture in his hand and compared it to me on my ID. I tried to pass off my military ID to Meike's back pocket but one of the polizei saw me and took my military ID. I thought they were getting ready to take me into custody on the spot but I heard them talking about the protest and at that point Michael Sharp from the Military Counseling Network showed up. Its is very easy to mistake Michael Sharp for a lawyer the way he acts and then cameras from the press started showing up and taking pictures. I knew my odds had just gone up then. The polizei started hassling the camera people and the MP CSM was on the phone trying to call up a patrol car to come pick me up. I told them that I was on leave until I was processed out of the army. Technically I am still under the MP's jurisdiction and they still could have taken me into custody, but then I told a young E-5 mp that I was on leave. He immediately asked to see my leave form, which I provided. He showed it to the CSM, they talked for a little while and analyzed the situation and then realized there was no just reason to detain me and that detaining me in front of what they thought was a lawyer, press, cameramen, and a protest would not be a good situation.

After that incident, I had noticed some soldiers gathering by the gate on the inside, and I decided that I would see if I could still get on base with my military ID to talk to them. I walked up to the gate and handed the private security guard my ID and driver’s license. He gave them back to me, and said to wait, then exchanged a few words in German with another guard, who said something about not letting me on. Then the first guard asked to see my IDs again. I said, “That’s OK. If you’re not going to let me on, why should I show them to you?” Then one of the MPs got involved and asked to see my military ID. I told him that I didn’t trust him, but I would hold it where he could see it. Then he asked to have it again. “Look, Sergeant, I don’t trust you. Is that too hard to understand? You can see my ID just fine without touching it.” “OK, can I see the back?” I flashed him the back and he got a call on his cell phone. “What? Did you need to get my social security number?” Then he said to no one in particular, “It’s OK, we’ve already got his social.”

The second guard emerged from the guard shack holding a small piece of paper and held it up in front of me. He said, “Yes, it’s him,” in German. I said, “Was ist das? Warum habst du das photo? Ist das mir in das photo?” “What is that? Why do you have that photo? Is that me in that photo?” He ignored me, so I said, “Was ist los? Kannst du sprachen?” “What’s wrong, can’t you talk?”

I chatted with the PFC who had the misfortune of being at the gate that afternoon, and had a nice conversation about living on the east coast. All the while, his Sergeant was there on the phone. Eventually the Polizei came up to me and told me that I wasn’t going to be allowed on base and they would arrest me if I went on base. I told them I was cool just hanging out at the gate, and so I did, just chatting with soldiers as they went by.

Later that night we had our send-off BBQ at Bernard’s house, and I must say, Germans grilling put American BBQs to shame. When we were finally able to tear everyone away, the students we had met with from the SDP presented us with some beautiful IVAW key chains that they had made for us. Then we were finally able to give Yana the time for her interview, which went until two in the morning. Then it was back to Flachi’s to get an hour’s sleep before catching the train to Frankfurt for the flight home. But that was just for Jeff and I. Tom had decided to stay in Germany until the G8. He doesn’t have any money, or a job, but he has lots of friends in Ansbach.

Late Update From Ansbach

After the march on the 19^th, I went to the internet café to write my post about the day’s activities. The name of the place was, “Ali-Baba Internet Café.” I shit you not. The woman behind the counter did not look particularly Arabic, but was wearing a hijab. It just so happened that her English was a lot better than my German, but I thought it might be presumptuous to speak in Arabic. She gave me a number and I sat down in my assigned slot.

While browsing after taking care of business, I overheard two men speaking Arabic behind me. I leaned back in my chair and when their conversation ended, introduced myself in Arabic. I explained that I had worked in Civil Affairs and so on, and he told me that he was from Baghdad. This whole time I’ve been trying to revive my German, and Arabic words come to mind when the German words escape me, but suddenly the opposite was the case. We ended up having a crazy tri-lingual conversation, but he made a really interesting point that I had never considered about Iraq.

He said that the sectarian violence was a new phenomenon, to which I objected, “No, it’s thousands of years old.” But he meant in recent history. He said that there had been no sectarian violence under Saddam (except by the government of course) and none in the years before Saddam came to power. His theory about the sectarian violence is that it came out of the racial balance requirements by the US government for the interim Iraqi government. He said these criteria made Iraqis think that they had to compete on racist terms. Now, he has family in Iraq, but hasn’t been there for ten years so he might not be the best-informed Iraqi, but it’s an interesting theory to consider.

The next day we all had our big interviews with Nightline. Look for them to do an eight-minute segment on the IVAW German Expeditionary Team. In the evening, we attended the Memorial for Iraq War Victims in Burgerpark, followed by a religious service led by Reverend Hansjörg Meyer. The theme of the sermon was, “Turn Swords into Plowshares!” but it was in German, naturally, and most of it beyond my vocabulary. It was a beautiful outdoor service with some great singing, which included, “We Shall Overcome,” and acoustic guitar performances.

Berlin, baby, Berlin!

As I write this, I am in very full nine-seater van as the IVAW German expeditionary team makes its way back to Ansbach after a successful excursion to Berlin. On board are the four members of the team, (Chris Capps, Jeff Englehart, Thomas Cassidy, and myself) Boris Meyer of the Ansbach Peace Coalition, Darnell Stephen Summers of the Stop the War Brigade, Chris’s wife Meike Schubert, their son, Leon, and Yana, a Czech reporter who has been tagging along since we left Ansbach. We’re stuck in traffic on the autobahn.

Our first event yesterday was a press conference with two German reporters a woman from the Associated Press. By the time we got back to Darnell’s friend’s home that evening, it was already on the homepage of Military.com. This morning, there were four pages of comments on the article. Unfortunately, AP forgot to mention any one of the three reasons for us to be in Germany. And on top of that, Military.com ran the story next to a picture of a group of CodePinkers protesting in front of the White House with a big peace sign. No offense to CodePink of course, but IVAW is trying to portray a different image. This morning I posted a reply and you can see it here.

After the press conference, Darnell treated us to an exclusive tour of an incredible archive of antiwar and military resistance books and documents. The archive was originally compiled by the author of Resistance in the US Armed Forces, but he has passed away, and passed the archive on to another caretaker who was more than happy to share it with a few of the guys who will help to “write the next chapter.”

Then we met with a representative of a member of the German Parliament over dinner.
We discussed German politics as they relate to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and German policy towards the US forces stationed in Germany. He is looking for information that may affect that policy. I am not at liberty to discuss any more of the specifics of that conversation, but if you have any information that may be relevant, the point of contact on the matter is Tom, and he can be reached at thomas.j.cassidy@gmail.com.

Then it was time for the big press conference/panel discussion arranged by the American Voices Abroad Military Project. The crowd was very receptive, and we got a chance to really make a connection with people. I read my statement in German, which gets better every time. My proficiency has also progressed to the point that I was able to answer parts of many of the questions in German. It might not seem like a big deal when you have translators, but if you have ever worked with one, you know it’s a lot more effective to be able to communicate directly.

I’ve been doing my best to prepare for my impending legal battle from here, but in the van, it’s a bit tricky. And soon we will be at the protest at the Katterbach base in Ansbach.

Legal Defense Fund for Adam Kokesh

May 22, 2007

Dear Friend of Iraq Veterans Against the War,

My name is Adam Kokesh and I need your help. Because of my involvement in IVAW, I have been singled out and called for a military hearing to be made an example of for those of us who have spoken out against the war. I have been an active member of IVAW for a mere four months, but have already garnered enough attention to be perceived as a threat by those using our military to maintain political support for the occupation of Iraq.

Because my second activation as a reservist extended past my six-year obligation, I am only in the Inactive Ready Reserve from my honorable discharge from active duty last November to June 18^th. After my discharge, I moved to Washington, DC to get a Master’s in Political Management at GWU, and joined IVAW. I have since appeared on behalf of IVAW speaking at concerts, universities, and high schools. I have written about my views on the occupation and my military experience for the IVAW website and on my blog.

Most notably, I participated in Operation First Casualty on March 19th. This was a mock combat patrol through Washington, DC in order to bring home the truth of the occupation of Iraq, because the first casualty of war is the truth. I appeared in my uniform, without my name, without rank, and without the patch that says US MARINES. I received an email of warning about possible violations of the UCMJ for appearing in uniform at a political event. Instead of ignoring it like everyone I know who has received similar emails, I wrote a strongly worded reply admonishing the Major who was “investigating” me for wasting time on such trivial matters. The text of that email is posted here.

I soon received a package from the Marine Corps informing me of a separation hearing to re-separate me with an Other Than Honorable Discharge. A scan of the complete package can be seen below. I have sought private counsel for this hearing, as is my right. I intend to bring as many witnesses as possible to testify to both the character of my service and the nature of my involvement with IVAW. The Marine Corps only made it known to us today that the hearing will be held on June 4, in a mere 13 days. They have also decided to activate me for the hearing and hold it in Kansas City, home of the Marine Corps Mobilization Command.

This case is important because the intimidation of servicemen who speak out will suppress the truth about Iraq. With the help of IVAW, I intend to fight this to the end and stand up for the rights of all members of our armed forces. Please support this effort by mailing a check made out to IVAW with “Adam Kokesh Legal Defense Fund” in the memo to PO Box 8296, Philadelphia, PA 19101 or by going here, clicking on “Donate Now” and including “Adam Kokesh Legal Defense Fund” in the Special Project Support window. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Adam Kokesh

adam@ivaw.org